Okay like two people asked so it's yapping time.
I want to replay the games again at some point to really get into the depth of it but I hypothesize. That Professor Layton is fundamentally about second chances THROUGH grief, the grief itself isn't the focus.
It's like. EVERYWHERE if you know where to look.
[Spoilers for basically everything]
LS: the whole town gets destroyed, Loosha dies and it's heartbreaking, and so is Evan's death. But Arianna and tony get to have a second chance at community they otherwise wouldn't have had, and arianna in specific is granted a second chance at life (through her friendship with loosha). Clark and Brenda get to reconnect with Hershel and Luke gets to actually meet him and find someone who takes him seriously.
MM: even after all the guilt every single person involved probably feels and the real sorrow Randall's apparent death caused for them (to the point of straining their relationships) not only does Randall get a second chance at redemption after what he does, Hershel and Henry both get a second chance to save him (and ALL of them get a second chance at being friends again). And the whole city of Monte D'or so many people came to call home was only ever created because of what happened.
AL: The world nearly ends and they all literally die (as well as the loss of family being pretty center stage for a couple of those guys) but Emmy, Descole and Bronev all get second chances to redeem themselves, as well as the fact that humanity itself gets a second chance, AND all of the main characters get a second chance at life. Aurora gets one through her reincarnation.
Hell, targent itself apparently gets another chance to go back to not being a cult. Even Bloom gets to put his skills to better use.
CV: Flora's parents die and she grows up very alone and isolated for years but she gets a second chance at a different life with new people who can make her smile again (though this would be more effective if they followed through on it).
DB: Anton loses everything, stays stuck in his castle for 50 years and is too late to ever see his fiance or his daughter again, but he IS freed from his situation and he gets to have a bond with the granddaughter he never knew he had, as well as getting a second chance at his relationship with his brother.
UF: EVERYONE (except like. Bill Hawks) gets to redeem themselves. Claire gets to fix the fallout of her death, Don Paolo is able to let go of his hatred, Dimitri is forgiven after everything he pulls and Clive gets a second chance granted to him by Claire (he doesn't die).
And most importantly, Hershel gets a second chance to say goodbye. That last one is most important to me.
Because in ALL of these, Hershel is usually the one giving people those second chances, with some exceptions. It's fitting that the last game chronologically is the one where HE receives possibly the biggest second chance out of all of them.
Like. The Layton games have a lot of Very Tragic Things happen, but that's in service of what happens later: them getting to try again.
And it ties back to what the Layton series is: they're puzzle games. You don't have to know the answer immediately. You don't have to be able to solve life immediately in one go.
You get a second try. Your picarats may decrease but you always get to try again. And you get a hint this time. And you get someone there to help you, this time.
At its core, Professor Layton is about the fact that there is always hope to do better, and that's what I actually think they mean with what their definition of a gentleman is like—
A gentleman is polite and doesn't assume, keeps a cool head in dangerous situations, doesn't hesitate to help those in need, and solves every puzzle etc. etc. BECAUSE
A true gentleman believes that things and people can be better, and actually helps them to be.
Because when you think about it, doesn't the act of solving a puzzle itself boil down to believing there's a better answer?
That's what I mean with Professor Layton is hopecore, because at its roots the story is based in those core principles:
There's always a better answer, and you get to try again until you find it.
Or to put it more directly,
dededos
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