Ensemble Stars: SHUFFLE × Silent Black Snow
In a few hours, the “SHUFFLE × Silent Black Snow” event will release. Happy Elements has graciously released the MV for the song Noir Neige by La Mort. After watching the MV multiple times, I would like to propose an interpretation—my interpretation—for the story behind it: Kohaku is the only person alive, while the others are ghosts.
I believe that Mayoi represents Charon, and brings souls into this haunted cathedral. In Greek mythology, he is regarded as a ferryman to Hades. Mayoi is often seen in this MV holding a blue rose. The first time we see him holding the flower, the petals fall at his gentle touch.
Blue roses are commonly known to symbolize mystery and the unattainable. The second time we see Mayoi holding a blue rose is when Kohaku walks down the hall.
Instead of interacting, Mayoi simply watches him walk away while smiling as if he were biding his time, waiting for his turn to guide Kohaku, but in that moment, Kohaku is unattainable.
If Mayoi is the Charon, then which individuals are the souls? In my interpretation, Nagisa, Rei, and Ritsu are the souls. I would say that Nagisa is the first soul, while Rei and Ritsu are two recent souls that were finally allowed to enter the haunted place after roaming for a while. Out of everyone, Nagisa seems the most comfortable around Mayoi maybe due to him having been with Mayoi the longest.
Rei and Ritsu do not interact with Mayoi as much as Nagisa does. Nagisa is also seen passing Ritsu a book of some sort, as if he’s passing down his knowledge as to what it means to be a soul residing in this place.
When referring to the Sakuma brothers, I say “finally allowed to enter” because we can see that there are two tombs that are thrown and unkept.
Souls who could not pay the fee or were not buried were forced to wander. It may be a stretch, but two unkept tombstones—places of rest, might be an indicator that Rei and Ritsu could not pay. At the beginning, Rei looks rather confused about his predicament. It is only until Ritsu hands him a pomegranate does Rei start to realize the situation. In Greek mythology pomegranates were called the “fruit of the dead.”
But why are Rei and Ritsu not the first souls? Well, on the tombstone that is later revealed, we see three flowers, perhaps representing three people.
One flower is off to one side, while two flowers are on the other side. There is no name at all. My best guess is that Mayoi carved those flowers onto the stone, whether to leave a piece on them on the earth or simply because he had nothing better to do is beyond me.
Lastly, I believe that Kohaku is the only person that is alive. He’s the only individual in this unit who has a different colour scheme from the others. While the tailcoat’s accent colour and the bottom of their pants are blue, Kohaku’s is a light pink, a colour associated with cherry blossoms, spring, and life. The accent colour on the coat’s length is a deep blue for everyone except for Kohaku whose is green, a colour associated with nature, vitality, and life.
Kohaku is also the only one who is seen praying, all the more while the sun is still out. Any time we see the other characters, it is during the night.
What use do the dead have when it comes to praying? They are already dead. Furthermore, the saying goes that ghosts roam the shadows, but they are not out when the sun still shines.
Another interpretation I had for Kohaku praying was that he was asking for freedom. There is a moment where Kohaku’s eyes glow red in a similarly haunting way as Rei’s do.
Perhaps that is a result of teetering on the edge of life and death, and in those moments he can see the souls residing in this cathedral. Kohaku could be dying and so he prays because he wishes to stay alive, to live. Maybe because Kohaku is on the borderline of life and death, Rei is able to grab Kohaku’s hand in his 5☆ illustration.
However, it seems like Kohaku doesn’t notice anyone that is around him, aside from this one moment. Even in the beginning, when Mayoi, Kohaku and Nagisa are in the cathedral. Kohaku does not turn around to look at Nagisa while he sings, nor does he watch Mayoi as he plays the piano. He is still looking up, almost trying to plead with god.
Anyway, that’s it from me! Is there anything I missed? Please let me know and thank you for reading!
