In this world that rots as if gathering stardust
We weave songs until the last grain drops
Even a beautifully blooming flower,
should it pass away, will turn to sand
And fall to its silent resting place
Hi, I’m REALLY mad right now at this stupid website so please bear with me.
A certain artist (based in the Philippines might I add) recently made a J.CO (Indonesian donut restaurant chain) gijinka recently, and people accused them of whitewashing their gijinka because the character’s skin was too bright.
I, as an Indonesian, am seriously offended.
Not by the gijinka,
but by the masses of people who are being offended ON MY BEHALF FOR THE WRONG REASONS.
The most insulting thing about this whole situation is that this website fucking auto-assumes that all brightly colored characters have been whitewashed and that this is always a bad thing and racist because of how things are in the West.
Hi.
Indonesia is not the United States.
Indonesia is not a country in Europe.
Indonesia is a multicultural society in Asia made up mostly of Southeast Asians, Melanesians, and East Asians.
You can NOT apply the same exact sensitivities and narrative to Indonesia as you can in the West.
…Let me give you a quick rundown:
Racism in Indonesia is not always about about a white skinned race oppressing a darker skinned race. If anything, it’s more to do with Xenophobia and Religion.
Following up on that, here’s the shocker:
The DISCRIMINATED MINORITY in Indonesia has a lighter skin color than the PRIVILEGED MAJORITY.
East Asians, mostly Chinese, who generally have brighter skin tones than your regular Southeast Asian person, are regular targets of hate speech, discrimination, racism, and even a 1998 genocide that still strikes fear and opens up old wounds in their hearts upon mention.
PLEASE GET THAT INTO YOUR DENSE SKULL.
Indonesia has serious racial problems, but you can NOT automatically assume everything as from a western country perspective.
To do so is seriously, seriously racist.
The intention was “right” from your perspective, but please. Do your research, and don’t automatically always assume that light skin is whitewashing. You’re touching on a VERY sensitive and often radically different subject depending on which nation you are talking about.
It’s INSULTING to your fellow PoCs.
I feel insulted. I feel like this website just made a unanimous decision for me because I’m either too “uneducated” “uninformed”, “tolerant” or WHATEVER the fuck you think of Indonesians to feel offended for myself. This website made me think that the Indonesian restaurant chain CAN ONLY be run by Southeast Asians when there are hundreds, if not thousands of East Asian J.CO employees whose lives and stories, and struggle against discrimination you’ve just invalidated just because of your westernized view of racism.
AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF,
THE ARTIST YOU’RE MAD AT IS A PoC FROM THE SAME REGION AS INDONESIA THEMSELVES, (the Philippines) AN ARTIST WHO HAD NO INTENTION OF WHITEWASHING. WHO JUST SAW REALLY NICE COLORS THAT WORKED AND THOUGHT IT WAS COOL. WHO KNOWS FULL WELL THE STRUGGLE SOUTHEAST ASIA HAS HAD AGAINST EUROPE IN THE COLONIAL PERIOD.
IT’S AS IF YOU’RE TRYING TO LECTURE A VICTIM ON WHY THEY SHOULD FEEL VICTIMIZED INSTEAD OF UNDERSTANDING OUR STORY.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, TUMBLR.
If FreeCell is not considered a game (uh, I’ll get out pretty easy that one), then it’ll be Child of Light and I guess... flying around, exploring fantasy world, helping people, and beating monsters with your heavy sword are fun??
My version of translation of Pokemon Sun and Moon anime series’ ending song.
Alternatively the live action PV can be seen here and the live performance can be seen here too.
ポーズ / Poozu
Pose
Artist, Lyric, Composer: Okazaki Taiiku (岡崎体育)
おーっす！みらいのチャンピオン
今日も一日はりきっていきましょう
ゲット！ゲット！（ゲット！ゲット！）
さあ どんどん仲間をあつめちゃおう
Oosu! Mirai no champion
Kyou mo ichi-nichi harikitte ikimashou
Getto! Getto! (Getto! Getto!)
Saa dondon nakama wo atsumechaou
Yosh! Future champion,
let us be enthusiastic this whole day
Get! Get! (Get! Get!)
Come, let's gather up our friends quickly
スーパーボールでもハイパーボールでも
マスターボールでも 捕まえられないよ 君のハート
でもいっしょに踊ればどんどん元気がわいてくる
Suupaa booru demo haipaa booru demo
Masutaa booru demo tsukamaerarenai yo kimi no haato
Demo issho ni odoreba dondon genki ga waite kuru
Even with Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Master Ball
I just couldn't catch your heart
But if we dance together, we can grow passionate quickly
ノーマル かくとう どく じめん ひこう むし いわ ゴースト
はがね ほのお みず でんき くさ こおり
エスパー ドラゴン あく フェアリー
Noomaru kakutou doku jimen hikou mushi iwa goosuto
Hagane honoo mizu denki kusa koori
Esupaa doragon aku fearii
Normal Fighting Poison Ground Flying Bug Rock Ghost
Steel Fire Water Electric Grass Ice
Psychic Dragon Dark Fairy
進化前も進化形もみーんな
集まってってってってって
全力でポーズを決めるんだ
Shinkamae mo shinkakei mo minna
Atsumatte tte tte tte tte
Zenryoku de poozu wo kimerunda
Whether before and after evolution
We ca-ca-ca-ca-catch them all and
Choose our pose with full power
メラメラボーボー 炎が燃え上がる
ビリビリビリビリ でんきでしびれちゃう
ヒュードロロンと ゴーストがケケケのケ
世界一の格闘家 ビシバシビシバシドーン！
Meramera booboo honoo ga moeagaru
Biribiri biribiri denki de shibirechau
Hyuu dororon to goosuto ga kekeke no ke
Sekaiichi no kakutouka bishi bashi bishi bashi doon!
Bursting forth in blaze the flame burns
Getting numbed by the sparking and shocking electricity
Whooshing ghastly ghost spooks all around
Number one fighter in the world, pow pow kapow wham!
出会えてよかった
キミに決めてほんと良かった
思いでたくさんポケットにぎゅっとしまいこんだら
手を取り合って歩こう苦しいときも一緒だよ
大人になったときにまたここで会えるように
Deaete yokatta
Kimi ni kimete honto yokatta
Omoide takusan poketto ni gyutto shimaikondara
Te wo toriatte hikou kurushii toki mo issho da yo
Otona ni natta toki ni mata koko de aeru you ni
I'm so glad I met you
I'm really glad I chose you
If I put these memories into lots of my pockets firmly
It's the same like when we walk together hand in hand during hard times
I hope when we grow into adults we can still meet again in this place
I feel slightly strange and relieved looking at this trailer because of how it has lots of different focus compared to the Japanese counterpart.
This western trailer for Sun and Moon series portrays the more cool/adventurous side of the the series compared to the Japanese counterpart which is more lighthearted and fun looking. As a follower of the XYZ series, had I seen this trailer before the Japanese one, I might be much more intrigued in the beginning.
Despite the animation of Sun Moon series is said to be better and the graphic overhaul makes it more cute, Sun and Moon series in a glance won't work to those who've been following the anime for quite a while, especially XYZ fans.
The XY and XYZ arcs of the anime have shown a more matured Ash. He's shown to take matters in slightly more serious manner and to be slightly more composed dealing with his problems. He's also shown to be a character with strong personality that is admired and looked up to by many people and Pokemon alike (Serena, Clemont, Sawyer, his own Greninja, and many more). All these “cool” traits of Ash are reflected in the story, art, and animation style of the XYZ series that are more serious and cooler looking.
So after that much development, Sun and Moon series’ Japanese trailers showed him to be much more childish looking. Not just art and animation wise, but also in the story too. The fact that initially he is shown to attend a school seems like disregarding all his achievements and abilities that he had learned and built all along the XYZ series, and it's what upsets people the most, including myself at first.
Fortunately I watched the Sun Moon episodes today and they do not seem to be as bad as I initially thought. It is fun and entertaining (and gosh, that ending song is my favorite). The creators definitely had a different direction in mind, and I'd like to see how far it could go and whether it could really live up to the people's expectation or not.
But once again I'd say that the build up for the new season in the Japanese trailers feel kind of lacking, even betraying those who've been used to with XYZ's style. The fun-hearted and the cute moments just don't seem to work at first and it's what disheartened people a lot. With the western trailer showing Sun Moon's cooler and adventurous side, it creates a lining with the nature of the XYZ series, and I think it's a nice move for them to make a trailer like that.
He thinks the only way to be a champion/Pokemon Master is through battling.
He thinks the Island Challenges of Alola is stupid because he couldn't get how the trial activities can make you a champion/Pokemon Master.
He’s strong, but he could never finish a trial/be a captain because of this ideal.
His reason to wreck/vandalize trial sites is to stop these Island Challenges system.
About the whole trials
How different Alola’s Island Challenges system compared to original gym/league system wants to say that there are many ways to be a Pokemon Master and it’s not just through Pokemon battling.
Note: All this time we can be a master in other fields such as Pokemon Contest, Pokedex completion, etc., but the main idea or highlight is always Pokemon Battle.
The story of Sun/Moon wants to challenge this old idea of being the “true” champion is merely through Pokemon battling.
Lillie is important to the story because she supports this idea of not having Pokemon Battle the entire time.
ポケモンだいすきクラブのイチオシ特集「I LOVE コイキングさん」から、コイキングの歌『I LOVE コイキング』をお届け！ コイキングの魅力が詰まった楽曲だよ。みんなで一緒に歌ってね！ 歌詞は特集「I LOVE コイキングさん」でチェックできるよ！ http://www.pokemon.jp/special/...
Translation for the I LOVE KOIKING song aka the I LOVE MAGIKARP song. It’s a very catchy and cute song talking about how pathetic a Magikarp is. Well, not really. You do know that, right?
コイキングのうた「I LOVE コイキング」
KOIKING no Uta [I LOVE KOIKING]
The Magikarp’s Song (I LOVE MAGIKARP)
たよりなくて なさけない
とても有名 弱すぎて
tayorinakute nasakenai
totemo yuumei yowasugite
Magikarps are helpless and miserable
They’re very famous because they’re too weak
昔はとても 強かった？
そんなウワサも あるけれど
今はとっても 弱いんだ
悲しいくらいに 弱いんだ
mukashi wa totemo tsuyokatta?
sonna uwasa mo arukeredo
ima wa totemo yowainda
kanashii kurai ni yowainda
Once upon a time, Magikarps were very strong?
There are such rumors, but…
Magikarps now are so weak
They’re so weak it’s so sad
弱いポケモン コイキング
世界でいちばん 弱いやつ
弱いポケモン コイキング
あまりの弱さ ショッキング
yowai pokemon koikingu
sekai de ichiban yowai yatsu
yowai pokemon koikingu
amari no yowasa shokkingu
The weak pokemon, Magikarp
The weakest one in the world
The weak pokemon, Magikarp
Because they're too weak, it's shocking
とにかくはねる よくはねる
はねるだけで 山こえる
tonikaku haneru yoku haneru
haneru dake de yama koeru
Speaking about jumping*, they often jump
By jumping alone, they can cross the mountain
どうしてはねる 意味なくはねる
バトルでははねる なにもない
調子に乗って はねつづけ
時にビジョンに つかまるよ
doushite haneru imi naku haneru
batoru de wa haneru nani mo nai
choushi ni notte hanetsudzuke
toki ni pijon ni tsukamaru yo
Why are they jumping these meaningless jumps
Even if they jump in the battle, nothing happened
When they're excited, they'll continue jumping
Sometimes they will be caught by Pidgeotto
はねるポケモン コイキング
世界でいちばん はねるやつ
はねるポケモン コイキング
いつもピタピタ ジャンピング
haneru pokemon koikingu
sekai de ichiban haneru yatsu
haneru pokemon koikingu
itsumo pitapita janpingu
The jumping Pokemon, Magikarp
The number one jumper in the world
The jumping Pokemon, Magikarp
Always jumping pitter-patter
どんな場所でも まずつれる
ボロのつりざおで つれすぎる
donna basho demo mazu tsureru
boro no tsurizao de tsure sugiru
Whatever’s the place, Magikarp's the first thing you'll catch
With the old rod, you'll catch too many
海 川 よごれた水たまり
どんな水でも スイミング
ゆるい川でも 流される
どこかにできてる コイダマリ
umi kawa yogoreta mizu tamari
donna mizu demo suimingu
yurui kawa demo nagasareru
doko ka ni dekiteru koidamari
In the sea, river, dirty bodies of water
Whatever the water is, they'll swim there
Eventhough in calm rivers, they got carried away
You can find them anywhere, these Magikarp pond
つれたと思ったら コイキング
キャッチアンドリリース？ しちゃうすぐ？
つれたと思ったら コイキング
キャッチアンドイート？ ナンセンス！
tsureta to omottara koikingu
kyattchi ando ririisu? shichau sugu?
tsureta to omottara koikingu
kyattchi ando iito? nansensu!
Even though you thought you caught something, it's just Magikarp
Catch and release? Should I do it soon?
Even though you thought you caught something, it's just Magikarp
Catch and eat it? Nonsense!
キンピカごうか 色ちがい
ぜんぜん中身 変わらない
kinpika gouka irochigai
zenzen nakami kawaranai
A shining gold is a shiny one
(However,) on the inside, nothing's changing
ギャラドス進化で めちゃ強い
そこまで待つの めちゃつらい
おやじが売ってた ５００円！
返品できない ハプニング！
gyarados shinka de mecha tsuyoi
sokomade matsu no mecha tsurai
oyaji ga utteta gohyaku en!
henpin dekinai hapuningu!
When Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, it's super strong
(But) waiting for it to happen is so suffering
An old man is selling them for 500 Yen each
And you can't refund them. Such thing happens!
ざんねんなポケモン コイキング
人にあげても ブーイング
ざんねんなポケモン コイキング
気にしたことない ランキング
zannen na pokemon koikingu
hito ni agetemo buuingu
zannen na pokemon koikingu
ki ni shita kotonai rankingu
The unfortunate Pokemon, Magikarp
Even if you give them to someone, you'll only get a booing
The unfortunate Pokemon, Magikarp
They never worry about their ranking
ボクのポケモン コイキング
ボクはそのまま 育てるよ
ボクのポケモン コイキング ６
びきそろえて ファイティング
boku no pokemon koikingu
boku wa sono mama sodateru yo
boku no pokemon koikingu
roppiki soroete faitingu
My Pokemon, Magikarp
I'll raise it just the way they are
My Pokemon, Magikarp
I'll catch 6 of them and fight with them
みんな恋する** コイキング
世界でいちばん 好きなやつ
恋に恋する コイキング
キミにささげる ラブソング
minna koisuru koikingu
sekai de ichiban suki na yatsu
koi ni koisuru koikingu
kimi ni sasageru rabu songu
The one that everyone loves, Magikarp
It's the one most beloved in the whole world
Loving you with all my love, Magikarp
This is a love song just for you
TL Notes:
*Haneru in here refers to the move Splash, though originally haneru means either to splash or to jump. Since this move was exclusive to Magikarp in the 1st gen, they translated it as splash. It's actually also a move available to several other Pokemon like Spoink or Hoppip and even Buneary and Loppuny. I use jump here because it's the word used on the video.
**Why koi (恋)and not ai (愛) to refer love. Aside for a pun to Magikarp’s Japanese name, Koiking, koisuru has deeper meaning than aisuru, where in koisuru it’s implied that you want to live and stay forever with the one you love.
They have a special website for this where they have special illustration and Pokedex explanation for Magikarp, as well as comparison to other similar fish, Feebas. Check it here.
Additional information about Blessed Messiah and the Tower of AI
So in the original video upload in the Youtube (and probably Nico), there’s a sort of back story for the song written in the description, besides the English translation of the song itself. Along with that, Hitoshizuku also wrote some information about the characters in her twitter. I try to translate and compile them in this post (I wrote it in the YT comment, but I believe it’ll easily get lost there).
My theory might also go along the way at the bottom of the post.
The “humans” were seeking power beyond their knowledge to ridicule the god, and god was angered by the actions of these humans. They sealed the powers which formed the world into 9 components in a tower. As this happens, the world slowly heads towards its destruction.
Among the people of that world, a messiah was appointed to climb this tower to ask for the god’s forgiveness, with her friends/comrade accompany her. Her task is to ask for the god’s forgiveness and accept these 9 components of blessings, so on the altar of the tower, she can lit the flame that will continues the world’s life span.
And since then, the world’s life span shall be transferred/connected by a flame from messiah who was born in every 15 years.
Hey guys, thank you for the faves and reblog on the earlier post! Wish you all a great day!
So anyway, I read the lyrics again and I just realized that Miku actually isn’t the first Messiah. My pure mistake thinking she was. The rituals have been going on for quite a while as Miku was described as “the next messiah”.
This probably can answer some of the questions that arose from the previous post. Mainly, how did the other 9 people knew that the blessings are actually atonement?
This lead me to think, what if before the other 9 people besides Miku found her and bring her in together with them, they actually had another 10th person in their group? This person was the previous messiah, who went by themselves to accept all of the “blessings” on their own 15 years ago before the beginning of the story.
Maybe some of the older people of the bunch witnessed what happened to the previous messiah, and felt regret over the fact that the previous messiah had to went by themselves to accept the blessing. Hence, when Miku was appointed as the next messiah, they all decided that anyone who became the messiah should not suffer these “blessings” alone, for they always share their joy and sorrow together.
It is unknown whether the messiah actually “died” or not after doing the torch relay, but it’s high probable if that person isn’t with them anymore.
(This calls for sequel or prequel isn’t it.)
Also another question, who’s the shadow with the side-tailed ponytail that appeared near the altar?
Nothing much can be known, but some speculation say, it’s the spirit of the previous messiah, finishing their job each time by telling the truth about the blessing to the next messiah after them. Some other say that it’s the embodiment of the God.
The more I think about it, this story become more curious each time. Finger crossing so hard for actual sequel or prequel or at least expansion for the story.
Additional information about Blessed Messiah and the Tower of AI
So in the original video upload in the Youtube (and probably Nico), there’s a sort of back story for the song written in the description, besides the English translation of the song itself. Along with that, Hitoshizuku also wrote some information about the characters in her twitter. I try to translate and compile them in this post (I wrote it in the YT comment, but I believe it’ll easily get lost there).
My theory might also go along the way at the bottom of the post.
The "humans" were seeking power beyond their knowledge to ridicule the god, and god was angered by the actions of these humans. They sealed the powers which formed the world into 9 components in a tower. As this happens, the world slowly heads towards its destruction.
Among the people of that world, a messiah was appointed to climb this tower to ask for the god’s forgiveness, with her friends/comrade accompany her. Her task is to ask for the god's forgiveness and accept these 9 components of blessings, so on the altar of the tower, she can lit the flame that will extend the world's life span.
And since then, the world's life span shall be transferred/connected by a flame from messiah who was born in every 15 years.
The jobs and role of the people in the village of youths
(From Hitoshizuku’s twitter. Romanization follows the twitter instead of their usual name)
Kaito: Mayor of the village
Meiko: Swordsman
Ia: The bread artisan elder sister
Mayu: The bread artisan younger sister
Gaku: Priest
Megu: Poet
Luka: Dancer
Rin: The shepherd elder sister
Len: The shepherd younger brother
Miku: Seamstress
A concept art was provided in Suzunosuke’s twitter for these characters.
And, from here on, I’ll try to explain what’s what and how the story (might) actually goes based on the lyrics and the info from the description that I translated above.
Divine judgement executed on arrogant foolish sheep
which thought they could replace God
“The tower of AI” defending the world that is going to end
Lifespan of earth is lit on the top of the tower
The humans desire to acquire more power and knowledge in order to be more powerful than (or even ridiculing) the god. To this impertinence, the god was angered and took away the powers that formed the world and sealed them into 9 components in a tower called Tower of AI.
These powers are "Blossoming Wave", "Fire Banquet", "Grace of the Sunlight", "Peaceful Darkness", "Trembling Ground", "Rumble of Thunder", "Rondo of Whirlwind', "Garden of Silver Snow", and "Fetal Movement of Magma". It could be said that these powers are the forces of nature that keep the world going. Without these forces of nature, the world slowly heads towards its destruction.
Abandoned barren land of destruction
Only children survived there
They held each other’s small hands and believe unconditionally
In sickness and in health
“We share joy and pain”
In the world abandoned by the god, it was said that only children survived. The 10 people from the our stories live together bearing hardships, sharing joy and pain in all conditions they went through.
A messenger from the kingdom provided a prophecy for the village of youth
To be the next honorable Messiah,
the oracle delivered to the seamstress
One day, a messenger from a certain kingdom came to the village of youths where they live. The prophecy said of a messiah that will save everyone, and that messiah is the seamstress, Miku. EDIT: Miku is described as the next Messiah, implying that she’s not the first person that will save the world and the world’s miserable condition has been going on for quite a while.
Miku’s role is supposed to be the one who climbs the tower and asks for the god’s forgiveness. By accepting the “blessings” of the 9 powers that formed the world, she will lit a flame that could rejuvenate the world and extends its life span.
Try as hard as you can......
Take your friend’s hand
If you trust each other and help each other, then you fear nothing
Her friends, comrades, family, decided to accompany her in her journey. Apparently she seems to fear this mission, but because everyone is with her, she braves herself and decided to fulfill her mission.
The first blessing
She reached out to the door, where the lives swirl in the “Blooming Wave”
Unexpectedly, a young man put his hand in hers and said,
“We share joy and pain”
They arrive in the Tower of AI. Beyond the first door is the blessing “Blossoming Wave”. As Miku is about to accept the it, the mayor, Kaito, hold her and and said the words they’ve always said together, “We share joy and pain”.
With those words, he pushed Miku away from the blessing she’s supposed to accept as the Messiah. He then claimed the first blessing for himself and the door’s closed. As it comes to, it’s become clearer that these friends, comrades, and family seem to hate each other.
“I am the one...... I was chosen......”
“You can’t keep it all to yourself...... we won’t let you......”
Does greed change a person?
And to the next eight blessings, everyone tries to claim each blessing for themselves. Swordsmaster Meiko claiming "Fire Banquet". The bread artisan elder sister Ia claiming "Grace of the Sunlight". Not wanting to lose to her sister, Mayu claimed "Peaceful Darkness". The priest Gaku took "Trembling Ground", praising it, with Megu the poet sang of the "Rumble of Thunder". The dancer Luka swayed with the "Rondo of Whirlwind'. The elder sister of the twin, Rin, shoved her brother out of her way to claim "Garden of Silver Snow", and "Fetal Movement of Magma" was taken by Len after he deceived Miku himself.
Betrayed by friends she trusted
All the blessings were stolen
Holding up a torch with no flame
Walking to the altar...…
The messiah, Miku, couldn’t believed how her friends, comrades, and family, people she trusted so much, betrayed her, blinded by their greed for the blessings and stole it for themselves. She ascended the stairs towards the altar by herself, with an unlit torch of flame. A flame she’s supposed to lit from the blessings that could save the world.
The true meaning of “blessing” that sealed in the tower
......was an atonement of the Messiah
You, the Messiah who got through this ordeal with these sacrifices
Now, add a new life of paradise
However, up there, Miku seems to be told by someone (the shadow with the side-tail hair?) and discover the truth that the “blessings” she’s supposed to accept, were actually an ordeal, the atonement that she has to get through in order to save the world. If she were to accept “Blossoming Wave”, she would be drowned in the rough sea. If she were to accept "Fire Banquet", she would have to dance in the hell fire. If she were to accept "Grace of the Sunlight”, she would be parched in a drought. If she were to accept “Peaceful Darkness”, she would be surrounded in an eternal darkness and losing her mind.
If she were to accept the “Trembling Ground”, she would be swallowed by the earth. If she were to accept “Rumble of Thunder”, she would be struck by the lightning of judgement. If she were to accept “Rondo of Whirlwind”, she would be torn up by the hurricane. If she were to accept “Garden of Silver Snow”, she would get frozen to the core. And if she were to accept “Fetal Movement of Magma”, she would have to crawl through the intense heat of it.
We won’t let you go by yourself
We won’t stop believing......
In sickness and in health
“We share joy and pain”
However, she did not accept any of it, and thus, she wouldn’t have to suffer those atonement, because her friends, comrades, and family took it for her, somehow knowing the truth of the “blessings” and sacrificing themselves because they always share their “joy and pain”.
The fire was lit upon the altar, burning from the “blessings” that have made its way there. No torch was needed to lit it.
The Messiah who accepted God’s will, silently smiles by herself......
She has just created nine [sorrows]
Now she reaches her hands to the altar
Realizing it, the Messiah seem to have fallen into despair as she knows that she somehow has created nine sorrows by having her friends sacrificed themselves (and implied to suffer those atonement forever, as mentioned in Mayu’s part of the atonement). Regardless, she accepted the god’s will and finally save the world.
Continue this torch relay
After all these innocent sacrifices
This foolish habit will never be broken.....
However, everything doesn’t seem to end there. This act of salvation done by the Blessed Messiahs, created a ritual EDIT: has always been a ritual in that world. Since the day of the divine punishment, the world’s life span would need to be connected/extended by a flame from a messiah who’s born in every 15 years.
TL;DR The god was angered by humans’ action and decided to punish them by sealing 9 blessings of the world into the Tower of AI. A seamstress was selected as a messiah from the prophecy. She has to set out to the tower to ask for god’s forgiveness and take the blessings so she can rejuvenate the world. Her friends were accompanying her. However, there, her friends betrayed her and take those blessings for themselves. The seamstress, losing hope, ascended to the altar. There, she realized that the “blessings” are actually atonement she has to go through in order to save the world. Her friends were sacrificing themselves by taking those atonement into themselves so she doesn’t have to suffer alone, since they always share joy and pain in health and sickness. Realizing this, she fell into despair, but she accepted the god’s will nonetheless. The world is rejuvenated once again, just like 15 years ago and probably how it will be 15 years later.
All in all this is a really great story. It seems to take and play upon the concept of Messiah from Christianity, who shouldered all the sins and atonement upon himself alone. This story makes a twist by sharing the atonement among loved ones, highlighting the feeling of strong bonds and sacrifice.
It’s interesting to see the continuation of this song. I’m sure there will be one, otherwise they wouldn’t mention the 15 years thing =))
Extra note:
Rin’s atonement was Garden of Silver Snow, implying that she’ll be frozen by the cold. A possible reference to Soundless Voice?
The video is marvelous, and you could see the subtle expressions of the characters when they head down towards the blessings. Most prominent ones before it was shown at the final part of the song are Kaito’s expression after the first door is closed (before his expression changes), along with Rin’s tears and Len’s horrified expression when he saw her heading down towards the snow blessing.
It is revealed that the AI for the Tower of AI does not stand for ai for “love” (愛) but ai for “sadness” (哀).
