No.94068
I have no idea what's going on other, but it looks pretty nice. I haven't read any official Touhou things in years, maybe I should change that soon.
No.94071
Ah, I'm getting addicted to seeing MiMi's panicked expressions. She's so cute.
It also seems like Satori knocked Reimu out of it, she's not looking like a Youkai Shrine Maiden (when she can help it).
>>94067Good God her gohei is HUGE.
>>94068CDS is a bit different since the tone shifted from detective mystery to "The Touhou Battle Manga" after the artist changed in volume 2. Just a forewarning that the premise won't keep for long, and if you aren't a big Touhou fan then you might not get as much enjoyment out of it since the plot is not the best laid out. I still like it though, this last volume or so has added a feeling of
COOL that Touhou hasn't seen much of.
>>94070Mizuchi also brings that up in confusion after Reimu dogeza's to her.
No.94073
>>94071>Good God her gohei is HUGE.looks like it's based on a medieval warbanner but made to look shinto
She also has Shimenawa hairbows, wonder if that meant she became a living god
No.94079
>>94075something's off about the tip
No.94081
>>94079Yeah, she stole the replica Yukari made which is why she's trying to get it back.
No.94082
>>94070The evil within her, purified. But her bloodlust comes naturally.
No.94084
>>94083oh yeah if this chapter is the end to the story (or the penultimate chapter) then now is a great time for people who've been holding out for it to be done to start reading, translation should be up not to long after
No.94089
>>94084It's a good spot to catch up on since I think ZUN plans to have this be done in arcs, maybe he'll bring on a new artist and roll with the theme. Hopefully we return to the original premise and get Satori as a protagonist in a Satori manga, but I'd also like to see a straight battle manga with this artist, there's a lot of potential to go places.
Mima will be the new arc antagonist btw.
No.94093
>>94089It ‘’would’’ fit to explore evil spirits now.
No.94096
>>94093After how many games with the animal realm I want to see something new like that. For all the shit FS got it did touch on a lot of those niche phenomenon Youkai, so revisiting old spooky Youkai of the 'haunts abandoned shrines and forests' variety would be good.
No.94099
>>94083Thanks, I'll look at later.
No.94189
>>94188It seems like that's meant to be Gensokyo's first Hakurei miko. She seems to be a distant ancestor of Reimu's rather than her predecessor
No.94230
>>94229Should be, would be an odd way to end.
No.94242
Really dissapointing ending. In the end they didnt adress pretty much anything other than victim blame and gaslighting MiMi thats its all her fault. It really read like torture porn more than anything.
Not to mention that it had so many plot holes and outright errors/contradiction thats its hard to count them all.
Once again, massive waste of potential and huge amount of interesting points that will never be adressed again. Its clear that ZUN is incapable of writing long stories, or even short stories that focus on characters so i have no hope at all for sequel.
No.94243
>>94242At this point I'd expect nothing less. Better than WaHH and FS endings since there was at least something visually striking to look at. The conflict is brushed aside, everything goes back to as it was, and they all drink tea. It was the same with SSiB. Things looked grim for a moment, Yukari was let go, the moonies went back, and then they all went to the pool/drank sake; all of that culminating in a big prank.
At least it looked like Reimu showed some agency, last time I remember anons griping how she'd just follow her orders without thinking.
No.94244
>>94243I dunno for me it feels much worse than WaHH or FS since those mangas at least resolved properly even if resolution was underwhelming.
CDS on the other hand simply never adresses MiMi grudge and forces her into obedience which is just depressing. If ZUN wanted to turn it into goofy prank why did he make her backstory so serious?
For me it feels he never thought that people may focus on her backstory being main meat (pun intended) of CDS rather than cheap excuse for characters fighting. There were just so many better ways to handle Mizuchi and Hakurei backstory than that. And worst of all we will never see any of that mentioned again.
Don't get me wrong, i didnt expected some deep moral discourse in the end, but this ending is just....really bad. Its just sad that what 4-5 years of buildup ended up like that.
No.94252
>>94244well let's just be glad it's over then. I'm still waiting for a proper translation to be done to read the chapter to judge the ending for myself but so far I haven't really had any problems with the story (hell I've been enjoying it) but the eternal bitchfest that surrounds it is tiresome (mainly talking about 4/jp/ here)
I was looking more forward to the Touhou 20 demo drop anyways, 6 days to go feels like Eternity when its so close...
No.94257
>>94252See thats the issue - I also really enjoyed CDS and was defending it for its entire run. I liked the concept, and Mizuchi easily climbed into my top 5 touhou.
And then all of that got ruined in basically last 3 chapters. Reimu should never be the one to resolve it. There were so many possibilities for better endings, from Satori talking and outsmarting MiMi into getting over her grudge, to having actually good emotional moment betwen MiMi and Reimu.
Instead we got typical - "lol its time to get serious Reimu" ending. It really feels that ZUN was super tired of this story which is why im so surprised he plans a sequel.
Im just really bummed because it feels we were this close from something really cool that could really bring breath of fresh air into stagnating touhou.
No.94265
>>94255Hope so too. That's sort of the main things to look forward to for the demo
¥Possibly 3 Newhus (more if there's unique midbosses)¥7-ish new music tracks (namely stage and boss themes)¥Some hint as to what the fuck the story is because the synopsis isn't giving it to us¥Spellcards galore¥Infinity speculationI'm pumped, hoping ZUN lets the steam demo page go up on the day rather than afterwards when he comes back from Reitaisai. The sooner the better!
>>94257Oh yeah I definitely agree Satori should have done more. Though at the same time I feel like there is a reason for Reimu to be the one to resolve it namely Mizuchi's grudge had always been to target Hakurei Shrine specifically
and certainly after spending so much time imagining what the ending would be I feel I am going to find the actual ending falls short
Though I feel a good emotional moment is asking too much of ZUN and therein lies the problem. He's not the kind of guy who
can write that kind of thing
No.94267
>>94265Satori being sidelined in the Satori manga is the biggest sin. With how he goes with the flow on writing it's a wonder he hasn't wrote himself into GRRM style corners. At the very least Touhou's doujin culture exists to give us free reign to just rewrite what we don't like for fanon purposes. WaHH's ending sucked for similar reasons leaving major points unresolved. Kasen went back to square one and left hanging to dry because ZUN didn't know what to do with her next, and arm-chan is just there sealed in a box. Fanon screams solutions to fill in the pages on the blank book.
>after spending so much time imagining what the ending would be I feel I am going to find the actual ending falls shortThis is the reality. Even without the instant death of expectations you'd get by fantasizing anything involving Mima, ZUN can't or doesn't want to do these kinds of elaborate plots that neatly tie everything up with a bow; everything has some loose end and it's a dice roll whether any get picked up in the next game or printwork. Like Sakuna and the Urban Legend incident, she's still swapped with her dream self and that incident is still unresolved. It's been so long it might as well just be an intended consequence to let things sort themselves out and fold into the status quo.
No.94269
>>94265Imo the issue is that he changed it too much into action manga despite Mizuchi not being action manga antagonist. It feels so weird that they were hyping her so much when she could had been so easily bodied.
I really wish ZUN had Aya Azuma finish this manga instead that way it would work out much better.
And yeah, ZUNs writing style is massive issue. He hates writing characters (which is why everyone has same personality of asshole) and is incapable of writing longer plots.
To me it almost feels bad on purpose as if ZUN really wanted to make people stop asking about Hakurei past.
>>94267Expectations are one thing, but technical roughness is another. What was a point of making last chapter so serious, then desperately trying to turn it into goofy happy ending in next chapter? It really feels like ZUN really wanted to be done with this manga and wrote ending in a last minute.
No.94273
>>94269Between UDoALG and WOoHS, I wouldn't be surprised if he's burnt out of writing
Personally I just wish Ginmokusei didn't have the health problems and personal issues that caused her to drop out happen. Then the story would have been finished sooner and it might have felt more congruent
No.94359
>>94303Thank you for posting this. It takes me back to a time when 90% of the youtube videos I watched were image compilations with paralyzer or any of the other five songs everyone used.
>>94339It's a very good design, and one that calls back to PC-98 and early windows touhou. A simple but extravagant shrine maiden.
No.94411
>>94359that was the intention. Hell I literally know jackshit about video editing but I knew that would only contribute to the authenticity
I do miss that era a lot, you know simpler times and all that.
No.94707
File:14.png (1.56 MB,1200x1723)
Translation is out!
No.94708
>>94707Thanks.
I think this page (and pg35) puts down the arguments that Reimu is just a tool for Yukari. She's not blindly following her orders or the ideal of the status quo, instead taking things her own way with the power over Gensokyo only a Hakurei shrine maiden has. The line about Humans getting away with anything as long as you're Human is also important since it calls the Fortune Teller incident to mind. He was no longer Human and lost that protection. This manga, despite its massive flaws, was pretty good and somehow played into all views of Gensokyo.
No.94710
Grimsokyofags lost very hard in this chapter. Almost makes me feel bad for them.
No.94711
Gotta be honest guys, its really bad. For me it fels that ZUN realised this manga doesnt make any sense and he no longer knows whats hes doing so he basically went for a gag ending. Such a wasted potential and what? 4 years all for a kuso joke.
No.94713
>>94710Eh, they got Gensokyo's actually grim past to harp on about. Barring that they could just go read Zounose for their fetish.
I like that this chapter addresses the point of Gensokyo, but it could've done more to explain how the Humans truly benefit from the arrangement. It's like we only got half of Reimu's speech. ZUN's focus on the same handful of Human characters and the named Youkai doesn't help elaborate on the actual place Humans have in the ecosystem. They are required for Youkai to flourish and have the freedom to do as they please so long as they remain Human, but ZUN doesn't give us much of the nameless and mundane characters showing that. Reimu's speech makes sense and isn't contradictory given the few examples of exemplary Humans, but actions speak louder than words.
No.94724
>>94713Eh it really didnt answer why Hakurei betrayed humanity in a first place. It seems that ZUN himself really didnt had idea for motivation so he outright skipped it.
No.94730
>>94724It also glossed over the span of time between MiMi dying and becoming a vengeful spirit. We see the origin of her grudge sure, but it doesn't go farther in how it develops.
My rambly interpretation is that the Hakurei folded first on Gensokyo because, like the Miyadeguchi clan, they specialized in Youkai extermination. While Mizuchi kept fighting out of principle, the Hakurei chose long term survival. They settled into Gensokyo's new order because they were dependent on having Youkai to fight to have meaning. Becoming a necessary part of maintaining the "Humans must exterminate Youkai" half of the order was probably a good deal too.
It sounds selfish for one clan of Humans to decide the fate of all, but if we take the old lore into account, all of Gensokyo's Humans at the time were there to fight Youkai and the Village descended from this group. Yukari chose that place and Youkai infested that region, then exterminators settled there too. Once the population of both was sufficient, the barrier went up before the changing times could doom them. Taking that into account, I don't think that it was just the Hakurei in the loop on things. If everyone there had no other way of life then a pseudo paradise where you could keep up the charade without a ton of danger would be tempting, that said I imagine there were a lot more Youkai exterminators who continued fighting and died like Mizuchi, though probably not to the extent of psy op attacks to make the Humans think the Youkai aren't keeping up their side of the bargain.
No.94733
>>94724I think the manga has gone through some production hell because of the change of artists. ZUN is likely not satisfied with how everything ended up being which is why the manga is not ending, just this "arc". The time before it comes back will be used to brainstorm, make sense of everything, and try to fix stuff. At least that's what I hope.
No.94737
>>94730I think he simply doesnt have a good reason for Hakurei betrayal period. The only thing i can come with is desperate attempt to keep their status which didnt work given the fact how many of them left (and that Reimu lives in poverty).
Really he made Mizuchi as justified as humanly possible and then gave us such a worthless ending. Like hot damn, she was betrayed directly by her close friend/family member.
I think he simply realised he fucked up by making Mizuchi morally right in every aspect and that there was no way to flip it so he opted for a joke ending.
>>94733Doubt it. With Mizuchi saying she will stay in old hell we will never see her again, and none of the plot point will ever be brought again. This manga was massive waste of time, and any sequel is likely to be plagued by same problems.
Just get Hirasaka back and gave us new 3 fairies please.
No.94744
>>94737how was she justified. She literally performed falseflag attacks to keep up a forever war between humans and youkai that benefitted no-one but the exterminators and the strongest youkai
No.94745
>>94744Suika literally made her do it.
You also ignore that youkai were clearly enemies of humanity, so not finishing them off was idiotic.
No.94746
>>94745Mizuchi mentioned she wasn't just doing it because of Suika because she had her own view on the relationship between humans and youkai
it should be noted she only had to be saved by Suika because she ran out and tried to exterminate youkai on her own presumably because she wasn't too pleased with the new rules even beforehand
No.94748
>>94746She didn't wanted to be enslaved by Youkai, now thats crazy. Anyone sane would do same if her race got sold out but few assholes.
And mind you seeing how Hakureis got reduced to 1 member its safe to assume that the deal didnt work out too well for them either.
Its pretty obvious if you read it once again, that Mizuchi was used as scapegoat to frame Miyadeguchis and give all power into hakureis. Its quite possible that old hakurei shrine maiden was the one who agreed to sacrifice her and then tried to seal her to get rid of witnesses.
No.94749
>>94748¥Nothing but headcanon Incredible
No.94973
I looked over at the CDS thread on 4/jp/ and wow I actually miss the yurispammer
No.94988
CDS flubbed the ending, they did such a big build up and the ending was just "the villain has agreed to give up her bad ways" she was shown to have a very deep grudge she could not forgive people for, but the fear of "passing on" just made her forgive and forget?
SEND HER AWAY AND LET HER CROSS THE SANZU
LET HER SOUL HAVE PEACE
(Unless there is more to the story)
>>94973Its total meltdown. Whoever this "grimsokyo nigger" is he caused a big meltdown.
No.95015
>>94988It sucks that ZUN tried very hard to turn it into joke ending.
There were so many easy ways to resolve her grudge in more interesting and reasonable way.
Have her get upper hand on reimu, punch her a few times, and then seeing beaten Reimu on the ground see relfection of herself and have moment of clarity that she never wanted that.
Or even play on theory that Miyadeguchi were offshot branch of hakurei clan and have Reimu approach Mizuchi as only family member she could ever meet.
The biggest issue is that with how much Reimu mocked and bullied her in the end with that fake apology it really removes possibility of Mizuchi being that uneasy ally in the future (or even Mom figure for Reimu since lets face it, grumpy, dorky mama would be the best thing ever).
No.95017
>>95016A convenient excuse, but lets face it, its all because ZUN writes this stuff on chapter to chapter basis. Its clear as day that with original artist we would never get 10% of fights and action we got later on.
Again Reimu doesnt use that new power to attempt to make Mizuchi pass on - she could do it all the time. She was also very distressed when she heard she was one of Miyasdeguchis but then show no care about them or shed of empathy to Mizuchi.
Its simply just inconsistency. I feel that manga was supposed to end in Myouren temple, but artist talked ZUN into letting him draw SA gang. Thats why ending feels so weird and pull of pointless padding.
No.95018
>>95017Nope. It aligns with how Reimu is in the games.
No.95019
>>95018How? Games are driven by game mechanics, and rules of danmaku. In manga we got nothing like that.
Its clear that ZUN had same mindset he had with other manga like LE/FS/WaHH which was writing stuff until he gets bored and then giving us 3 chapter long conclusion.
No.95020
>>95019ZUN stated that Reimu's personality in all the games does vary and change depending on who she's fighting (humans, fairies, or youkai). However, Reimu's confrontation against Sumireko in ULiL is a glimpse on what her true canon personality is like and it is very much aligned with how she's been acting ever since she stormed the underground and fought Okuu all the way to the surface.
No.95022
>>95017the epilogue / ending chapter isn't out yet so don't jump the gun.