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mezamereturn · 4 months ago

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Completion Event Report②

Previous article → ①

This article adds some extra details from the guest talk segment of The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy Completion Event—things that were left out of the official media coverage. For a clearer overview of the event itself (with photos and all), I recommend checking the official articles linked below.

Gamer

Famitsu

animate Times

DENGEKI ONLINE

Denfaminico-gamer

(The article on "Denfaminico-gamer" is especially detailed.)

⚠️ Note: While this article contains no direct story spoilers, it does include information that may hint at still-hidden game systems and the structure of the endings. If you want to experience the game completely blind, you may want to stop reading here.

Since recording and photography were prohibited during the event, this report is based on my memory and notes taken immediately after. As such, some details may differ from what was actually said, or the order in which things were said.

If you're okay with the above, feel free to expand and read on below. (This is a very long post!)

The event was hosted by Shohei Taguchi, who also served as the MC for the Tokyo Game Show special program on YouTube. First to take the stage were the three guest speakers: Kazutaka Kodaka, Taihi Kimura, and Nene. When Kodaka was first asked to speak, he declared, “We’ve completed a masterpiece. No, correction—a historically masterpiece.” The phrasing made it clear that he wasn't just talking about a well-made game, he was boldly asserting that it was a game worthy of a place in history. His confidence was unmistakable.

Later, when the host asked something along the lines of “How does it feel to see all the fans here in person today?”, Kodaka responded: "Actually, there are still elements of the game we haven’t revealed yet. Once players discover them, it gives the game a real boost in excitement. It’s a rare kind of game where the fun ramps up mid-way through. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone’s reactions when they reach that point." (Kodaka has mentioned in the past that there are still unrevealed elements to the game. For example, he talked about this during the School Council’s online meeting, which I’ve posted about before.)

In response, the host asked, “Is that boost you mentioned something players will notice right away?” To that, Kodaka replied, “Yeah, I think they’ll get it pretty quickly. Like, ‘Ah, this is it!’” After that, the conversation touched on the topic of branching endings. From the way Kodaka spoke, it seemed that this “boost in excitement” is closely tied to those branching elements. Once players understand it, it apparently makes them think, “Oh, so that’s why there are 100 different endings.”

This isn't the exact order in which things were discussed at the event, but later when Kanata Hongo took the stage, he mentioned that Kodaka had asked him to stream THLLDA gameplay on his YouTube channel. He had already received the final version of the game and had played it up to about day 50. At that point, the host asked, "So, has the boost kicked in yet?" Kodaka replied, "Not yet at this point." So it seems that the element associated with this "boost in excitement" is something that will be revealed after Day 50.

After that, the conversation shifted to how Kimura was chosen to voice Takumi Sumino. Kodaka explained the reason simply: "It was his kind of voice". At the time of the first audition, he thought his voice was just right for a normal boy like Takumi, but since Kimura was inexperienced, Kodaka wanted to make sure he could take direction and adjust his performance accordingly. So, on a later date, he asked Kimura to come in again, under the pretense of continuing the audition.

In reality, Kodaka had pretty much already decided on him by that point, so Kimura was the only one he invited. But Kimura didn’t know that. Kodaka deliberately chose some of the more difficult lines—ones that would be tricky to perform—and had Kimura read them. Kodaka then gave him some direction, listened to the revised performance, and once he felt confident, he called Kimura into another room and said, “I’d like you to take the role.”

Kimura was completely shocked, since he assumed there were still other candidates. He said the surprise was so intense, he barely remembers what happened after that. Although it was completely omitted from all official articles, Kodaka actually made this dark joke at the time:

Kodaka: So I told him, ‘Lick my shoe and I’ll give you the role.’ Host: What? Kodaka: And he actually did it. Lick, lick. So I said, ‘Alright, the role is yours.’ Host: That’s definitely not true, right? (laughs)

Why does he love the expression "kneeling" and "licking shoes" so much? 😂 Well, some might find it odd that Kodaka made that joke right after telling the real story, but that's how it happened. I think he was just trying to help out Kimura, who didn't seem to remember much about the offer. The little sketch in the upper right corner is mostly my imagination, but Kodaka really did lift his toe on stage. lol What's great about him is that he never says "just kidding" after a wild joke like that. The Rain Code protagonist's VA got the same treatment, so maybe laughing off Kodaka's jokes is part of the requirements for being the protagonist's VA of his works. 😆

There was also a moment when the host asked Nene, who was dressed as Darumi, who her favorite character in the game was. She replied, “It’s really hard to say this while dressed like this, but... actually, I love Hiruko-sama. I’m into strong women.” Personally, I had found it a bit curious why a cosplayer dressed as Darumi was chosen as a guest, but from the way she spoke, it didn’t seem like it was her choice. When she mentioned she hoped to cosplay as Hiruko someday, the audience responded with a round of applause.

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After that, Kanata Hongo took the stage and, as mentioned earlier, he shared that he had already received the final version of the game and had been playing it. He also mentioned that when he acted Makoto Karaki in Death Come True, Kodaka had already told him about his idea to create a game with an enormous number of branching paths, where all of the endings would be considered the true route. DCT was released in 2020, and according to some interviews, THLLDA took more than six years to develop. Therefore, assuming that filming for DCT took place around 2019, it certainly coincides with the start of THLLDA development.

Hongo also mentioned, "I was told the approximate amount of the debt by Kodaka-san, and it was indeed a huge amount. I was surprised." Kodaka replied with a bit of a bitter smile, "I wonder why making a game costs so much money..." Kodaka has mentioned multiple times, in various places, that he took out a loan to make THLLDA, but this was the first time I heard anyone refer to the large amount of money involved. Later, Kodaka expressed concern about whether TooKyo Games would still be around 100 days after the release, and from Hongo's reaction, I started to think he might actually be serious.

When asked about his thoughts after playing up to Day 50, he said: “Well, of course I can't spoil the main story, but... there's just one thing I want to say. There are characters who'll make you go, 'What is with this character?' early on—but trust me, you'll end up loving them. So don't worry.”

Later, Hongo brought up the fact that Megumi Ogata, who has appeared in many of Kodaka's works such as Danganronpa and Akudama Drive, was once again part of this game as Ima Tsukumo's VA. He then asked, “What does Megumi Ogata mean to you, Kodaka-san?” Hongo said he thought of that question because Kodaka would have difficulty answering questions related to the story, but Kodaka smiled wryly and said it was a question he hadn't expected at all.

Kodaka explained that the reason he offered the role to Ogata was because THLLDA was created as the culmination of TooKyo Games' work, and he wanted to reach out to as many people as possible whom he had worked with before and wanted to work with again. He said that Ogata was definitely someone he absolutely wanted to work with once more.

However, he added, “Just because we’ve worked together for a long time doesn’t mean we’re perfectly in sync. Whenever I work with Ogata-san, it always ends up in a bit of a clash.” He explained that rather than simply doing exactly what she's instructed, Ogata often brings her own interpretation to the role. Then, after listening to her version, they decide whether to go with her take or the originally planned direction.

Upon hearing that, Hongo responded, “I can totally imagine that. When I was with her during the recording sessions for Danganronpa 3, even though she was a veteran, she was the one most actively discussing things with the director and staff.”

Kodaka also said, “We’ve built characters together through shared ideas and effort, so... of course, she’s far more experienced than I am, but I still think of her as—she feels like a 戦友 (sennyū / comrade-in-arms), or rather a 戦仲間 (ikusa-nakama / battle companion).” To add some context, Ogata is 13 years older than Kodaka. When she voiced one of her most iconic characters, Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Kodaka was still just 17 years old. I only used Japanese here, but after Kodaka first said “戦友,” I was struck by his choice to then use the word “戦仲間.” The word “戦友” includes the character for “friend,” but perhaps he felt that using it made him sound too presumptuous, as if he were placing himself on equal footing with her.

After that, the event moved into a segment where they answered questions from the gathered fans. One of the questions was, “Is it made clear in the game which route was written by you, Kodaka-san?”

Kodaka: The route I wrote is—well, it’s not actually referred to that way in the game—but what you’d call the 'truth-revealing route.' It’s the part where all the mysteries get explained. The game doesn’t explicitly tell you which route you’re on while you're playing, but at the end, there’s a title card that says something like ‘This was the ___ arc,’ and at that point, it’s clear which one I wrote. Hongo: So you don’t find out while reading the story? Like it doesn’t say ‘This part is written by Kodaka,’ or something? Kodaka: Even Darumi wouldn’t break the fourth wall like that. (laughs) But I think people can probably tell... I think most of you will read it and go, ‘Yeah, this one’s definitely written by Kodaka.’

At this point, the host brought up how having 100 different endings must have made the voice recording process extremely challenging for Kimura. Kimura agreed, but when the host followed up with the next question, he gave a wry smile:

Host: So... do you want players to listen to all 100 routes? Kimura: Uhhhhhhhh... wellll... I don’t know about that... Host: Huh? Isn’t this where you’re supposed to just say, “Yes! I want everyone to hear them all!” Kimura: It’s just... some of the routes are really heartbreaking...

He really furrowed his brow when he heard that question! When I saw his reaction, I thought, "Ah, that makes sense—that must be why both Kodaka and Uchikoshi emphasized in interviews that players don’t have to play through all the routes." After that, Kimura never actually said he wanted players to experience them all. That said, I should add that during the voice recording sessions, Kimura hardly got to see the actual in-game footage. Unlike Hongo, he mentioned that he had only played the demo version.

There were other questions as well, but since there’s nothing additional I want to add to what’s already been covered in the official media articles, I won’t introduce them here.

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Finally, there was a challenge where Hongo attempted to clear a later part of the story, beyond what was available in the demo, within 7 minutes. The battle screen photo can be seen in the official media article, and it looked like the first battle after Takumi meets the second unit (Yugamu, Kurara, Kyoshika, Nozomi). Since Hongo had already completed the same battle, he started off well, introducing mechanics like building fences (Strategic Materials) and using potions to enhance character abilities to hold off the School Invaders. However, he got so caught up in explaining things that he ended up pushing Takumi too far forward. After the turn ended, Takumi became the prime target and was the first to die. However, after the next turn began, it was funny when Hongo started looking for Takumi after a while:

Hongo: Ah, so Takumi dies here? Oh, yeah, Takumi’s going to die. But it’s okay! In this game, when a character dies, the VOLTAGE increases by 100%! I can still turn this around with a special attack! Kimura: Ahh... Takumi deserved better... <A few dozen seconds later> Hongo: Huh, where’s Takumi? Wait, Takumi’s gone... oh, he died earlier. Kimura: You DID kill him with a smile! Already forgot!?

After that, Yugamu, who had low HP, also died, and the battle situation became critical. Seeing this, Kodaka gave detailed instructions to help Hongo:

Kodaka: Use Nozomi’s skill to heal, have Kyoshika use a special attack, then heal again with Nozomi. After that, just keep attacking with Kyoshika, and it should be fine. Hongo: Can you just do it yourself, Kodaka-san?

I should add that Kodaka started giving this advice (almost like commands) because he read the situation and realized it would be better to ensure the challenge succeeded, as the reward for success was that five lucky audience members would be randomly selected to receive signed posters.

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What each speaker shared during the closing segment is accurately reflected in the official media, so please refer to that for the exact wording. The rest is a closing thoughts, mixed with my own impressions.

This event gathered many people involved in the project, and at least I personally confirmed that Masafumi Takada, who is the main composer was, seated in the back of the audience. (There was also a woman sitting next to him, who I believe was the sound designer Etsuko Ichikawa. She was one of the people who answered an interview in the creators’ blog.)

Also, I’ve left out a part because I forgot exactly when it happened, but at one point, Kodaka turned to the staff and said “Congratulations on the complete.” Of course, he directed the game himself, but the event had the feel of everyone sharing the joy that this game was completed, thanks to the hard work of many staff members.

At the segment breaks, previously released trailers were projected onto the screen, and during this time, lighting effects in the venue illuminated the walls in the theme colors of THLLDA, such as blue and red, or teal and pink. It was such a lavish event that you almost forgot it was a free event for the audience. From these aspects, I also got the impression that the development staff was absolutely confident that this game would be both fun and successful.

It was a really wonderful event that made me even more excited for the release. The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy will be released on April 24th! Let’s enjoy it together!

Thank you for reading! 🫶💖

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mezamereturn · 4 months ago

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good luck on the hunt everyone

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mezamereturn · 4 months ago

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The Imacoin Masterpost, Part 1

Note: This was created in collaboration with @vaultymonsoon , who wrote part 2, and @lesbiankakyoin , who helped edit this.

Introduction

Imacoin is a joke. We’re talking about this fictional character like a bunch of business investors. It’s a memecoin, except it doesn’t actually exist as real cryptocurrency. This post, and its followup, exist to explain the joke and where it came from.

Ima Tsukumo is a character from upcoming game The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-. Since his character was fully revealed, he’s been controversial among the fandom, since he has a “sister complex”, directly affecting his twin sister, Kako.

However, a few fans latched onto one particular detail: their last name. Tsukumo in Japanese is written as 九十九, translating to “ninety-nine”. Beyond the obvious connection of being one less than the arc number of 100, there’s also a more niche connection.

Allow me to introduce you to the novel Tsukumojuuku, by Maijo Otaro.

A major component of understanding the origins of Imacoin comes from understanding the connection between both twins and the novel. Since it broke containment, the connection has been lost, and thus a major reason why people are “betting” on him and his development as a character (both for better and for worse). This part will get into the basics: what exactly the connection is, why it’s plausible as a reference, and some (relatively) spoiler-free discussion of Tsukumojuuku. Part 2 will get into spoilers for the entire novel and some deeper theories.

That being said: if you would like to read Tsukumojuuku for yourself, a translation in English is available. It is a heavy book that tackles some dark subjects, including (but not limited to) physical & sexual child abuse, incest, and cannibalism. As this post will discuss parts of the novel’s Episode 1 (there are seven in total), anyone wanting to go in 100% blind should not keep reading. However, this post is designed for people unfamiliar with the novel to go over the basics. If you cannot read the novel due to the content warnings outlined above, keep in mind that this post will discuss some of these subjects, namely sexual abuse & incest.

What is Tsukumojuuku?

As stated earlier, Tsukumojuuku is a novel by Maijo Otaro. It is a detective novel, centering protagonist Tsukumojuuku (九十九十九) Katou as he gets entwined in a metafictional mystery. It is also a reference to the Japan Detectives Club novels — the protagonist of that series is named Tsukumo Juuku, the “God of Detectives”. Throughout Tsukumojuuku, the idea of the “detective” and the “mystery” are both explored.

Just from this little introduction, the connections begin to line up. “Katou” isn’t too far off from “Kako” phonetically, and Kako is an aspiring detective. So…why the focus on Ima?

The Twins

Episode 1 of Tsukumojuuku largely focuses on establishing the protagonist’s backstory. His mother kidnapped him from the hospital and proceeded to abuse him due to his beauty, but eventually got arrested, so he moved out with his half-brother and stepfather, and said stepfather ended up marrying another woman…with a pair of twins.

Due to the fact that Tsukumojuuku presented a danger of making people faint in any given interaction with him, he was shut in the basement at this new home.

Here, we meet Seshiru and Serika. These two are a pair of twins and Tsukumojuuku’s step-siblings. They also work together to regularly sexually abuse him. To the two of them, Tsukumojuuku acts as a “pet”, someone who only lives to be under their control. Both of them regularly have sex with him because they wish to engage in a relationship with each other but cannot because they are twins. Serika especially presents an interesting case, as while she does engage in sexual activity with Tsukumojuuku, she wishes to preserve some of her purity/virginity, so she refuses to engage in specific activities that she sees as damaging to that.

We have seen evidence of Ima exhibiting abusive behaviors towards Kako. He exhibits controlling and overprotective behavior towards her, like when he expresses disappointment towards the two of them having separate rooms, and Kako expresses that she believes they’re better off with separate rooms. Additionally, in one preview video where Kako declares that she wishes to join the battling students, but Ima steps up and scolds her akin to a parent scolding a child when he tells her to back off. Both of these point to his desire to maintain control over her and make her solely dependent on him rather than anyone else — he doesn’t treat her as her own autonomous human being.

In addition, Ima has an investment in preserving Kako’s purity and maintaining her image as a “perfect” girl. His descriptions of her beauty harken back to fairytale princesses (“She’s so lovely, unidentified species of bugs and animals flock to her whenever she goes outside”), and his desire to prevent her from fighting isn’t just for her safety — it’s to preserve this purity he sees. In these ways, Ima’s abuse of Kako mirrors the abuse throughout Tsukumojuuku’s childhood.

Other symbolism & themes

Another piece of evidence for this allusion are the angel and devil motifs that Ima and Kako have. This gets into themes that are explored deeper into the novel, but to leave you with a hook for reading the rest of the novel, Tsukumojuuku focuses on Christian imagery and motifs, including angel/devil motifs.

Is there really any reason to believe this?

Kodaka in the past has cited the Japan Detectives Club novels as a creative influence, and mentioned Maijo in an interview when discussing favorite authors. While he’s never mentioned Tsukumojuuku directly, it’s very likely that he’s read it. Considering that both Danganronpa and Rain Code have been influenced by literature (with one Danganronpa character being a direct JDC reference — though that reference has its own failures), is it really that much of a stretch that this game and its characters could be as well?

Conclusion

Ima is a controversial character in the fandom right now, and I have no doubt that he will continue to be. However, one of the hopes I have, as someone who has “invested in Imacoin”, is that the writers of this game are aware of the themes they are choosing to invoke with the allusions to Tsukumojuuku of incestuous abuse and its effects on those involved in it. I hope they use those themes to do something interesting with Ima — whether the arc will culminate in him improving and stopping his abuse of Kako or getting worse and doubling down will likely depend on the route, but both options will undoubtedly create a character who is interesting.

Also: if you do decide to read the full novel, after you do so, be sure to check out part 2 when it comes out soon!

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mezamereturn · 4 months ago

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The Imacoin Masterpost, Part 1

Note: This was created in collaboration with @vaultymonsoon , who wrote part 2, and @lesbiankakyoin , who helped edit this.

Introduction

Allow me to introduce you to the novel Tsukumojuuku, by Maijo Otaro.

What is Tsukumojuuku?

Just from this little introduction, the connections begin to line up. “Katou” isn’t too far off from “Kako” phonetically, and Kako is an aspiring detective. So…why the focus on Ima?

The Twins

Due to the fact that Tsukumojuuku presented a danger of making people faint in any given interaction with him, he was shut in the basement at this new home.

Other symbolism & themes

Is there really any reason to believe this?

Conclusion

Also: if you do decide to read the full novel, after you do so, be sure to check out part 2 when it comes out soon!

35 notes · View notes