lomappreciationblog

[lomappreciationblog]

Whew, since I'm done with the Pearl series of posts, here's some fun stuff again!

While reviewing which screenshots to add to my posts, I also came across my gameplay clips and this one from the Blackpearl boss fight in Two Pearls had a lot of unintentional humor.

I tried to preemptively dodge Blackpearl's ST only to eat the energy trail things lol in the first few seconds lol. Props for Elazul to taking it but keeping on stabbing Blackpearl anyway!

Oh, but we had a genuine cool synergy moment when me and my Rabite were pinning Blackpearl in place and Elazul was able to land his ST. That's like. A 10% chance of happening with how dumb the NPC AIs are lol.

And then it was me and my Rabite again chopping down Blackpearl's last remaining HP (such a good Rabite, pitching in with the star attacks of doom)

But the kicker to it all - the rather awkward system of everyone realizing a cutscene has to play and booking it to their cutscene positions ahahaha. It's like some sort of wacky theatre...the devs could have blacked out the screen here and went to the cutscene, but nope, just have everyone running back into place.

Though I guess it does show that neither the protagonist or Elazul were actually seriously harming Blackpearl in this fight, just trying to get her to stand down.

My Rabite freezing in the squinty-eyed position watching everyone scramble around though lol. The History tome posts are nearly done, and it's standing at....17 posts in my draft...so I really should get to posting them soon. So here's my warning that I am once again yapping catastrophically in the coming weeks pfft.

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The Pearl Analysis Post Part 4 (and last one thankfully lol)

It is kinda amusing that with the Alexandrite quest ending so dramatically with Pearl and Elazul trying to cut ties with us for our own safety, our protagonist STILL can't get away from the Jumi business because we happen to be in the vicinity the same time Florina sends out a psychic SOS to kickstart Fluorite.

Now, since Fluorite does largely take part in a dreamscape, it's hard to tell how accurately it represents the Jumi characters we meet, but I still take it to be canon, and it does provide important glimpses into Blackpearl's character - which I have explored in its own post, the tl;dr of which is, Blackpearl developed an insistence to go alone out of her guilt of failing Florina and the Jumi as a whole, but it's a toxic mentality that put the burden of resolving everything all on her shoulders, which Elazul calls her out on.

As for Pearl within the dreamscape - she's not arguing with Blackpearl, exactly, but she does call out to Elazul:

And reflecting Pearl's growth, she doesn't show any fear of abandonment that was present in The Looking Glass Tower -she's not asking Elazul to never leave her. She's instead apologizing for being unable to be Elazul's guardian, what with Blackpearl active.

I'm reiterating the point over and again, but Pearl is familiar with her strengths and weaknesses now - she still can't heal, and she cannot fight, but she CAN ask for help, something which her original persona, Blackpearl, still hasn't grasped.

Pearl does try to tell Blackpearl this, but she's still stubborn at this point.

As if to highlight Blackpearl's loneliness, when she transforms back into Pearl and Elazul comes across her, the two immediately display concern for each other's wellbeing, and again, they have an ease in their relationship now.

They have the strength of having someone to trust in.

Finally, in Teardrop Crystal, Blackpearl is forced to acknowledge this bond for herself - after revealing the full truth of Pearl's origins.

There's something so incredibly warming about the the sequence of these events. We see Sandra commit to their agenda of taking revenge on the Jumi, out of bitterness and cynicism that as a race they failed Florina and were extracting the life out of her in a thankless duty.

But! Immediately after, we get to see Elazul meet Pearl for the first time and how he gave her the reassurance of having an identity, and told her he was there for her - kindness really IS still present among the Jumi, and Elazul just proved it.

I think at this point Blackpearl also has gotten feedback from Pearl's memories of events and probably realized that these two did showcase the Jumi's thought to be lost capability for love and concern - and in turn, she recognizes Elazul as her knight, too.

At this point, Pearl and Blackpearl's personas are well and truly melded harmoniously - Pearl is willing to take to the fight, and Blackpearl learned to trust others as Pearl does. They've become separate personas, but together, they have overcome the weaknesses in each other - and to reflect this, Pearl and Blackpearl's switches are done at will when you enter the Bejeweled City with her, with Blackpearl taking over for the Jewel Beast boss fights for every opened gateway.

In the final confrontation, it's inevitable that the Jumi not chosen by the player will be the 999th core swallowed by the Lord of Jewels, to the distress of the Jumi you did bring, and I like to think it's both Blackpearl AND Pearl speaking when the Lord of Jewels devours Elazul's core:

Don't worry Pearls, we're definitely throwing down with this guy (I'll post the clip another time but LOL I spammed Motion of Truth on this guy).

After the fight, Blackpearl warns us against crying for the Jumi just as the protagonist sheds a tear, and in the revival scene, Pearl has taken over to reunite with Elazul.

There's something about the fact that they called out to each other first...they're so close now, compared to how they were in The Lost Princess. Whether you ship them, or believe Elazul when he says Pearl is like a sister to him - it's clear they have deep, genuine bond after everything.

But there is one other dear person in need of help at that moment -

After everything the main character has done for Pearl and Elazul, they fully intend to repay it back and do just that. It's the major story arc that has the happiest ending for everyone involved, even Sandra! (but that will be for her own analysis post).

One last note, in the aftermath, Pearl and Elazul are often shown being together in the park-like area of the Bejeweled City, and talking to either them will prompt an option to have them tag along.

I don't have screenshots yet of Pearl's interactions with the other Jumi in the Bejeweled City after this quest, since as an apology to Elazul I went adventuring with him haha. But there's a lot of good dialogues there, too!

I think where and what they're doing might depend on the day, like there are times they're standing side by side and they have different poses at other times, and there are also instances where Blackpearl is standing in the Chamber of Clarius instead (and she will accompany you if asked).

Whew, finally done doing this. If you read all four posts, I hope you enjoyed them! There's so much material to go through, what with the huge amount of quests and hidden interactions...I didn't include what Pearl says here to the fallen Jumi, since I already made a post for those.

But I had fun doing this - this blog is all about appreciating LOM, and I especially love looking at the crafting of the scenes going through it one by and one doing a retrospective look on the characters' growth. Legend of Mana is so GOOD at setting up one thing only to show things aren't quite what they look like - and in Pearl's case, what seems to be a timid or ditzy character is actually someone who found her own inner strength and shared it with the people she came to trust in, eventually teaching the importance of bonds to her own original self and healing her of the wounds she got from Alexandra's betrayal.

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The Pearl Analysis Post Part 3 (oh god it turns out this STILL isn't the last one LOL)

Continuing with the events of the Alexandrite quest - I forgot to mention it in the last post, but it's notable that Pearl is also the one to initiate the search for the keys to Diana's heart. She takes initiative, and while we as the player lead the search, she's the one confirming our track.

She also tells us how many more are left.

There's also a minor moment that when we do return to Diana:

Kristie isn't a mean character, but this does show that's all she ever saw Diana as, a statue, which is quiet horror for Pearl and for Jumikind in general. Their race is already generally considered as jewels to be harvested if not outright rocks, and it's rather unfair that Diana being treated as a statue fares slightly better.

Anyway, Pearl and Elazul share another moment showcasing their trust in each other when Elazul arrives:

Elazul was off trying to find the keys in other places, but trusted us and Pearl to find them if they happened to be in Geo. It's a nice show of their stronger partnership.

When Sandra comes in to claim Diana's core, Pearl tries to plead with her - Pearl grasped a truth which neither Sandra or Blackpearl had yet reached.

I know the whole "hatred solves nothing" spiel might seem corny given the prevalence of the message, but it works so well for the Jumi quest because the ultimate danger they faced came from within them, not some external force. In an ironic twist, the Jumi began to die out when they chose their own survival, a trend that continued as the Jumi relied on Florina alone for their healing, which reached its ultimate conclusion when Sandra decided as a race they were all unworthy and turned on them.

I like to think Pearl especially understood this now, coming from her own position as a guardian - she can't heal, but she's understanding why now, that teardrop crystal were fragments of life freely given, and in their current state the Jumi could not do that.

Unfortunately, the fact that this statement came from Pearl does lead to Sandra snapping, given her own feelings of being let down by Blackpearl AND Pearl.

Oh yes, I have an analysis post brewing on Sandra's relationship with Pear and Blackpearl which is gonna be another doozy to tackle...but for now, I just want to note - this sentence always confused me since I was never sure who Sandra was addressing to, but I realized Sandra was still talking to Pearl - to Blackpearl, specifically.

Sandra was bitterly telling Pearl/Blackpearl, "Who are you to lecture me on love, when you couldn't save Florina?"

This scene is the lowest moment for both Elazul and Pearl in the whole Jumi arc - all the Jumi they found had been slaughtered in front of them, including Diana now. And they were most likely next in line. I mentioned this in Elazul's post, but it does say a lot that at this moment, Elazul and Pearl cared about the protagonist.

Elazul tries to gently cut us loose for our own safety, and Pearl agrees with saying farewell. It makes my heart really tender to see, that probably without being aware of it themselves, Pearl and Elazul ARE overcoming the problem that had long been plaguing the Jumi.

They showed compassion for the sake of someone else that wasn't them.

On another note, I LOVE how this scene was voice-acted in the anime. I have my issues with how a particular plot point unfolded and the story's pacing got all messed up, but the voice actors did great work and Elazul/Ruri's VA nailed the gentleness of this line.

....also uh. I thought I could leave this a 3 parter but...I didn't get to Fluorite...which kinda showcases the conflict between Pearl and Blackpearl's ideologies....

....hopefully the next one is the last! I really should have written down all the parts at the same time lol.

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The Pearl Analysis Post Part 2! (apparently NOT the last because I hit the image limit again fml)

Moving onto the events of the Two Pearls quest -

In the Pearl-to-Pearl conversation we witness, Blackpearl tries to get Pearl to take up the position of Clarius, and we seemingly find Pearl back to passively agreeing things as they unfold -

But when Blackpearl begins to tell Pearl she HAD to do it even at the cost of her life, Pearl resists her influence and breaks away, showing she really is her own person now, different from what Blackpearl had meant for her.

As an aside, my reading of this dialogue is, Pearl initially agreed to become Clarius because she does subconsciously remember Florina, and in turn, her agreement was because she wanted to help Florina. And Blackpearl in turn insists on this because for her, it was her way of making up to Florina - Blackpearl would rather die than fail Florina again, and if her alter ego, Pearl, would perish to rectify her mistakes, so be it (she's kinda all sorts of messed up inside at this point, but thankfully she gets better).

Of course, nosey protagonist to the rescue, and with Elazul we barge onto the scene. Elazul then declares his intent to protect Pearl, a declaration that is a genuine protection this time, instead of desperation to not fail as a knight:

Notably, after Elazul shows this resolve, Pearl comes up to us to ask for our help, too:

I like to think of it as her repaying Elazul's declaration, by taking the initiative to help out Elazul in what way she can.

This is also clearly separates Pearl from Blackpearl - she's not afraid to ask for help.

Indeed, their exchange before the boss fight is shows more trust and faith than in their previous interactions seen so far:

After this boss fight, we actually get a few more scenes of Elazul showing more of his caring side:

Elazul doesn't try to gloat his victory over the Jumi's strongest knight, and simply asks this request for Pearl's welfare.

He also shows further maturity by saying this -

Elazul fought because he had to this moment, but he doesn't really want to fight Blackpearl - at this point he doesn't know the full relationship between the two Pearls yet, but I think he's getting an idea they are intrinsically linked beings. He doesn't want any harm come to Pearl, and that sentiment actually extends to Blackpearl, too.

In the events of Alexandrite, both Pearl and Elazul show their full trust in us, with Elazul even asking us to escort Pearl to see Diana. Noticeably, Pearl is also much more self-reassured now after Two Pearls, starting to remember bits about Jumi lore, as seen when she corrects Sotherbee:

Well, she's still Pearl, so she still occasionally gets flustered, too, haha.

Still, after the events of Two Pearls, this personality of hers is well-cemented now - she's her own person, who's willing to offer her own opinions, and she's no longer troubled about a past she was missing, even she still doesn't fully know how it came to be.

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A Character Analysis Post/Character Development Chronicle...?

In any case I wanna talk about Pearl, so here (Part 1 because I yap waaaay too much)

This has long been bouncing around my head, but I decided to finally sit down and type it out and ramble on about this - a look at Pearl as character, how she develops and blossoms into her own throughout the Jumi arc!

I've already written similar posts about Elazul and Blackpearl, and now writing this about Pearl, there is a pattern among the Jumi characters that things don't always seem what they appear to be at first glance. Prickly, troublemaker Elazul is actually someone who is easily concerned for others' wellbeing, and Blackpearl's initial insistence to go alone becomes a weakness for her as events unfold.

The same holds true for Pearl -

We're first introduced to Pearl in The Lost Princess - the scenario sets her up as a damsel in distress right off the bat, and both her description and character design adds to the image of quiet, shy maiden in need of protection.

When we finally do meet her in person, that image of her seems to definitely be true, meekly apologizing when Elazul starts scolding her.

And who can forget her little blush?

All together, Pearl's demeanor and character design gives off the image of someone you'd want to rescue and who does need rescuing - but that's not all she is, and if you take careful note of her appearances, the seemingly shy little Pearl is actually quite the determined individual.

When we meet her at the Tower of Leires to properly kickstart the Jumi Arc with The Looking Glass Tower quest, Pearl is wandering without Elazul again. However, this quest gives the first indication that Pearl's tendency to "think about things" isn't just to give her the charm of a ditzy airhead.

After an early appearance from Blackpearl and the scuffle with the guardian of the Room of Fate, Elazul arrives to take Pearl, and this is when Pearl shows the matter that had truly been bothering her -

She's not just someone who "gets lost in thought," - she's desperate to know more about who she is. She's outright begging Elazul here to let her stay on the chance she can finally grasp something about herself -

And that brings a degree of depth and seriousness to Pearl's character, from a seemingly ditzy princess to someone who's trying to find her identity in a world where she is so very vulnerable.

And Pearl KNOWS she's vulnerable, as can be seen in the post-Jewel Beast fight in this quest:

It's worth noting at this point in their relationship as a Knight and Guardian, Elazul and Pearl do have an element of toxic dependency in their partnership - Elazul is desperate not to lose Pearl, that would make him a failure of a knight. Pearl clings onto Elazul too, because she's actually well aware that without him, she was as good as dead, and as revealed here, she even had trepidations about Elazul finding other Jumi because she was so scared of being left behind and alone.

Taking into consideration the fact that Pearl pretty much was thrusted into existence with no real identity or memories of her own, she can't help but depend on Elazul - he was the one to find her and even gave her a name, so she has very real fears that if he abandons her, she has no one left. She doesn't quite have the reassurance yet that Elazul DOES genuinely care for her, since at this point, he's so focused on not losing her as a guardian he ends up being a little harsh.

But character growth does creep in over the course of events, and when we next meet Pearl in the lead-up to The Lucky Clover, she shows no sign of meekness to Elazul at all.

In fact she points out he was being unfair to her by making her stay put.

I forgot to mention this in my Elazul post, but he also shows one of his most tender moments once Pearl is out of earshot here (since she crashes at our place for a while):

I think The Looking Glass Tower is a turning point for both characters, and all because of our very nosey main protagonist lol. No, really - I think a major factor for these two Jumi learning to open up is our protagonist's presence, giving the two a trusted figure to confide in.

With Shiloh/Serafina now present in the mix, both Pearl and Elazul can begin to move away from their initial highly dependent behavior on each other. So here, we can see not only does Pearl stand up to Elazul's suggestion, we see here Elazul does truly mean well for Pearl and wanted her to have a stable life - he doesn't want her to just be shackled to him.

In any case, going back to Pearl - the quest after this, Cosmo, showcases for me just how far Pearl has gone since The Lost Princess:

For one thing, Pearl is speaking quite clearly with no hint of that meekness or hesitation, even face to face with Sandra.

And the crowning moment of all this is when Sandra tries to claim these two Jumis' cores, Pearl stands up for herself with this statement:

I find it very important that when Pearl acknowledged she still could not fulfill her guardian's duty to heal, she chose to fight instead, if that was what could help at that moment. And hey, it worked, Sandra was definitely spooked when Blackpearl popped up.

This situation does lead to some trouble with the fact that Blackpearl then refused to let Pearl go back with Elazul - but by now the seeds of character has bloomed within Pearl, and she is ready to take her own wishes and desires eve against her original persona, as can be seen in the next quest.

Since this post is already long and I might be hitting the image limit, I'll have to break this up into multiple posts whoops. So more yapping ahead!

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The Dragon Arc is the shortest and "simplest" of the major story arcs, but it is no less poignant for it. I especially find Sierra's statement to Larc at the end of this business memorable:

"You have always refused to acknowledge the anguish you cause me."

It's not a comfortable sentiment to be faced with, but it does have to be considered: for the sake of someone else, is it possible our way of loving them is actually causing even more hurt? Possibly even dragging in other innocent people? Well, hopefully one doesn't have to go throwing hands with Wind Callers for the sake of their loved ones, but the point is there - take a look at the effects of one's actions, and understand, if what one does is really for the sake of someone else, or...to fulfill one's own desires in the name of love.

(and yes this is a recurring theme what with everything that happens regarding Sandra and Irwin, too, but I'll make a proper character comparison another time. Hopefully soon!)

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Haven't gotten the time to really sit down and hammer out a thoughts on LOM post, so here's another short one -

One aspect of Shinichi Kameoka's art of the characters for LOM that I've really grown to appreciate are the poses:

A lot of major characters have these dynamic action poses, especially those with capabilities to fight.

Occasionally, as I mentioned in the Escad art last post, the poses do sometimes obscure parts of the character design, which is a bit of a detriment when drawing fanart, but aside from that, I really have no issue with it. Say, back on the PS1 I never realized Elazul had a crystal arm since it is not as prominent in his pose, but I do love the lines of motion in his illustration.

I could stand to learn a lot from studying these poses myself, really, it's a weakness for me at the moment.

Even for characters who are standing still, the way they stand shows their personality, as can be seen with Alex and Sandra's art:

Alex has more of a straight line in his profile, while Sandra's cocked body posture suggests her showmanship and confidence. But there's a fun little hint in that their feet are actually posed quite similarly.

Speaking of paired art, it might be a coincidence, but the fact both Diana and Rubens face the same direction and have hands raised could also hint at their connection, too. I find that Kameoka drew characters posing in a way that they frame each other nicely, as is the case with the protagonists and Bud and Lisa.

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I post long ramblings about LOM about the thought put into its narrative and characters, some fanart sometimes, and silly little things I found charming or funny.

This post? It's the last type of post. It's just me purely poking fun at Escad's whole outfit LOL

It's harder to tell with the official in-game art because Escad is posed in a way that hides his upper body a bit (but does show off mid-thigh length shorts which is. quite the outfit choice.)

Buuut the HD version DOES show Escad's character sheet, presumably for the animated opening (and which I think is drawn by HACCAN)

So...we got: crop top laced in front, the aforementioned shorts, and shoulder guards, wrist guards, boots and a striped beach blanket all in white and purple.

I guess Escad's whole look is kind of a "classic JRPG hero/barbarian hero" thing with the long hair and clothes showing off the body...I think I see the vision, but idk, I find it hilarious.

Green, white and purple is usually a nice combination that goes together, and HACCAN's work with highly saturated colors is very beautiful...but the waist cloth (?) ended up looking like a beach blanket...I can't unsee it...it's more toned down in Kameoka's art so it doesn't look as clownish, but it's still a ??? in terms of outfit looks.

And I know it's probably hypocritical of me to laugh at Escad's outfit design when I'm very affectionate towards Male Hero/Shiloh's own mishmash clothing. They actually do have similar silhouettes, with the torso being bared by the outfits and their clothes flaring to the sides at the bottoms, but idk, I think Shiloh's outfit works in a way Escad's doesn't. (it does make me wonder if this is a deliberate mirror detail, since Escad has a fixation on the idea of being a hero, while Shiloh/Serafina just do their own thing and still up being heroes in most of the quests.)

Admittedly, all this is my thoughts, and I do apologize to Escad fans if I'm being mean. And I am in no way hating on any of the artists' works, I love Kameoka, HACCAN and Nao Ikeda's works on this game.

In terms of character designs whose outfits I do love, it's easily the Jumi bunch, none of them miss!

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I'm actually late since the actual release date was the 7th, but oh well.

The actual anniversary for the JP version will be in a month (July 15, 1999) sooo still on time? Or early, even? haha

Fun fact, I initially drew this as the HACCAN Shiloh, the more cutesy, cinnamon-roll sweet version for the anime, but...I couldn't help it, the Kameoka style wins, so I went with green-eyed Hero this time.

Oh, and since it's June -

The game is all about love, after all~

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I was going to include these in my NBU 1 collection of posts, but it's not unique to that quest -

If you talk to Duelle in a dungeon at an early quest, (which is usually either Niccolo's Business Unusual 1 or The Lost Princess in this case) he will recognize having seen you at Domina and will ask to confirm your name...

I'm not sure, but I read somewhere if you humor Duelle, he will call you Chumpy for the rest of the game. Again, can't confirm this, but a funny joke if true.

I do find it interesting Duelle specifically notes the protagonist as a stranger to him, a Domina inhabitant, and most characters in Domina do address the player as not being a native of that town - despite the soundtrack of the location calling it "Hometown of Domina," it doesn't actually seem true for the protagonist. I theorize myself that the protagonist came from the Mana Tree directly.

The anime adaptation averts this with Shiloh having a familial relationship with the Domina residents, and Rev. Nouvelle even mentions that Shiloh was raised by the town, with his home being built and given to him on his fifteenth birthday. Shiloh actually has a sort of mentor/older brother dynamic with Duelle, and he asks advice from the Onion Warrior on some episodes, which is really sweet.

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Another encounter in Niccolo's Business Unusual 1 - the reason for Elazul's anxiety and girl trying to do her best in this world, Pearl!

Now, I'm not completely sure what triggers this encounter to happen, it's happened to me on a couple of playthroughs but it's not consistent. If I have to guess, one has had to do The Lost Princess first...? But I'm not sure.

Funnily enough, I bet most if not all first time players of LOM actually triggered The Lost Princess before Niccolo's Business Unusual 1, anyway. Though, I think NBU 1 is supposed to be the starter quest because it is number 1 in L'il Cactus's Diary, if I'm not mistaken.

I snorted on reviewing these screenshots and seeing Niccolo bluntly remark that Elazul was probably raising a ruckus at Domina lol.

This could also be a hint to players that they can find Elazul at Domina and have him come along on A Flame of Hope, which brings about extra interactions.

In any case, the Pearl encounter ends with this:

With her heading deeper into Luon Highway pfft.

And the protagonist just lets it happen ahaha.

If this scene can only happen AFTER The Lost Princess, there is a neat continuity here in that Pearl can be seen wandering away from Elazul's side and ends up at the Tower of Leires to properly begin the Jumi Arc.

Now, while I have seen this scene several times, I'm not sure if it's connected to this little clip you can see in the credits:

I don't know if you can actually see Pearl being swarmed by Boinks in game. or these credits clips are just the developers having fun.

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Another encounter in Niccolo's Quest Unusual - our favorite cat lady, Daena!...in a small interaction that hints at the bigger storyline of her character.

Unfortunately, it seems like I don't have complete screenshots of this encounter. I think she mentions that she wants to meet Gaeus but wasn't sure if she had the courage to do so - all very serious until Niccolo butts in.

Daena quite understandably shuts him down lol.

I think this is pretty much the only hint about activating "The Wisdom of Gaeus" quest, but even then it's rather obscure, because Daena does not hint at all she's at the Domina inn, which is where you need to talk to her to trigger that quest.

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I mentioned in another post that Niccolo's Business Unusual 1 has rather fun encounters - one of which hints at a bigger story.

The most obvious one which players encountered if they didn't take the right path immediately, is meeting Gaeus/Gaia.

(oh, yeah, fun fact - it was Gaeus in the original version of LOM, but the HD version made it Gaia, so I guess Gaia is the more "true" version. Personally...I'm more used to Gaeus, though.)

In any case, if you bring Niccolo all the way along and talk to Gaeus, you get this fun little exchange.

...I didn't have the right screenshots on my HD playthrough, but I did have these from my playthrough via emulator, I think it's unchanged in the HD version.

In any case, it's rather funny that Niccolo sees Gaeus as this spectacle to be witnessed, only to be called out for being an odd one too. And disgruntled Niccolo can't even think of any retort to that and just asks to leave lol. Never get into fights with a freaking Wisdom.

Since this IS one of the first couple of quests you can do, Gaeus does have one last piece of advice:

It just gives me this amusing image of Treant and Gaeus despite both being immovable embodiments of nature, have each other on speed dial and being all

"Hey can you tell the owner of my house there's some weeds here? I can't pop out until they're gone. Thanks bro."

"No problem, the nice young lass just passed by and she should be able to get back to you :)"

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I've mentioned this before, but seeing as LOM's protagonists are both silent and initially, even nameless it's really entirely up to the players to formulate what they are like as characters.

(The manga did give them the names Toto for Hero and Imu for Heroine. However, Shiloh/Serafina are the official names now, which I think was first used in the mobile game Echoes of Mana, and the Teardrop Crystal anime continued using these names).

Buuuut there are hints here and there as to what they are like, especially in more story-heavy quests. Heck, the protagonist answers Vadise's question at the Dragon Arc with full sentences, and the conclusion of the Jumi Arc shows that at heart, they are truly kind people.

Buuuut that doesn't mean they are purely sweet cinnamon rolls, and Niccolo's Business Unusual 1 does give us a choice that most players probably went for:

Shiloh/Serafina DO have a little bit of rascal in them lol. I also follow Kameoka's vision of Hero being a "silent warrior" and it's a very funny image to me that serious, frowny-faced Hero just tosses these guys some candy, decides to throw down, and even uses a Iai Strike off the bat pfft.

Huh. Also I realized...I never, ever, gave these guys money LOL. So I don't know how it looks like.

The anime did give Shiloh and Serafina very kind, friendly demeanors, but even as a sugar-topped cinnamon roll supreme, even Shiloh finds Niccolo annoying in his flashback to this quest lol.

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Oh, the Mana series concert in Japan released their list of performance songs -

....what do you mean they're playing Beautiful Colored World, Darkness Nova, AND Song of Mana from LoM.

Hometown of Domina is expected, as well as Bejeweled City in Ruins, but maaaan, to know they're playing my most favorite dungeon song...

Oh, Beautiful Colored World/Colorful World is also named Picturesque Landscape in the HD version's music track list, it's the song that plays in Mekiv Caverns, Tower of Leires, etc.

To be a Mana fan in Japan is to be very lucky.

Will go back to more gameplay posts, I ran out of stuff that I prepared already, so here's me wistfully gazing at JP LOM Twitter again haha.

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Smaller art piece this time of Serafina/Heroine!

I wanted to post some art during these anniversary months - not sure if I can make another humongous art piece for the anniversary as I did last year...but drawing smaller art pieces is good too, and lets me focus one some aspects of the drawing better.

...never could get the hang of drawing people sitting down from the front. When it comes to drawing the legs my brain just goes ????? ahaha. Anyways, this was inspired by the cover illustration Shinichi Kameoka made for the Legend of Mana Ultimania.

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LOM has one of the strangest methods I've ever seen in a game for toggling harder difficulties.

Instead of "Pick your difficulty: Easy, Normal, or Hard" -

You're locked to standard difficulty in your first playthrough and there is absolutely nothing that will tell you outright about the ominous skull-faced tome in your library in New Game plus.

Saying "yes" to the nightmare question triggers "Nightmare" mode while saying no to the last question triggers "No Future" mode.

From what I remember playing the PS1 version, Nightmare mode makes all enemies around lv 50 at minimum, while No Future mode makes all enemies become lv 99, including bosses, I think?

I did play through one save file fairly okay at Nightmare mode...until that darn Tropicallo boss...its mechanics do NOT mesh well with higher stats, lemme tell you that.

I suppose these modes are really for those who want to test out their tempered weapons and armor, but I never understood it myself, so I just traipse through LOM on usual difficulty haha.

Still...I forgot how incredibly ominous the whole aura of the Forbidden tome is. The music cutting out, the screen darkening, and then asking weird questions...it's probably inspired some creepypastas.