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* DepravedBisexual: Saotome rapes a teenage girl and tries to convince Philip to sleep with him in exchange for information.
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** Uncle Lim outlives his daughter Ming. Mr. Chua outlives his son Ah Hock.
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* ColdBloodedTorture: The antagonists are UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The horrors Philip witnesses -- including using prisoners for bayonet practice -- [[RealityIsUnrealistic aren't even as bad as the things they did in real life]].
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* DigYourOwnGrave: The Japanese soldiers round up villagers, drive them into the jungle, hand them shovels and tell them to start digging, then open fire on them.
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* UncertainDoom:
** [[spoiler: Wu An. Philip searches for him after the war but is never able to find his or his hidden temple again.]]
** [[spoiler: Uncle Lim disappears after betraying Isabel. He may have been murdered by the resistance, he may have been RewardedAsATraitorDeserves by the Japanese, or he may have returned to China.]]
** [[spoiler: Wu An. Philip searches for him after the war but is never able to find his or his hidden temple again.]]
** [[spoiler: Uncle Lim disappears after betraying Isabel. He may have been murdered by the resistance, he may have been RewardedAsATraitorDeserves by the Japanese, or he may have returned to China.]]
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** Calling it a "romance" is dubious, for [[TeacherStudentRomance several]] [[FalseFriend reasons]], but Philip is sixteen and Hayato is in his late forties when they meet.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Hayato had a romantic relationship with Michiko before he left Japan, and his relationship with Philip certainly has hints of being... [[TeacherStudentRomance less than teacherly]]. At one point he tells Philip that he loves him, and has loved him in [[ReincarnationRomance their previous lifetimes]]. [[spoiler: It's left up to the reader to decide if he's sincere or manipulating Philip.]]
* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. He also never shows interest in other men (except Saotome, and that's explicitly because Saotome reminds him of Hayato), leaving it unclear if he's gay or asexual (possibly with a case of SingleTargetSexuality for Hayato).
* AmbiguouslyBi: Hayato had a romantic relationship with Michiko before he left Japan, and his relationship with Philip certainly has hints of being... [[TeacherStudentRomance less than teacherly]]. At one point he tells Philip that he loves him, and has loved him in [[ReincarnationRomance their previous lifetimes]]. [[spoiler: It's left up to the reader to decide if he's sincere or manipulating Philip.]]
* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. He also never shows interest in other men (except Saotome, and that's explicitly because Saotome reminds him of Hayato), leaving it unclear if he's gay or asexual (possibly with a case of SingleTargetSexuality for Hayato).
to:
** Calling it a "romance" is dubious, for [[ManipulativeBastard for]] [[TeacherStudentRomance several]] [[FalseFriend reasons]], but Philip is sixteen and Hayato is in his late forties when they meet.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Hayato had a romantic relationship with Michiko before he left Japan, and his relationship with Philip certainly has hints of being... [[TeacherStudentRomance less than teacherly]]. At one point he tells Philip that he loves him, and has loved him in [[ReincarnationRomance their previous lifetimes]]. [[spoiler: It's left up to the reader to decide if he's sincere or manipulating Philip. He ''seems'' to be sincere towards the end of his life, if only because he has nothing left to lose.]]
* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. On the other hand, he only refers to Hayato as his teacher or his friend, never as his lover. He also never shows interest in other men (except Saotome, and that's explicitly because Saotome reminds him ofHayato), Hayato -- and ''that'' attraction ends the minute Saotome reveals his true colours), leaving it unclear if he's gay or asexual (possibly with a case of SingleTargetSexuality for Hayato).
* AmbiguouslyBi: Hayato had a romantic relationship with Michiko before he left Japan, and his relationship with Philip certainly has hints of being... [[TeacherStudentRomance less than teacherly]]. At one point he tells Philip that he loves him, and has loved him in [[ReincarnationRomance their previous lifetimes]]. [[spoiler: It's left up to the reader to decide if he's sincere or manipulating Philip. He ''seems'' to be sincere towards the end of his life, if only because he has nothing left to lose.]]
* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. On the other hand, he only refers to Hayato as his teacher or his friend, never as his lover. He also never shows interest in other men (except Saotome, and that's explicitly because Saotome reminds him of
* BittersweetEnding: Leaning much more towards bitter than sweet. [[spoiler: Philip's entire family, Kon, and many other innocent people are dead. Philip helps Hayato commit suicide. He lives alone for years until he meets Michiko, then she dies too. Many people still consider Philip a war criminal who escaped justice.]] The only thing keeping it from being a complete DownerEnding is that Philip is resigned to his fate and has managed to make a fairly good life for himself in spite of all the tragedies.
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* DrivenToSuicide: Wen Zu would have been murdered on Ci Xi's orders after Guangxu's death. He chose to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled cut his own throat]] rather than wait for the assassins.
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* DrivenToSuicide: DrivenToSuicide:
** Wen Zu would have been murdered on Ci Xi's orders after Guangxu's death. He chose to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled cut his own throat]] rather than wait for theassassins.assassins.
** [[spoiler: Ming]] kills herself after her husband is murdered and she's raped.
** [[spoiler: Tanaka]] is too badly injured to escape, so he asks Kon to help him kill himself. Kon does.
** Hiroshi and other Japanese officers commit suicide after Japan's surrender.
** Wen Zu would have been murdered on Ci Xi's orders after Guangxu's death. He chose to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled cut his own throat]] rather than wait for the
** [[spoiler: Ming]] kills herself after her husband is murdered and she's raped.
** [[spoiler: Tanaka]] is too badly injured to escape, so he asks Kon to help him kill himself. Kon does.
** Hiroshi and other Japanese officers commit suicide after Japan's surrender.
* FakeAssistedSuicide: Subverted. Fujihara asks Philip to help him commit ''seppuku''. Philip plays along until they're alone. Then he reveals he's brought some of Fujihara's victims or their relatives with him. [[spoiler: ''He'' won't kill Fujihara, but he won't stop ''them'' doing it.]]
* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Isabel is caught passing information to the British. If she's brought into Japanese custody she'll suffer a FateWorseThanDeath, so Hayato tells her to make a run for it. She does, and he shoots her.]]
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* OffWithHisHead: The punishment for the looters, followed by DecapitationPresentation.
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* OffWithHisHead: OffWithHisHead:
** The punishment for the looters, followed byDecapitationPresentation.DecapitationPresentation.
** [[spoiler: Nearly happens to Philip when he's found guilty of treason. His father takes his place.]]
** [[spoiler: If Philip's dream is really a flashback to a previous life, Hayato's previous incarnation beheaded his previous incarnation. And in this lifetime, Philip beheads Hayato.]]
** The punishment for the looters, followed by
** [[spoiler: Nearly happens to Philip when he's found guilty of treason. His father takes his place.]]
** [[spoiler: If Philip's dream is really a flashback to a previous life, Hayato's previous incarnation beheaded his previous incarnation. And in this lifetime, Philip beheads Hayato.]]
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** [[spoiler: Noel outlives his son William, who dies when his ship is sunk.]]
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** [[spoiler: Noel outlives three of his son four children: his sons William, who dies when his ship is sunk.sunk, and Edward, who dies working on the Burmese railway, and his daughter Isabel, who's shot while escaping.]]
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Fujihara has tortured and murdered his way across Malaya. Now the British army has arrived, Japan has surrendered, and Fujihara decides to take [[DrivenToSuicide the easy way out]]. He asks Philip to help him. [[spoiler: Instead Philip brings the families of Fujihara's victims, and leaves them to torture him to death.]]
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** [[spoiler: Hayato and Philip. If Philip's dream is an actual flashback to a previous lifetime, they've been trapped in a cycle of falling in love, being driven apart, and dying by each other's hands since the seventeenth century at least.]]
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** [[spoiler: Hayato and Philip. If Philip's dream is an actual flashback to a previous lifetime, they've been trapped in a cycle of falling in love, being driven apart, and dying by each other's hands since the seventeenth century at least. They ''may'' have finally been able to bring this cycle with Hayato's death this time.]]
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* WickedCultured: Fujihara and Goro. A pair of serial rapists, torturers, and mass murderers who love the works of Music/JohannSebastianBach and hunt all over the city to find a suitable piano. And when they find one, they murder the owner.
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* GratuitousForeignLanguage: In addition to English, the book contains some Japanese, Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay, and German.
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. He also rarely shows interest in other men (except Saotome, and that's explicitly because Saotome reminds him of Hayato), leaving it unclear if he's gay or asexual (possibly with a case of SingleTargetSexuality for Hayato).
to:
* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. He also rarely never shows interest in other men (except Saotome, and that's explicitly because Saotome reminds him of Hayato), leaving it unclear if he's gay or asexual (possibly with a case of SingleTargetSexuality for Hayato).
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* {{Reincarnation}}: Philip and Hayato visit a fortune-teller who says they knew each other in their past life. Hayato, a Buddhist, believes this. Philip, an Anglican, doesn't. They discuss the concept of reincarnation afterwards. [[spoiler: Confirmed when Philip has a flashback to a previous lifetime.]]
* ReincarnationRomance: Strongly implied between Philip and Hayato. A very unhealthy, possibly one-sided romance, in this lifetime at least.
* ReincarnationRomance: Strongly implied between Philip and Hayato. A very unhealthy, possibly one-sided romance, in this lifetime at least.
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* {{Reincarnation}}: Philip and Hayato visit a fortune-teller who says they knew each other in their past life. Hayato, a Buddhist, believes this. Philip, an Anglican, doesn't. They discuss the concept of reincarnation afterwards. [[spoiler: Confirmed when Philip has a flashback to a previous lifetime.]]
afterwards.
* ReincarnationRomance:Strongly implied between [[spoiler: Philip and Hayato.Hayato]]. A very unhealthy, possibly one-sided romance, in this lifetime at least.
* ReincarnationRomance:
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* StarCrossedLovers: Hayato and Michiko. They were in love, but Michiko's family forced her to marry someone else, and she never sees Hayato again.
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* StarCrossedLovers: StarCrossedLovers:
** Hayato and Michiko. They were in love, but Michiko's family forced her to marry someone else, and she never sees Hayatoagain.again.
** [[spoiler: Hayato and Philip. If Philip's dream is an actual flashback to a previous lifetime, they've been trapped in a cycle of falling in love, being driven apart, and dying by each other's hands since the seventeenth century at least.]]
** Hayato and Michiko. They were in love, but Michiko's family forced her to marry someone else, and she never sees Hayato
** [[spoiler: Hayato and Philip. If Philip's dream is an actual flashback to a previous lifetime, they've been trapped in a cycle of falling in love, being driven apart, and dying by each other's hands since the seventeenth century at least.]]
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* PastLifeMemories: Philip dreams back to one of his and Hayato's previous lifetimes, where he was a samurai executed for treason and Hayato was his former friend and lover turned executioner.
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* {{Reincarnation}}: Philip and Hayato visit a fortune-teller who says they knew each other in their past life. Hayato, a Buddhist, believes this. Philip, an Anglican, doesn't. They discuss the concept of reincarnation afterwards.
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* {{Reincarnation}}: Philip and Hayato visit a fortune-teller who says they knew each other in their past life. Hayato, a Buddhist, believes this. Philip, an Anglican, doesn't. They discuss the concept of reincarnation afterwards. [[spoiler: Confirmed when Philip has a flashback to a previous lifetime.]]
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. He also never shows any interest in other men, leaving it unclear if he's gay or asexual (possibly with a case of SingleTargetSexuality for Hayato).
to:
* AmbiguouslyGay: Philip never marries or shows any interest in women, and his relationship with Hayato reads exactly like a teenager with a crush. He outright states he loves Hayato and leaves it very ambiguous if he means platonically or romantically. He also never rarely shows any interest in other men, men (except Saotome, and that's explicitly because Saotome reminds him of Hayato), leaving it unclear if he's gay or asexual (possibly with a case of SingleTargetSexuality for Hayato).
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* NotSoDifferentRemark: An especially chilling one, because Saotome compares himself to Hayato right after trying to blackmail Philip into sex.
--> '''Saotome:''' I do not know why you refuse. You think Endo-san is different from me? That just because he is your ''sensei'' he will watch over you and protect you? He and I are more similar than you are aware of. He is myself not so long ago; he will become what I am.
--> '''Saotome:''' I do not know why you refuse. You think Endo-san is different from me? That just because he is your ''sensei'' he will watch over you and protect you? He and I are more similar than you are aware of. He is myself not so long ago; he will become what I am.
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* OffWithHisHead: The punishment for the looters, followed by DecapitationPresentation.
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* CompletelyUnnecessaryTranslator: Philip is hired as the Japanese government's translator, and his first official appearance is at the surrender of Malaya. He observes that there's no need for his presence there; all three high-ranking Japanese officials there are fluent in English. They bring Philip along to make sure everyone knows he's working for them.
