| 1 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qvcatj6_1607.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:300:''"Someone important to me has disappeared."'']] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"This summer, I lost my mother -- the only family I had left... I took a long train ride to see my family home, which I inherited from my father. I had a strange dream -- a red memory I was unable to recall. There was a kaleidoscope of shining blue butterflies flying about, and a familiar person with sad eyes. My birthplace, Hemidzuka. It is there I will meet someone, and there I will part from someone. Past and present, dream and reality, my memories and my blood... The threads of fate will intertwine and twist together to form a single picture...'' '''The wheel of fate is about to turn.'''''"'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''OpeningNarration''' |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ''Akai Ito'' (''アカイイト''), known in English as ''Red Strings'' (referencing the legendary strings of fate) is a {{visual novel}} created in 2004 by Creator/{{Success}} and is essentially a supernatural horror adventure with some {{Yuri|Genre}} and mystery elements thrown in. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | The story is about a girl named Hatou Kei who, as a result of a dead mother, heads to her father's house in order to claim her inheritance. However, she soon finds herself caught up in supernatural happenings after a dream concerning a huge tree and a mysterious girl, Yumei. She meets several other characters, including Uzuki Senba, an Oni slayer; Tzuzura Wakasugi, a girl accompanied by a white fox; Sakuya Asama, a friend of Kei's mother; and KEI-kun, a strange boy who happens to share Kei's name. Kei must discover the secrets that lay within her own blood. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Besides its haunting and melancholic atmosphere, the visual novel is well-known for its [[NintendoHard difficulty]] (as is its sister-game, ''Aoi Shiro'') with ''dozens'' of bad endings one can get. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | It has an in-direct sequel of sorts called ''VisualNovel/AoiShiro''. While not following the same story, or having the same characters, it takes place in the same universe and many elements from ''Akai Ito'', both story and 'gameplay', return. Sakuya gets a cameo in the UpdatedRerelease PC version of the game. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | A Remastered "HD" version of the game was released on May 25th 2023, on Nintendo Switch and Steam (the very first time the game is available outside the Playstation 2), alongside its younger "sister-game" ''Aoi Shiro''. The remastered version of the game also offers a full English subtitle option for the first time. |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | !!This game contains examples of: |
| 18 | |
| 19 | * ActionGirlfriend: Kei rarely, if ever, fights the enemies herself, and has to rely on the girls pinning on her. |
| 20 | * TheAlliance: The cooperation between the Mizuki and the exorcists sent to defeat Nushi, long time ago. By now, it's completely fallen apart [[spoiler:amongst other things because [[FantasticRacism the exorcists have wiped out the Mizuki]] and the lineage of Nie no Chi dwindled, with Kei being the last generation]]. |
| 21 | * AllMythsAreTrue: Pretty much ''everything'' from Japanese mythology turns out to be real. |
| 22 | * AllThereInTheManual: The ''Akai Ito JIVE'' Guidebook clarifies some aspects of the game's plot (Such as the power-ranking of the character and Kei's parents lives). |
| 23 | * AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: [[spoiler:During the Uzuki route, Uzuki has been knocked out by KEI-kun. Kei and co retreat to her BigFancyHouse, and do their best to supernaturally barricade the house with paper charms from Uzuki. Unfortunately, this time it's not just Nozomi and Mikage who is out to get Kei...]] |
| 24 | * AncientTradition: Sakuya is a one-woman ancient tradition who watches over the Nie no Chi. [[spoiler:If the Mizuki tribe still existed, it would have been their duty.]] |
| 25 | * AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Nozomi is trapped inside the Ryugetsu for centuries after Nushi-sama is sealed. This is probably also her fate in the endings where the Ryugetsu isn't destroyed.]] |
| 26 | * AndYourLittleDogToo: [[spoiler: Nushi kills Obana to send a message.]] |
| 27 | * ArcWords: "Taisetsuna hito // inakunatta". Rough translation: "Someone important to me // has disappeared." |
| 28 | * TheAtoner: KEI-kun [[spoiler: joined the Onikiri to atone for killing people while he was possessed by Nushi-sama.]] |
| 29 | * BackFromTheDead: KEI-kun, [[spoiler:and it's Uzuki's job to make him dead again]]. |
| 30 | * BackupFromOtherworld: [[BigDamnHeroes Yumei]], all the time, no matter what route you're on (save for Nozomi's). This doesn't apply on Yumei's own route, where she becomes physical again (and for all purpose, ''alive'') due to drinking your blood. |
| 31 | * BarrierMaiden: Yumei [[spoiler:or whoever is being the current Ohashira-sama.]] |
| 32 | * BattleAura: Everyone has one of these, Yumei in particular surrounds herself in glowing butterflies. |
| 33 | * BattleCouple: [[spoiler:Kei and Sakuya, in the Onikiri no Oni ending.]] |
| 34 | * BattleHarem: A YuriGenre example: Kei has four women (OK, 2 women, 2 girls) who are seriously interested in her, ready to fight to death to protect her. It's very noticeable because Kei herself is ''not'' an Action Girl. |
| 35 | * BeastMan: Sakuya is big, has CuteLittleFangs, and has an animalistic aura about her. [[spoiler:When she drinks Kei's blood or uses Ragou, she is a shade removed from being a werewolf. And then, in the Onikiri no Oni ending, she becomes an actual oni.]] |
| 36 | * BeautifulDreamer: Inverted. It's Kei who is seen sleeping by [[spoiler:Uzuki and Yumei]], in their respective routes. For the former, it's the result of the ButThouMust, below. Because of this, fandom often depicts Uzuki as a creepy stalker. |
| 37 | * BigBad: [[{{Orochi}} The evil snake god Nushi-sama]] [[spoiler:who is inside KEI-kun]]. |
| 38 | * BigBrotherInstinct: KEI-kun, who does all he can protecting his twin Kei. Well, it's not like he is older than her. |
| 39 | * BigDamnHeroes: Yumei-san, all the time. [[spoiler:It's really her obligation to do so.]] |
| 40 | * BigFancyHouse: Kei's family owns a grand Heian-styled Japanese mansion, which to her utter shock, she now owns. |
| 41 | * BloodMagic: Oni draw there power from this, requiring human blood to perform spells. |
| 42 | * BloodSplatteredInnocents [[spoiler:Some examples; Kei gets a fist through the chest. Her hand is covered in blood. She falls off a cliff.]] |
| 43 | * BloodyHilarious: Kei just keep on feeding Yumei during the later's route. ''Affectionately''. While being watched and commented by Sakuya and Tsudura. The game even makes a small sub-screen during the CG to display them commenting! |
| 44 | * BrokenBird: Uzuki. The stress of being a morally-upright onikiri really gets to her nerve. [[spoiler:Of course, having a dead big brother is a huge factor.]] She literally never smiles except in her route. |
| 45 | * ButThouMust: After Uduki [[PostVictoryCollapse over-exerts herself]] chasing away Nozomi and Mikage, Kei brings her to her room. ThereIsOnlyOneBed. "Option 1: Sleep next to her." "Option 2: Sleep next to her." "Option 3: Sleep next to her." {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d. |
| 46 | * ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: Ohashira-sama's standard attack. Probably also qualify as MoreDakka. |
| 47 | * CastFullOfGay: Most of the cast are girls interested in other girls romantically. |
| 48 | * CatSmile: Nozomi gives these all the time, with Kei comparing her to an evil kitten. |
| 49 | * CherryBlossoms: Averted. The tree where Ohashira-sama dwells is not a Sakura, despite obviously being cast in similar light [[spoiler: down to the myth that Sakura bloom beautifully because corpses are buried under it]]. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styphnolobium_japonicum It's an Enju, or Japanese Pagoda Tree]]. |
| 50 | * CoolBigSis: Yumei, [[spoiler:somewhat literally even. She is/was the daughter of Kei's father's little sister. Though the two practically end up as KissingCousins.]] |
| 51 | * CoolSword: ''Ito'', the sword Uzuki wields. |
| 52 | * CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler:Tsudura falls into a well while running away in a random direction during an angst-laden fit? Don't worry! Earlier, Kei onee-san have tied a rope to climb out of the well!]] |
| 53 | * CreepyTwins: Nozomi and Mikage. [[spoiler:Subverted, Mikage is really Nushi's Wake-Mitama that took the form conforming to Nozomi's crumbling psyche while the former is [[AndIMustScream trapped in Ryugetsu]].]] |
| 54 | * CuteGhostGirl: Yumei-san, Nozomi-chan, Mikage-chan. The first is basically Kei's guardian angel, the other two... [[LesbianVampire want to eat Kei]]. |
| 55 | * CuteLittleFangs: Tsudura, Sakuya. Nozomi and Mikage aren't exactly cute. |
| 56 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: For each character. Some more disturbing than the others. |
| 57 | * DeathByOriginStory: Senba Akira, whose death is a ''very'' major element in Uzuki's [[spoiler:and KEI-kun's]] background. |
| 58 | * DeclarationOfProtection: Uzuki to Kei. This is even the central premise of their relationship, with Uzuki doing her absolute bestest to protect Kei and Kei believing in her against all odds. See JustInTime below. |
| 59 | * DemonicPossession: Poor KEI-kun. [[spoiler: Later on during Uzuki route, Nushi-sama begins to possess Kei, which can lead to a very bad end.]] |
| 60 | * DevourTheDragon: [[spoiler:During Tsudura route, Obana is killed by Nozomi. Tsudura falls into a HeroicBSOD... and then eats Obana's corpse, fusing the kitsune into herself. And then she becomes a super-powered werefox mage.]] |
| 61 | * DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: Kei use the opening theme as her cellphone ringtone. [[LampshadeHanging It sounds somewhat sinister]], and in the OST CD, is titled "[[TarotMotifs Wheel of Fortune]]". [[spoiler: And it's also the LeitMotif for Nushi, titled "Utakata". Yeeeeeeah!]] |
| 62 | * DistantFinale: The "Onikiri no Oni" ending, where [[spoiler: many, many years have passed before we see Oni Kei and Oni Sakuya fighting yet another Nushi cultists.]] |
| 63 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Although ''Akai Ito'' is not an eroge, all the blood-drinking scenes are EXTREMELY obviously stand-ins for sex. There's even have a special soft, romantic-porno style BGM track reserved for those scenes only. [[spoiler: Even Kei feels that Yumei drinking her blood is something sinful, since Kei sees Yumei as a motherly figure.]] |
| 64 | * DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:One of the endings has Uzuki being forced to kill Kei; she ends up killing herself so the two could be 'bound in death by the same blade.']] |
| 65 | * TheDragon: Nozomi is Nushi-sama's second in command. |
| 66 | * EmergencyTransformation: These can be induced under great stress and both [[spoiler: Sakuya and Tsudura resort to using there's against Nushi. Tsudura is ''barely'' able to match Nushi, but Sakuya ''tears'' Nushi apart.]] |
| 67 | * EmotionalMaturityIsPhysicalMaturity: Played straight and subverted. [[spoiler: Sakuya looks thirty, and acts like she's in thirty. But in her route, it's revealed that she hasn't exactly grown up from being the little girl who was really attached to the first Ohashira, centuries ago.]] |
| 68 | * EmotionlessGirl: Mikage. [[spoiler:She is not really an individual.]] |
| 69 | * EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Kei seems to be rather popular with the ladies, don't you think? [[spoiler:The fact that she has the ''Nie no Chi'' may be one of the reasons...]] |
| 70 | * EvilGloating: The villains in this all ''love'' doing these. |
| 71 | * ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: Some characters (especially Nozomi) are more prone to this than the others. |
| 72 | * FakeMemories: To the point that Kei's past seems to be disturbingly similar to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]]'s. |
| 73 | * {{Familiar}}: Obana, Tsudura's white fox. [[spoiler: Like everything else supernatural, it can be powered by Kei's blood.]] |
| 74 | * FightingDownMemoryLane: It takes great courage for Kei to [[spoiler: see beyond the trauma, about what actually happened 10 years ago]]. Also an EpiphanyTherapy for her. |
| 75 | --> '''[[spoiler: Fake]] Mom and Dad''': Fufufu... That's right... Kei is a bad girl. |
| 76 | * FingerSuckHealing: Subverted. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Kei deliberately hurt her finger with a sewing needle so that Yumei has a moral reason to suck her blood]]; otherwise Yumei will be too shy to do so. [[ItMakesSenseInContext Cuter than it sounds]]. |
| 77 | * FinishingEachOthersSentences: Nozomi and Mikage talk like this, which really unsettles Kei. |
| 78 | * FlashbackNightmare: Kei. [[spoiler:However, some of it belong to Hakuka, and some are outright fakes; either created by her own mind or planted there by Nushi.]] |
| 79 | * FreakOut: During Sakuya route, Kei's mind can't bear the sudden revelation of so many supernaturals right in front of her. She snaps, and then [[spoiler:either she dies falling off a cliff or she gets better, depending on earlier choices]]. To be fair, before that happen you are given the option to simply escape Hemizuka and return to mundane life. |
| 80 | * FriendlessBackground: Tsudura's only friend, she says herself, is Obana. |
| 81 | * FrozenFashionSense: [[PlayingWithATrope Subverted, Inverted, Justified, and even Played Straight]]. Let's see... Nozomi and Mikage has been trapped inside Ryugetsu for a long time that the change in people's way of dressing doesn't affect them. Yumei, on the other hand, only began wearing traditional kimono when she became Ohashira; in the flashback when she was still alive she wore normal clothes. On the other hand, Sakuya dresses liberally, despite being 1000+ years old (just look at her huge tract of land!). But then Nozomi, Mikage, and Yumei are ''ghosts'', so it's not like they have a set of wardrobe. |
| 82 | * FuroScene: An [[{{Pun}} ample opportunity]] for Sakuya to show off her assets. |
| 83 | * FurAgainstFang: Of the Individual Battles variety: Tsudura [[spoiler:fused with Obana's soul]] versus Nozomi and Mikage. |
| 84 | * GenkiGirl: Tsudura is happy-go lucky to the extreme. [[BeneathTheMask At least that's how she portrays herself to others.]] |
| 85 | * HalfIdenticalTwins [[spoiler: Kei and KEI (aka. Hakuka, Kei's twin brother)]] |
| 86 | * HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Obana gives up his essence to super-charge Tsudura's transformation.]] |
| 87 | * HeroicWillpower: Yumei's defining feature is her willpower. Anyone without her will would have been driven past the DespairEventHorizon ages ago. |
| 88 | * HiddenEyes: The secret behind the Onikiri's skill at exterminating Oni; they posses a third "spiritual" eye that lets them gaze upon the Oni realm, and see evil spirts that are normally invisible to humans. |
| 89 | * HugeSchoolgirl: Uzuki is about 170 cm tall and ''towers'' over her fellows. |
| 90 | * HumanAliens: If the myths are to be believed, the Mizuki Tribe originated in the moon and are either related or are the basis for the folklore of Kaguya-hime. |
| 91 | * HypnoticEyes: Seems to be the standard ability of Nushi and his right hands. |
| 92 | * ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Near the end of Sakuya route, either Kei or Sakuya [[{{Gorn}} is gutted through the stomach by Nushi]].]] |
| 93 | * IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Averted. KEI-kun [[HeroicWillpower does his best to contain Nushi-sama]], but when the evil snake god is out, KEI-kun is gone. [[spoiler: Except in Yumei route... and then he commits SenselessSacrifice.]] |
| 94 | * IncorruptiblePurePureness: Yumei-san. She never take Kei's blood without the latter's consent, she never snaps, she never gets angry at Kei[[spoiler: even though her [[OurGhostsAreDifferent current state]] is, at least marginally, Kei's fault]], she stands vigilant as an Ohashira-sama for about ten lonely years, she saves Kei all the time, etc etc and so on. She stands in stark contrast to another vampirism-capable ghost, Nozomi. |
| 95 | ** In fact, Yumei's [[{{Leitmotif}} theme song]] was later made into an ImageSong (with vocal!), which nicely sums Kei's story in Akai Ito. |
| 96 | * IntergenerationalFriendship: Kei and Sakuya. Kei calls Sakuya, "Sakuya-san". [[spoiler: When Kei's memories return, she remember that in the past, she call her Sakuya obaa-san.]] |
| 97 | * InTheBlood: The lineage of the Nie no Chi. From Emiko to Kei's father to Kei[[spoiler: and Hakuka, aka KEI-kun]]. |
| 98 | * IntrepidReporter: Sakuya, whose job is a reporter/writer/photographer. Her field of specialty is folklore, occasionally branching to the occult. [[spoiler: That she herself is [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld supernatural]] is a huge advantage.]] |
| 99 | * InvisibleToNormals: Yumei, and the Oni twins can mask their presence from those unconnected to the supernatural world. |
| 100 | * Myth/JapaneseMythology: Much of the games mythos and world-building comes from this. |
| 101 | * JustInTime: Nozomi and Mikage come storming with Nushi, the paper charms from Uzuki doesn't work, neither Sakuya nor Yumei is fit for fighting, and Uzuki herself is still unconscious from her previous battle with KEI-kun. Kei is forced to take up a sword and desperately pointing it at Nozomi, who laughs sinisterly. [[spoiler: And then Uzuki wakes up and begins kicking ass. Phew!]] |
| 102 | * KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Nozomi in her route avoids any real punishment for her horrible crimes from the past after making a HeelFaceTurn.]] |
| 103 | * KnightTemplar: The onikiri (exorcists) are very prone to this. The tenet of the Senba is basically "if it's an oni, it should die. No exception". Just how far Uzuki is willing to carry this creed varies between routes. [[spoiler:The Wakasugi have wiped out all of the Mizuki Tribe save for Sakuya, even though they were protecting the Seal of Nushi.]] |
| 104 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: Tsudura induces this onto Kei in her endings. See SaveTheDayTurnAway below. |
| 105 | * [[LastOfHisKind Last of Her Kind]]: [[spoiler:Sakuya. And it's the fault of the Wakasugi onikiri.]] And you wonder why she doesn't get along with Uzuki. |
| 106 | * LaughingMad: Part and parcel with the FreakOut, above. |
| 107 | * {{Leitmotif}}: "Itsuka no Hikari" for [[BigGood Yumei]], and "Utakata" for [[BigBad Nushi]], both of which were later made into full-fledged {{Image Song}}s. |
| 108 | * LesbianVampire: While none of the characters are vampires and more like oni, their drinking Kei's blood definitely invokes this image. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d, too, with Kei comparing [[spoiler:Sakuya to ''Dracula'', when the Sakuya need blood for her power, to save both of them out of a cliffhanger situation]]. |
| 109 | * LethalChef: Kei ''cannot'' cook at all and her food is described as a biohazard. |
| 110 | * LifeMeter: Kei's blood. There is (almost) no way to recover it in-game, since the game only takes 4 days. [[spoiler: Guess what Kei must do to save Yumei.]] |
| 111 | ** The life meter does recharge slightly on Sakuya's route if you eat the liver. [[StockYuck It's good for you!]] |
| 112 | * LikeParentLikeSpouse: Want to know who amongst the romanceable characters Kei is most attached to? [[spoiler:[[TrailersAlwaysSpoil Yumei-san]]. She says that Yumei is like a mother and a big sister to her. Doesn't stop her from wanting to live with Yumei, in a way that's more like a couple. ''Yumei doesn't object to that, not at all''.]] |
| 113 | %%* LittleBitBeastly: [[spoiler: Tsuzura in her werefox form.]] |
| 114 | * LonersAreFreaks: Seems to be a recurring theme amongst the "romanceable" characters [[spoiler: especially Nozomi, who has been in an AndIMustScream situation for centuries]]. |
| 115 | * MadnessMantra: [[spoiler: Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!"]]. [[spoiler: When Kei had a painful memory resurfaced]]. |
| 116 | %%* MagiBabble: So... so much. There is even an in-game EncyclopediaExposita. |
| 117 | * MagicMirror: The ancient mirror Ryuugetsu is an important plot element, as it is the mirror inhabited by Nozomi and Mikage. Sealing or breaking the mirror will trap or destroy them. |
| 118 | * ManipulativeBastard: Nozomi, so very much. [[spoiler: While trapped in Ryugetsu, she whispers encouragement to the Wakasugi to massacre the Mizuki, on the basis that Mizuki, too, are oni. [[KnightTemplar And the Wakasugi, in their paranoia, listened]].]] |
| 119 | * {{Masquerade}}: There are oni, insidious beings who corrupt and prey upon humans. And then there are the humans who hunt them. It's "better" for everyone if the humans don't know of this [[SecretWar conflict]]. The Wakasugi is especially good at keeping this. [[spoiler: Near the end of Tsudura route, Kei [[LampshadeHanging wonders]] whether she will be KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade, after all that adventure with Tsudura. Tsudura's answer? LaserGuidedAmnesia.]] |
| 120 | * MayflyDecemberRomance: [[spoiler: Sakuya with Emiko, who was Kei's grandmother. And in her Happy Ending, with Kei.]] |
| 121 | * MeaningfulName: While it's never directly called out in the game's text, one possible kanji for the name Mikage carries the meaning of 'shadow' [[spoiler: which may clue in suspicious readers that something about her is different from Nozomi.]] |
| 122 | * {{Miko}}: Uzuki, even though she normally doesn't wear Miko attire. Kei seems to have a... wanting to see her in one. |
| 123 | * MishmashMuseum: Averted, Kei's trip to the museum is very structed and she notes how impressed with the logistics of the town. |
| 124 | %% * MissingTime: The result of LaserGuidedAmnesia, above. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d. |
| 125 | %% * MsExposition: Tsuzura, Sakuya, and Uzuki each get their turn. Sometimes all of them at the same time. |
| 126 | * MustBeInvited: Played with. It's exactly because Kei refused to forget Yumei that the vampire-away charm is breached. Which means that Nozomi and Mikage become able to find Kei. |
| 127 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Tsuzura [[spoiler: disappears into the forest after she realizes how much she hurt Kei while in werefox-mode]], while Uzuki [[spoiler: is DrivenToSuicide after accidentally killing Kei]]. |
| 128 | %% * MysteriousWaif: Yumei. |
| 129 | * NiceGirl: Kei. She even refers to the vampire twins as Nozomi-''chan'' and Mikage-''chan'', even though they were trying to exsanguinate her just five minutes ago. |
| 130 | * TheNoseKnows: Tsuzura gains super(-natural) scent ability[[spoiler: in werefox form, after fusing with Obana.]] |
| 131 | ** ScarilyCompetentTracker: And she can track Nozomi and Mikage by [[spoiler:the smell of Kei's blood that they drank]], even though those twins are ''vampire-ghosts hiding in a mirror''. |
| 132 | * TheOrder: The Onikiribe ("demon-slaying groups"), of which the Senba and the Wakasugi are two amongst many. |
| 133 | %%* {{Orochi}}: Nushi. |
| 134 | %%* OurGhostsAreDifferent |
| 135 | * OurSoulsAreDifferent: The Wake-Mitama houses a part of Nushi's divine soul. In most routes, the Wake-Mitama is inside the Ryugetsu, [[SealedEvilInACan which is sealed since long time ago]]. Nushi can manipulate those who gets too close to his Wake-Mitama into freeing his true soul. Works both way too: those who wield the Wake-Mitama can harm Nushi more easily... [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu if they are of sufficient power]]. |
| 136 | * OurVampiresAreDifferent: Let's look at the SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness... |
| 137 | ** Blood Requirement: None. Nozomi, Mikage, and Yumei don't need human blood to survive, at all. They are more like spirits sustained with magic (and blood, especially blood of a Nie), than traditional vampires. Nozomi and Mikage only seek human blood to awaken Nushi. |
| 138 | ** Conversion: They can't convert the biting way. One becomes fettered spirit through powerful and rare magic. Bizarrely enough, only Sakuya can convert... although the converted one won't become a Mizuki. |
| 139 | ** Morality Shift: It really depends whether someone was already a messed-up person before conversion. However, Oni!Kei does seem to become less human after she ceases to be human. |
| 140 | ** Super Power: Oh yes, becoming an oni gives you super power. |
| 141 | ** Weaknesses: It's much harder for them to appear when it's not night-time, though ingestion of powerful blood can change that. |
| 142 | * OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: An eastern Oni Variant. [[spoiler: Sakuya and her dead clan has ''insanely'' powerful {{Lunacy}} based powers, allowing her to transform into a nightmarish Wolf-beast TheBeserker, but can only use them on a ''new'' moon.]] |
| 143 | * PinkySwear: Uzuki and Kei's ThePromise to be protect each other ends with this. It's also in the opening movie. |
| 144 | * PostVictoryCollapse: After defeating Nushi, the heroes tend to have emotional breakdowns both happy and insanely sad. |
| 145 | * PowerLevels: In the JIVE Guidebook. Sakuya (in Ragou mode) is listed as higher than Nushi and thus highest in the ranking, while Kei is (obviously) the lowest. [[spoiler:Oni!Kei and Horned!Sakuya aren't listed.]] |
| 146 | * ThePowerOfBlood: The story revolves around the blood of the Nie no Chi. In this era, that means Kei. |
| 147 | * ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:Sakuya is 17 ''centuries'' old.]] |
| 148 | ** Subverted for [[spoiler:Yumei, who has only been an Ohashira for about 10 years, and when she became a spirit was only 16 years old]]. |
| 149 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: Nozomi and Mikage have glowing red eyes that peek from the darkness, and they are both bad news. |
| 150 | * RedStringOfFate: The literal translation of the title. When someone take Kei's blood ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything with her consent]]), there is a short FMV showing two blood-red sinusoidal wave synchronizing with each others into a straight line, showing adjoining of destiny. [[spoiler: This even becomes a RunningGag in Yumei’s route]]. |
| 151 | * RestoredMyFaithInHumanity: Kei, for Tsuzura. [[spoiler: It doesn't stick, and Tsuzura returns to her [[{{Masquerade}} world of the onikiri]]. Unless you get her Happy Ending, in which Kei remembers everything when Tsuzura pass near her.]] |
| 152 | ** PatrickStewartSpeech: "Surely, while there are many bad people in the world, not everyone are bad, right? If humans are scary, then is Kei-nee-san scary?" |
| 153 | * SaveTheDayTurnAway: Even though Tsuzura [[spoiler:has become a very powerful onikiri, eliminated the threat of Nushi-sama (''before it can even start''), saved Kei from very certain death, helped Ohashira-sama AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence, and most importantly, found a person she need not be paranoid of, she can't be together with Kei because doing so will endanger Kei]]. [[TearJerker She does regret it]]. |
| 154 | * SaveTheVillain: There is a Nozomi route. [[spoiler:However, it's rather short. It's at least partially canon, because Nozomi is hanging around Kei in the ''VisualNovel/AoiShiro Kaeishou'' manga.]] |
| 155 | * SecretWar: The conflict between the Onikiribe and the [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Oni]] has been on-going since the beginning of time. [[spoiler:Kei is only hidden from the preying supernaturals due to the blue marble charm that is her cellphone straps. And even that isn't fool-proof.]] |
| 156 | * SoundtrackDissonance: You would think that the final battle against Nushi will have OminousLatinChanting or something, but no. |
| 157 | * [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen She Who Must Not Be Seen]]: Youko-chan, Kei's friend at the school. Also, Kei's ''father'' in the flashback; which is JustForFun/{{egregious}} because every other significant male character (except Senba Akira) was seen. |
| 158 | * StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler:Tsudura.]] Kei even says in her route something along the lines of [[spoiler:Tsudura]] being good at hiding sadness by smiling. |
| 159 | * SuperMode: [[spoiler:Sakuya, who morphs into a near-human form whenever she drink Kei's blood. There's a level 2 of it, that's when she use Ragou. And then there is a level 3 of it, seen only in the Onikiri no Oni ending... maybe because she drinks Kei's blood all the time.]] |
| 160 | ** [[Anime/DragonBallZ Super Mizuki-jin 1/2/3]]? |
| 161 | * SupernaturalAngst: '''Everyone''' in the game's life is made miserable from the fact they can't live normal human lives due to some otherworldly aspect. |
| 162 | * SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious: Kei's blood is ''very'' tasty and powerful. It's also an AmplifierArtifact, and [[spoiler:in the Onikiri no Oni ending, seems to be an UpgradeArtifact that allow Sakuya to be in her true Oni form]]. |
| 163 | * SupernaturalGoldEyes: [[spoiler:Kei, after she ceases to be human in the Onikiri no Oni ending of Sakuya route.]] |
| 164 | * SurvivorGuilt: [[spoiler:Sakuya, who was a DeathSeeker after her tribe was annihilated. She got better after she met Emiko, Kei's grandmother.]] |
| 165 | * TalkToTheFist: When Nushi [[spoiler:has taken over KEI-kun's body and]] is now in his full form, a muscular man with snake tattoos: |
| 166 | --> '''Nushi''': [[EvilGloating So, what are you going to do?]] |
| 167 | --> '''Sakuya''': [[VerbThis THIS]]! *delivers a [[SuperMode Ragou]]-empowered beatdown* |
| 168 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: Sakuya doesn't like Uzuki [[spoiler: or any onikiri, for that matter]]. Tsudura hates to be reminded of the duty of an onikiri. Uzuki [[KnightTemplar hates oni with a passion]], [[spoiler:and Sakuya is an oni]]. But they have to sweep personal issues under the carpet, because 1) [[TheFettered it's the right thing to do]], 2) if Nushi get his hands on Kei, things will go downhill fast, and 3) [[LesYay they do want Kei]]. ''And it worked''. |
| 169 | * TheseHandsHaveKilled: [[spoiler:One of Kei's resurfaced memories, about her hands being covered in the blood of her father. Turns out that while the memory is real, it's not her’s, it's Hakuka's. At that time Nushi was controlling him.]] |
| 170 | * TimeDissonance: To [[spoiler: Sakuya]], the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII was something that happened ''just recently''. Granted, she is possibly 1000 years old... |
| 171 | * TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler: In Sakuya’s route, where she and Kei become the next Ohashira so they can be together forever. Yumei, now alive again, feel pity for them and is doing her best to allow them to live again.]] |
| 172 | * TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:Kei, ''of all people''. In Onikiri no Oni ending of Sakuya route, Sakuya [[EmergencyTransformation gives her Mizuki Tribe blood to the dying Kei]], making her something that is not human. Then they become a couple who fight those who try to awaken Nushi-sama again, possibly ''forever''. Fans seems to prefer this ending so much over Sakuya's Happy Ending, that there is an unlockable MiniGame about Kei's life (unlife?) as onikiri in ''VisualNovel/AoiShiro''.]] |
| 173 | * TotalEclipseOfThePlot: Nushi causes a lunar eclipse to happen [[spoiler:to prevent Sakuya from using her Ragou magic. ''However, it doesn't work'' because Sakuya was born during a new moon. Badassery ensued. Ouch]]. |
| 174 | * TraumaInducedAmnesia: Even Yumei-san begs to Kei to not remember things from her past. For good reason. |
| 175 | * UndeathAlwaysEnds: In a different way for every different character. |
| 176 | ** Yumei: [[HumanityEnsues Becoming alive again, physical body and all]] when someone take her position as Ohashira. [[spoiler:I.E., by KEI-kun at the Happy Ending at Yumei's own route, or by Sakuya and Kei at one ending of Sakuya route]]. It's also possible to retire from being an Ohashira if there is a (very powerful) magic that can act as a seal, [[spoiler: i.e. at the end of Tsudura route. In that case, Yumei would AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence]]. |
| 177 | ** KEI-kun: [[spoiler:Dead, when Nushi completely took over his body]]. |
| 178 | ** Nozomi: Averted. At the end of her route, she doesn't get to be alive again. It's not known whether she's KilledOffForReal when the Ryugetsu is destroyed in another routes. |
| 179 | * UpdatedReRelease: ''Akai Ito Remastered'', which offers a massive upscale in visuals, alongside the option to play it in English. |
| 180 | * UnstoppableRage: Sakuya, when [[spoiler:Kei was gruesomely impaled by Nushi]]. |
| 181 | * VampireWerewolfLoveTriangle: Averted. There are vampire ghosts and were-people who are [[LesYay competing to get Kei]], but the vampires are obviously villains who don't care about Kei's well-being. |
| 182 | * WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The oni is a decidedly broad category. Dead people walking around, ghosts appearing, an evil god who demands blood sacrifice, [[spoiler:Kei’s non-human ally]], and [[spoiler:humans who murder people in cold blood, thus have no human heart]] are all considered oni. |
| 183 | * [[WhenThePlanetsAlign When The Stars Align]]: The requirement for Sakuya to use her Ragou magic. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, one of Nushi's powers is control over celestial objects...]] |
| 184 | * WhoWantsToLiveForever: [[spoiler: Sakuya's lament when Kei dies. To be fair, she has lost absolutely everyone she knows in her very long life.]] |
| 185 | * YuriGenre: The game is not an eroge, but it focuses on the relationships between women, which are quite romantic. |
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