and Renko Usami
Voice:
Themes:
Appearances:
Ghostly Field Club
bgm: 11 Tracks
Changeability of Strange Dream
bgm: 11 Tracks
Retrospective in 53 Minutes
bgm: 11 Tracks
Magical Astronomy
bgm: 10 Tracks
Write-up:
In a gray future where everything is commodified and children no longer smile, two young women with unsettling eyes pry at the edges of the world. Maribel Han and Renko Usami are necromantic hobbyists, but rather than mess around with the dead, they investigate mysteries from beyond space and time.
Maribel is a calm and collected student of Relative Psychology, with the power to see boundaries (including the metaphysical and metaphorical.) She's quite a dreamer. In fact, she's even visited the land of Gensokyo in her dreams... and returned with physical evidence. A memo she wrote there even ended up in Akyuu's possession, meaning that she's officially a part of Gensokyo's history!
Renko studies Physics (which has recently reached its limit) and tries to approach problems from a more logical, objective perspective. She has the ability to calculate her position and the time in Japan just from looking at the stars and moon. Despite her scientific mindset, she searches beyond its bounds every bit as eagerly as her partner. In fact, she turns up with a photograph of the Netherworld in her first appearance, claiming "connections you don't know, Mary." Ominous, no?
So, what do you think of these odd girls out in Touhou canon? It's acknowledged that the consequences of their meddling could be "dreadful," but are we talking dreadful, dreadful or dreadful? Are they connecting with some future Gensokyo, or is massive time-screwery afoot? Is their world a bright and amazing technological wonderland or a gloomy hellscape of asphalt and smog? Are they in love? The snippets of story we've gotten so far can only hint and tantalize - the rest is up to us, fellow tropers!
PS - Maribel evidently takes the form of a terrifying Eldritch Abomination (to some pretty cool music) at the end of Labyrinth of Touhou. You know, the two of them do seem a bit like cuter Lovecraft protagonists, at times...
Relations:
- Each other, obviously.
- Fan theories link Maribel to Yukari, due to their similar outfits, pigmentation and abilities. Also worth noting: there is no official romanization of "ハーン," suggesting that rather than "Han," it might, in fact, be "Hearn."
Alternate Character Interpretations:
The Tacitus Asymettrical Mirror Theory of Earth-Gensokyo Relations by Tacitus
An Analysis of Mary, The Magician by Flame Haze 17
Mary, the One Who Doesn't Belong and Renko, the One Left Behind by Tacitus
edited 18th Jul '12 12:32:27 PM by Durazno
One Winged Egret
ZUN is anything but a Luddite. First of all he's a programmer himself, but he also likes introducing technology to Gensokyo in small steps. He's also in love with Nuclear Fusion as a power source. So I have to raise my eyebrow very strongly at any Grimdark dystopian interpretation of the future that Maribel and Renko live in. Perhaps it could use a bit more magic to spice it up, but it's not a fundamentally terrible place. Science and magic are alternatives, and while often mutually exclusive, neither is better than the other.
These two are the only complete outsiders within the setting, but nevertheless they dauntlessly search for Gensokyo. Whether this is a good idea is another story altogether, as they are trying to seek out the one place regular humans can't go. It is unlikely they'll ever achieve it through scientific methods, and even occult methods would seem suspect. Is it out of sheer curiosity that they try to find this world, or escapism given the world they live in?
On another note, is it purely because of Maribel's dream that they even suppose this illusionary land exists?
Edit: nevermind, I may have answered my own question.
edited 10th Feb '11 7:17:54 PM by Fluid
I find it really interesting that Maribel and Renko have magical Abilities in spite of living Outside. The simplest theory I can conceive of is basically that they've got youkai ancestors somewhere way back, possibly from before the Barrier went up.
Of course, I also like the theory that Maribel ends up turning youkai somehow (possibly after discovering a way to physically enter Gensokyo), goes back in time, and becomes Yukari Yakumo.
One Winged Egret
Renko's ability isn't explicitly magical, it's just a talent she has.
In the past thread, Tacitus speculated that she might be some kind of robot or cyborg.
They're not exactly 'dauntlessly looking for' Gensoukyou. Maribel finds it terrifying, and Renko doesn't seem to be more than mildly interested in it
This. Cannot. Continue.
Yoink. Also, I found out Mary has a dedicated theme, and a damn good one at that. Elegant, melancholy, with a strong creepy/otherworldly undercurrent.
So I have to raise my eyebrow very strongly at any Grimdark dystopian interpretation of the future that Maribel and Renko live in. Perhaps it could use a bit more magic to spice it up, but it's not a fundamentally terrible place.I was gonna agree, adding that their world isn't so much awful as it was empty, but then I suddenly had the thought that Gensokyo's existence was siphoning away all the vigor and other "magic" that makes the world worth living in.
They're not exactly 'dauntlessly looking for' Gensoukyou. Maribel finds it terrifying, and Renko doesn't seem to be more than mildly interested in it That's... pretty far from the depiction I got reading the short stories. Guess I read them different. I mean sure, there was the rabbit-person chase in the bamboo forest, but Mary got cookies from the SDM! And Renko's jealous of her dreams!
In the past thread, Tacitus speculated that [Renko] might be some kind of robot or cyborg. Well, it'd explain the glowy red eyes and internal clock and GPS, at any rate. Such augmentations ought to be expected in a world of space travel and grand unified physics.
Sounds too simple an explanation, though.
Tacitus' "Asymmetrical Mirror" Theory of Earth-Gensokyo Relations
Another theory, centered on the Barrier - it's like a mirror, in which there has to be something casting the reflection that appears in it, however distorted. The Hakurei Shrine has an existence on both sides even if its real-world location is run-down and derelict, and I recall something similar happening during the Moriya Shrine's relocation.
So what if this extended to characters, too?
Maribel is the real-world's diminished reflection of Yukari. She has similar looks, a weak version of Yukari's power, and even similar thoughts (looking at the moon's reflection in a pool of water, she gets an idea about how to visit the Lunar Kingdom). This is why it's so important for her to own a personal computer and a cat.
As for Renko... well, she's harder, but I'd put her as Reimu's equivalent. Again, there's a similarity of appearance, and the power to "intuit" time and position is like a diminished version of Reimu's divine intuition. They don't mesh quite as well in terms of personality, though - Renko is much more intellectual than Reimu, or at least how I read her.
Unfortunately, this theory could make their efforts to enter Gensokyo all but impossible. Things have to exist on both sides of the Barrier, but they are only actualized on one of them - the Hakurei Shrine functions in Gensokyo, but is abandoned in Japan. Maribel and Renko's roles are "occupied" in Gensokyo, so there's no way for them to enter. Except, of course, for the times Maribel does manage to slip in during a dream, probably because Yukari has popped out of Gensokyo to have real-world shenanigans.
Throwing a spanner in this theory's intricately-crafted clockwork is, of course, the time discrepancies. Mary's dreams describe a Mokou-like figures, but then there's that memo Akyuu found from "hundreds of years ago." And to further complicate matters is the fact that Touhou is supposed to be set in a parallel world during the present day, while Mary and Renko are going on field trips in the near-future. So either (a) Mary's undeveloped border-manipulation ability is causing some unplanned time travel, (b) Touhou is in fact contemporary with Mary and Renko's adventures in the near-future, or (c) Tewi sold a "centuries-old" scrap of paper to Akyuu for beer money, and Mary was seeing Mokou in Gensokyo's near future, and as an immortal she wouldn't be expected to have changed much.
I have another theory, but I don't like it as much.
There's numerous supernatural references in the Mary and Renko stories, from 3-D movies of extinct kappa to earth spirits messing up the roads to other necromancy clubs. If these are to be taken seriously, then their world is not the future of ours, but one in which magic exists - or rather, existed. As science has expanded, magic has faded almost into memory, leaving the world empty, diminished. But Mary dreams and enters a world of bamboo forests and youkai, a world we know as Gensokyo.
But she isn't hopping the boundary between dimensions, she's hopping the boundary between times. Gensokyo lies in Mary and Renko's distant past. Either the Boundary failed, or was let down to let Gensokyo rejoin the outside world and move onward, but in either case the Gensokyo that Mary is chasing is nothing but a memory.
Yaaaay grimdark.
edited 12th Feb '11 11:27:16 AM by Tacitus
Current earworm: "Awe of the Unknown"
I found out Mary has a dedicated theme I can't believe I missed that. I'm touching the profile up now and mounting a search for a Renko theme.
And it is a very nice song, too.
Totally neglected updating my avatar and stuff, so while I'm searching for some new material, little picdump!
- That Sibanoue feeling.
- Milky colors, milky way
- Literal moe
- Bohemian
- Sparkly.
- Art explosion
- Bohemian, but rather more down to earth
- Nutbladder strike
- A boring day for anyone but foot fetishists
- Crime and the fighting thereof
- Okay I'm so gonna make this one Renko's picture on the character sheet if no one's gonna stop me.
The Raddest Pokemon Ever
Maribel is so classy with that wine glass on the cover of Changeability - you just kind of forget that these girls are probably in their twenties. Renko's pretty snazzy with that shawl on Astronomy too.
...huh. The Astronomy cover has "Physicist" written on the bottom of Renko's skirt, and "Magician" on Mary's. One of the ellipses going around them has "Physicist is magician".
An obscure invocation of Clarke's Third Law?
The box under Renko's desk in "boring day" is amazing.
By the by, Tacitus, want to slap a title on your musing so I can link it in the profile?
This. Cannot. Continue.
rippling temporal shockwave from changes to a past post
There, a properly pompous and scholarly title, suitable for publication in that esteemed periodical, the Touhou Project Scientific Journal.
Should probably put some thought into the characters themselves, rather than their setting. Mary gets a lot of discussion over the Yukari Question, but Renko is more interesting, I think (and she gets more fanart. Must be the hat and tie). Where Mary is dealing with an identity crisis and questioning her perception of dreams and reality, Renko is a comparative pillar of certainty and logic (even if Mary's shenanigans are undermining that certainty). And while Mary offers questions over whether she is or isn't a gap hag, Renko's a veritable combo meal of mystery. How did she get a picture of the Netherworld? Is she really helping her friend get into Gensokyo or is she subtly undermining Mary's efforts? Is the shocking twist at the end of the movie that Renko only exists in Maribel's mind?
There's shades of Haruhi Suzumiya in the pair's relationship, as Renko has to decide between convincing Mary that her dreams are simply dreams and not worth taking seriously, or acknowledging that Mary has the power to enter another world and dealing with the consequences - namely that if Mary learns to properly enter Gensokyo, she'll probably never come back. Plus, Renko's talk about "connections" that got her the Netherworld photo suggests a Maribel-centered conspiracy, so she may be struggling over obeying or disobeying orders, too. But why would such a deception be necessary, and what is its goal? What would Mary's entry of Gensokyo mean for the "real" world?
Hmm. The problem with Renko is that even when you try to talk about her, you end up talking just as much about Mary.
Food for thought: in Changeability of Strange Dream, the track that accompanies the switch to Renko as narrator is a remix of a certain Seihou character's theme. Could this offer significant hints about Renko's true nature?
Ultimate Weapons
I actually prefer this for a reference on Renko's and Maribel's voices.
Just throwing that out there.
Oh I love this theme, but didn't know it was associated with Maribel. Mostly because the track I have is called "Merry Magician". I'm unsure if this is due to people translating differently and both can be correct, or if someone just wanted to push a theme for Maribel and called it "Mary, the Magician" regardless...
Didn't know that "Phantom Factory" was a Seihou theme. I should really listen to that series's music, as well as the pre-Windows era Touhou themes.
Thanks, Flame Haze.
Random thought: Someone said that Renko would be the equivalent of Reimu, but doesn't have a similar enough personality. But, does that matter? Well, first of all, Maribel's personality is nothing like Yukari's, either. But that only makes sense. After all, they grew up entirely differently. Nurture over nature! Maybe they have a very similar core personality, but just developed differently...
If they were mirror-world counterparts of each other at all, why would that be? Or would everyone have one?
It would be BECAUSE
...
Because Yukari's messing around again? I guess? '_'
I mean, maybe they were somehow, directly or indirectly, willingly or unwillingly, created or shaped by her influence...?
I'm not sure Renko necessarily has anything to do with Reimu. Not like Japan is hurting for people with brown hair and brown eyes
The Lovecraft connection makes me wonder - you know how Randolph Carter, along with a whole host of scientists and philosophers, are revealed to be aspects of the stupendous YOG-SOTHOTH?
Do you suppose that it's possible that Mary is one of a legion of dreamers, magicians and sideways-thinkers who are all aspects of mighty YUKARI YAKUMO?
Define what an "aspect" is. That may be close to my idea of it, except also not at all.
To hell with Marisa! I only care about her hat.
edited 10th Feb '11 12:27:58 PM by SuperDimensionman