Oriental Sacred Place Ending (Spoilers!)

[Vael]

I've been wanting to discuss this since I read it, but who of you have been following Oriental Sacred Place? It's ended and it did so with a bang!

What does this mean for our favorite miko? Is Yukari a part of this, does she know what's happening? What of Kasen, what plans does she have for all this?

I still have no idea how canon the manga are, but this still, even on its own, brings several amazing things to light.

[Zil]

Actually, TARC is probably the most appropriate place for this thread, since the manga get discussed there all the time. I don't think anyone ever talks about Touhou in this place.

[Hinacle]

It's a really  cute ending.  :derp:

[Drake]

ZUN writes the Sangetsusei series and uses it as a narrating tool (as I've talked about extensively in the past), so yeah, the series is indeed canon material.

The ending just really means the fairies have a permanent home on the shrine's grounds; I don't think ZUN will talk much more about the fairies working for Reimu. The underlying thing is the tree they live in, which is Yukari's concern. The "results" of the manga are less important than everything talked about during the manga, really. I imagine the fairies will show up in WaHH, though.

[Tiamat]

I imagine the fairies will show up in WaHH, though.

They already did, tho as a cameo. Marisa (or Kasen? Pretty sure it was Marisa) was investigating the shrine and saw them, showing that they're still hanging around. Er... unless you mean in a more major role, which I guess is possible. Would be interesting to see the border issues revisited again in a more serous light.

Gotta admit, considering the "slice of life" nature of the series, I was surprised/impressed the manga series had something that could sorta be considered a concrete ending (the fairies being accepted by Reimu as allowed to live at the shrine), as opposed to just ending with nothing really conclusive.

[cuc]

Kasen's appearance is more of a narrative "changing of guards", connecting OSP and WaHH, and showing that the story will continue in WaHH. It's a technique commonly seen in serialized media such as soap operas and comics.

The three fairies already had cameo in Forbidden Scrollery, and appear as background characters in Hopeless Masquerade.

Part of the purpose of Touhou manga in general is to act as a window on Gensokyo, giving us periodical updates of what's going on in Gensokyo. Speaking of that, I really like what Forbidden Scrollery has been doing to make Gensokyo more tangible.

[Vael]

Actually, TARC is probably the most appropriate place for this thread, since the manga get discussed there all the time. I don't think anyone ever talks about Touhou in this place.

Ah...

======================

The fairies bit, that was pretty cute I'll admit, but the part about Reimu being compared to a hermit, that's what stood out for me.

Is it a simple comparison, or is it a foreshadowing to Reimu becoming a Hermit?

What about the shrine itself? I mean, the Hakurei Shrine is an important part of the border, but is it because it's a Shrine (with a divine presence) or is it the building itself (as an anchor)? Would this function be disrupted by Reimu's shift from a miko? What about the presence of the Fairies, would this further impact the shrine's function?

[Delfigamer]

What about the shrine itself? I mean, the Hakurei Shrine is an important part of the border, but is it because it's a Shrine (with a divine presence) or is it the building itself (as an anchor)? Would this function be disrupted by Reimu's shift from a miko? What about the presence of the Fairies, would this further impact the shrine's function?

Everything will be okay while Yukari sleeps calm.
:3

[Tiamat]

Well, if I recall correctly, Yukari already tested the fairies to make sure they were too weak to screw up things too much. Tho it'd be hilarious if they found a way to do so, anyways.

[Goldom]

Is it a simple comparison, or is it a foreshadowing to Reimu becoming a Hermit?

The most popular, sociable hermit ever? I mean I guess if Kasen's the example, they don't have to live in isolation, but still. Even if we take Marisa's comment to mean "a hermit from other humans," as it seems in context, it doesn't seem to be going that way what with Kosuzu's sudden creation as another close human friend.

Also, has ZUN ever actually foreshadowed anything? I can't think of anything really. Probably because basically nothing of serious importance ever really changes in the entire series, other than the addition of more and more people.

[cuc]

The fairies bit, that was pretty cute I'll admit, but the part about Reimu being compared to a hermit, that's what stood out for me.

Is it a simple comparison, or is it a foreshadowing to Reimu becoming a Hermit?

It's not foreshadowing.

First, it appears that in the Touhou universe, hermits are thought to be able to command other mystical creatures (see Kasen and her pets). When Marisa says Reimu is like a hermit, she's commenting on Reimu ordering the fairies around.

Second, it's a general statement about Reimu's personality - a person free from worldly constraints. It's also probably not the first time Reimu is compared to a hermit (unsure about it; I can't find the source).

Also, has ZUN ever actually foreshadowed anything?

There are quite a few cases of foreshadowing in Touhou, e.g. the American flag on the moon; PMiSS entries on heaven and celestials; not to mention UFO, TD, SoPM and HM forming a plot arc.

[Alfred F. Jones]

Also, has ZUN ever actually foreshadowed anything? I can't think of anything really. Probably because basically nothing of serious importance ever really changes in the entire series, other than the addition of more and more people.

I distinctly remember post-SA full release, someone posted a line from CiLR chapter 3 (which was printed in 2007) where the Watatsukis alluded to the mythical Yatagarasu. And then in 2008, SA full release rolled around, and...

[Prime32]

There are quite a few cases of foreshadowing in Touhou, e.g. the American flag on the moon; PMiSS entries on heaven and celestials; not to mention UFO, TD, SoPM and HM forming a plot arc.

Also: Imperishable Night -> Magical Astronomy -> Silent Sinner in Blue; particularly if Yukari=Maribel, in which case MA introduced the idea of Yukari travelling to the moon. Then there's the tree which got struck by lightning, which turned out to be the work of Kasen's raijuu. Heck, you could say that Kasen herself was foreshadowed in SA when the Four Devas were acknowledged as a thing.

EDIT: Yukari tampers with the Netherworld border in PCB, CoLA reveals it was left unfixed, IN implies that this resulted in the events of Ghostly Field Club.

EDIT2: In Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, Yukari tells Patchouli to keep an eye on the underground. The next game is Subterranean Animism, where Patchouli is a partner because she noticed the situation quickly. If that's not foreshadowing I don't know what is.

[Vael]

Hmm, so I see, guess it was just me reading a little too much into things.

[Raikaria]

There are quite a few cases of foreshadowing in Touhou, e.g. the American flag on the moon; PMiSS entries on heaven and celestials; not to mention UFO, TD, SoPM and HM forming a plot arc.

Actually, on the topic of the arc plot, it's been forming since MoF.

Kanako, Sanae, Suwako arrive. [MoF]
Kanako uses Utusho for her own ends, causing the events of SA, where Rin makes the Geyser, which frees the Plantquin [SP?] Ship.
UFO happens as a direct result
Due to the faith gathering due to the new Myouren Temple, TD happens
Due to religious tension, we get HM. [Which, since it's about religion fighting it out, I would be SHOCKED if the Moriya Shrine didn't have Sanae involved]

Technically, everything that has happened since MoF, except SWR, is a direct result of MoF.

It's like EoSD and PCB were effectively introducing characters for IN, even ZUN said that the reason he brought Alice back [Albeit with a complete redesign to avoid lawsuits from Amusement Makers] in PCB was so Marisa would have a suitable partner for IN.

ZUN plans ahead a bit, foreshadowing is possible, albeit, mainly linked to the side stories and manga.

[cuc]

Albeit with a complete redesign to avoid lawsuits from Amusement Makers

This is a myth of the Western Touhou fandom.

As a fact, there was no known legal dispute, or any bad will between ZUN and his old schoolmates. For later members of Amusement Makers (remember, this is a college club), ZUN would be their kickass senior, someone to look up to. In general, the doujin community is a small and informal place. They are cool with making use of each other's characters (only direct plagiarism of assets is frowned upon), and it's quite impossible for them to go to court for a dispute over some amateur games that probably sold less than a hundred copies back then.

[Starxsword]

Then there's the tree which got struck by lightning, which turned out to be the work of Kasen's raijuu.

Is that the case? I wasn't aware of this. I thought it was just some random lightning and Kasen's pet has nothing to do with it.

[Drake]

[Starxsword]

That's pretty cool, I never noticed that. It sounded like Raijuu may be responsible for the tree getting struck.

[Drake]

The next page explains that the raijuu caused the thunderstorm the day before by getting too antsy, so the one that struck the tree likely was the raijuu as well. The mention of "me catching you ended up with the lightning strike" makes it pretty unambiguous.