Touhou 13.5 東方心綺楼 Hopeless Masquerade. Yay!

[Alfred F. Jones]

YOU HEAR THAT RURO

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO LIKE MIKO NOW

Sure! Especially since now I know I can punch her across the screen in the name of glorious Buddhism.

I also actually don't like that cape, red doesn't suit her at all. Purple was way better of a 'main' colour for her. I'll probably warm up to it later, but right now it looks ridiculous. e: Now that I consider it further, half the reason it bugs me is probably the art style. I can't wait to see what the fanartists do with it.

Now, if you REALLY wanted me to love Miko, you would have pointed out how she's gonna use that sweet sword of hers in fights.

[Edible]

It is said to change colors, depending on Miko's popularity.

Oh, very yes.

[Kilgamayan]

I don't mind the redness of the cloak at all, but in thinking about it I have to agree that the purpleness would match the rest of her outfit a bit better.

Now, if you REALLY wanted me to love Miko, you would have pointed out how she's gonna use that sweet sword of hers in fights.

All we've got is stills so far. I'm gonna need gameplay footage for this! :C

[Star King]

Her arm is making a \_ shape. It wouldn't go past the top of her head.
The arms seem proportionally correct with the body. It's just that the head is retardedly big.

Nah. If you want another comparison, stand up straight with your arms down. The tips of your fingers should reach halfway between your hip and your knee. But hers would only go to her hip. They should be like 30% longer.

More like two humans (Reimu & Marisa in the first video), two Buddhists (Ichirin in demo, then Byakuren) and a Taoist. If anything, the trend points to a next Taoist.

I was thinking in terms of "characters revealed after the demo". But clearly I was wrong.

Oh well. I guess it's gonna be Sanae next then. lol

This'll sound a bit silly, but I think that cape is the best thing that could have happened to Miko. She had her whole 'I will unite Gensokyo under my faith' thing before but she was sort of lacking in physical presence. This makes up for that in the sweetest way possible.

I gotta agree. I never thought Miko could seem so badass - because TD left me unimpressed with her as a character. For such an apparently legendary figure, I always thought Byakuren had the much more "epic" boss battle (though this might be in part due to Byakuren being way harder).

Makin' a list (again) of who we haven't seen yet...
... maybe we can guess who may show up...

Rumia
Hong Meiling
Flandre
Alice
Mystia
Aya
Yuuka
Shizuha
Minoriko
Hina
Nitori
Momiji
Sanae
Kanako
Suwako (Side note: Still no one from MoF has been seen yet...)
Iku
Tenshi
Kisume
Yamame
Parsee
Satori
Rin
Utsuho
Koishi (Side note: Aside from Yuugi, no one from the underground has been seen yet...)
Hatate
Mamizou
Akyu
Kasen
Yorihime
Toyohime
Kosuzu

Sanae
Suwako/Kanako (dunno, maybe Suwako because she was already in a fighting game)
Mamizou
Kasen (we've pretty much run out of other options for Taoism, and it would go along well with Wild and Horned Hermit...)

Uh, that would still need 2 more. Maybe they'll just have two more "factionless" characters, like Marisa, so it'll be 3 for each of 4 groups. Or maybe both of Suwako and Kanako, not just one, and, uh, Koishi. idk lol. That would leave the Taoists with one less though. Maybe they'll just leave it that way as a representative of how they DO have less characters. Or maybe Marisa will follow through on her conversion to Taoism at the end of TD  :3 (kidding)

[Imosa]

It is said to change colors, depending on Miko's popularity.

Then color of the cape is dependent on the popularity, while the popularity is dependent on the color of the cape. There's a fun relationship.

[Cadmas]

That cape must have self esteem issues.

[Kingault]

I'd say that Kanako is more likely to appear than Suwako. I think that Post-Myst mentioned in the entries of one that Kanako was the one that usually dealt with gathering faith, or something.
It would be interesting to see Kanako in a fighting game at last...
Oh, and Kasen...

[Hinacle]

Hope is disappearing from humans' hearts.
Thinking about this, Miko decided to become hope herself, and save the world.

[Edible]

rofl god dammit

[MaStErSpArK94]

Dammit. :V

[Zakari]

Sooo... Let's start the speculation.

Sanae's stage will be Moriya's temple.
Characters include Aya, Momiji (they get along in this game because canon consistency doesn't matter when they're background characters), Kasen and Aki sisters (again, canon consistency is irrelevant). Maybe some tengu fillers.

Kanako's stage will be the lake behind the temple. Background characters will include Nitori, Hina, Suwako, and maybe anonymous kappas. If they're not in Sanae's stage, the Komeiji sisters will be here too.

There won't be any forest stage, no Mamizou or Alice background characters.

[Maiden Synnae ミ☆]

Sanae
Suwako/Kanako (dunno, maybe Suwako because she was already in a fighting game)
Mamizou
Kasen (we've pretty much run out of other options for Taoism, and it would go along well with Wild and Horned Hermit...)

I only know something. It'd be a waste if they didn't include Mamizou as a playable character. So many interesting gimmicks could be made with her... I'd imagine her as a sort of Shang-Tsung or Yumeji Kurokouchi from Samurai Showdown 5. (The latter can transform on other characters for a brief amount of time as well)

[Tengukami]

I hope Mamizou is skipped.

I also have no better reason for feeling this way than I think she's the most ridiculous character ZUN ever conceived, and should've ended up on the editing room floor.

In all likelihood, Sanae and Kanako will appear, but for some reason I also get the feeling we'll be seeing Youmu. I have nothing to base that on but my own intuition, though.

[Imosa]

I hope Mamizou is skipped.

I also have no better reason for feeling this way than I think she's the most ridiculous character ZUN ever conceived, and should've ended up on the editing room floor.

Why is this?

[HyperGumba]

I hope Mamizou is skipped.

I also have no better reason for feeling this way than I think she's the most ridiculous character ZUN ever conceived, and should've ended up on the editing room floor.

In all likelihood, Sanae and Kanako will appear, but for some reason I also get the feeling we'll be seeing Youmu. I have nothing to base that on but my own intuition, though.

Have you read any of Forbidden Scrollery?

You might have missed it, or perhaps not, but I do think she has had some nice development ever since she was introduced in TD.

Initially her only purpose was fighting the imminent Taoist 'invasion', but ended up just lazing about the temple since the heroines had already dealt with the antagonists. It may be a while now and it's questionable whether Mamizou has any strong feelings towards any religion, but I would assume that she might jump into the action she had missed out on in TD.

[Zemyla]

I'm hoping that Mamizou is never directly playable, but instead, when there's a mirror match, one of them has a raccoon's ears and tail.

[Edible]

I'm hoping that Mamizou is never directly playable, but instead, when there's a mirror match, one of them has a raccoon's ears and tail.

APPROPRIATE RESOLUTION.

[Cadmas]

Mamizou is rather goofy looking. Not as bad as EOSD Sakuya but still.

[Tengukami]

Mamizou is rather goofy looking. Not as bad as EOSD Sakuya but still.

Yes, this is why I have my reasons. I fully admit it has nothing to do with whatever role she's played in FS, her importance in the religious conflict or whatever. Her look is just 100% derp. Shallow, I know, but there you have it.

[Imosa]

I'm hoping that Mamizou is never directly playable, but instead, when there's a mirror match, one of them has a raccoon's ears and tail.

Oh god, this is great. I want this to be a thing, so bad.

[Formless God]

They should be like 30% longer.

I'm sure the left elbow ended where it should be, though.

[HyperGumba]

I didn't really find much interest in her at the time TD launched, I agree on her outfit. But I like her FS outfit much, much more.

(not original artist, but this is accurate enough and in color)

[Imosa]

A thought I just had. The whole thing with Miko's ability icon, is a joke right? It seems to me that if that's the case, then Tosofro is willing to mess with us a bit through these previews and that makes me wonder how else they might be messing with us.
Does anyone know what the Japanese community thinks about the characters in the background being unplayable?

[Hinacle]

A thought I just had. The whole thing with Miko's ability icon, is a joke right? It seems to me that if that's the case, then Tosofro is willing to mess with us a bit through these previews and that makes me wonder how else they might be messing with us.
Does anyone know what the Japanese community thinks about the characters in the background being unplayable?

I think you're being a bit too paranoid. I'm pretty sure it's just like an innocent joke

[Sparen]

Still, Youmu and Yuyuko, Seiga and Murasa... they were all in background, right?

[Jq1790]

I don't play the fighters, but speculation sounds fun and I have an idea for if, for the moriya group, ONLY Sanae showed up.

Her ability would allow her to invoke a miracle based on either of her two gods.  If her popularity was low she'd invoke Kanako for some offensive boost to help regain momentum.  If it's high, she'd get a defensive boost from Suwako to help hold her ground.

Just an idea.  What do all of you think?  She could have attacks that directly affected her popularity either way so she had a degree of control over that beyond the general status of the fight thus far.

[Imosa]

@Hinacle: Sure it is, now what other innocent jokes are they playing? I'm kidding but also not really.

@Sparen: Yup

@Jq1790: Sanae's ability to grant miracles stem from her status as a living god right? Getting Kanako and Suwako invovled seems like it would be them preforming the miracles on her behalf. I think one way to do Sanae would be to make Kanako and Suwako to be her shot types. That could be pretty cool. Ultimately though, I'd really like to see Kanako as a playable character.

[Tiamat]

The background thing almost feels like a moot point now. 2 taoists, 2 bhudists, 2 moriyans, Reimu, and Marisa is already 8 characters. And then there's a last boss (and maaaaybe mid-boss, but only maybe.)   It'd be really hard to expect much more than that given that Tasofro is making everything from the ground up.

I didn't realize it before, but now with the likelihood of 2 Moriyans being here (since everyone else related to the religious factions is in the background already.  ...yes, I know I just said the background thing almost feels like a moot point now. Whatever), Kanako really should be there (2 Moriyans means there's room for her after the obvious Sanae). After all, she, Byakuren, and Miko were the three "head honchos" in SoPM, and since SoPM was almost like a prelude to HM, it would make sense for Kanako to be there when Miko and Byakuren already are. And like stated earlier, Kanako really has been explicitly stated to be the one responsible for going out there, putting on a show, and gathering faith, which is what Hopeless Masquerade IS. The entire point of the whole story is to go out, put on a show, and gather faith, and that's what's Kanako's job description has been ever since Suwako stated it back in MoF.

[Stuffman]

I think Kanako makes more sense than Suwako for this game anyway, since Suwako's gimmicks largely revolved around hopping around and using the ground, which doesn't work in a purely airborne battle.

Kanako's probably a shoe-in, which is great since I'm likely to main her!

[HyperGumba]

I think Kanako makes more sense than Suwako for this game anyway, since Suwako's gimmicks largely revolved around hopping around and using the ground, which doesn't work in a purely airborne battle.

Also, wasn't Kanako a goddess of storms or something? Since this is an air sort of thing it would only make sense to have her.

Also I take it the Symposium was probably a prelude to this, and seeing Kanako as the main business woman at the Moriya Shrine I can't envision Suwako being doing much since she has 'retired'.