YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → How Z.A.T.O. Makes You a Better Person

How Z.A.T.O. Makes You a Better Person — Transcript

by weno · 36,160 words · 5,452 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:02This game, it changed my life.
0:08I'm not sure how to start a video like
0:10this, so I'll be brief. Hazato, I love
0:13the world and everything in it is a
0:16mystery visual novel about a girl with a
0:18unique outlook on the nature of [music]
0:19the universe who's trying to uncover the
0:22disappearance of a classmate she holds
0:24dear. It features [music] a beautifully
0:26cold world, compelling characterization,
0:28well-ritten dialogue, and [music] lots
0:30and lots of introspection from a lonely
0:33girl in an uncaring world. It also made
0:36me cry several times. [music]
0:38It's a rare occurrence. It's only $0 on
0:42Steam and it took me about 5 to 6 hours
0:44to complete. If you have a free evening,
0:46then [music] there's really no harm in
0:48giving it a shot. You won't regret it.
0:52Now, this video was made in order to let
0:54people know about the existence of this
0:56game. Don't worry, I'm not sponsored or
0:58anything. It's just the story that
1:01Ferry, the developer of this novel,
1:02[music] had crafted put me in a
1:05translike state. I've replayed the game
1:07several times in [music] order to
1:09uncover every single secret, reference,
1:11and obscured plot detail that I could
1:13find. [music] I've read several
1:15scientific papers, books, and internet
1:17theories that are either relevant to
1:18this game or are [music] at least
1:20tangentially related to it. Thus, the
1:22rest of this video will be a sort of
1:24read through analysis [music]
1:26video essay type thing. If you still
1:28haven't closed the video to go play Zado
1:30or watch a playthrough [music] of it,
1:32then this is your last warning. I'll be
1:34covering the game in episodes and giving
1:36the remarks whenever they're
1:37appropriate. At the end of each episode,
1:39I'll do a short ramble about it and then
1:42we'll move on. I will also try to make
1:44this whole thing entertaining. So,
1:47full spoilers ahead.
1:54We begin with a game introducing us to
1:56the inner thoughts of the main character
1:58against [music] the backdrop of falling
1:59snow and old pictures showing us life in
2:02the USSR 1986. We are shown a starry
2:05sky, an alley blinded by street lights,
2:08a street with simple apartment housing,
2:11[music] a school, and the snow trail
2:13behind it. It's all very mundane, apart
2:15from a blue icy filter on the photos.
2:18The monologue is telling us how the
2:20universe is the way that it is, not
2:21because of a series of unlikely
2:23coincidences, but because it was
2:25carefully fine-tuned to allow life to
2:27prosper. By whom, you may ask? By God?
2:31No. But the universe itself of course
2:33you know how humans are social creatures
2:35and [music] thus have a social need to
2:37be observed and noticed. What if the
2:39universe is the same way until the
2:41creation of humans it could only observe
2:43itself? It was the best and only thing
2:46it could do but now it's got someone
2:49else. It now has people that can share
2:51its joy of observing. So it
2:53painstakingly changed molded itself to
2:56suit our needs. an endless universe
2:58adjusting for some worthless insects
3:00like us [music] to spread the best thing
3:02it has ever known. It's very, very cute.
3:05This world is truly wonderful,
3:08wonderful, wonderful. After this pretty
3:11abrupt end to our musings, we return to
3:14reality, to Soviet classroom. Prior to
3:16this, we were in the headsp space of a
3:1814-year-old girl named Asia Shubina.
3:21Quick disclaimer, while I am fluent in
3:23the Russian language, I may sometimes
3:25mispronounce certain names. It's
3:27somewhat difficult for me to keep my
3:28proper English speech while having to
3:30say words from another language. So, I
3:32apologize if I make mistakes here and
3:33there. The teacher announces to the
3:35class that one of their classmates is
3:37missing, her name being Gacheska. The
3:40students almost immediately start
3:41whispering to each other about their
3:42immediate conclusions. She must be
3:44skipping as usual. She must have run off
3:46of a guy. The teacher silences the class
3:48and tells everyone that a missing person
3:50report has been filed yesterday night by
3:52her parents. Any information about her
3:54whereabouts should be reported to the
3:56police [music] or the teacher's office.
3:57The teacher then attempts to resume the
3:59lesson, but to my utter dismay, a
4:02certain guy stops her from doing so.
4:04This is Vadim Giden, and he's going to
4:07be a constant thorn in everyone's sight
4:09really. Just look at that shitty grin.
4:11He starts to sarcastically pretend that
4:13these news [music] had broken his and
4:15his classmates hearts, so they can't
4:17really continue studying at this rate.
4:19He's posy of nameless students agrees
4:21with his every word. The teacher being a
4:23functional adult sees for the [ __ ]
4:25mode drama and tells them to quit it and
4:27sit down. With a dry, perhaps even
4:29uncaring tone, she reassures everyone
4:32that is going to come back soon enough.
4:35It's December 19th. A bird flies past
4:38[music] the window. It's the end of the
4:40lesson. Students pour out of the
4:42classrooms and after a short while start
4:44discussing [music] the news. Vadim
4:45Giden, whose name and surname I'm going
4:47to use interchangeably, is somewhat
4:49annoyed at the news while cracking
4:51tasteless [music] jokes with his
4:52buddies. They say that a is known for
4:54skipping classes and being a bit of an
4:56outcast. Yeah, never say never. Crazy is
4:58genetic. Vadim even jokes how she may be
5:00hanging out at [music] a crack house.
5:02Not like there is one, cuz if there was,
5:04him and his buddies would be regulars
5:06there. Mind you, these are 14year-olds
5:08we're talking about. One of the
5:10classmates mentions to Vadim that was
5:12seen with an older man around 30 years
5:14old. Their opinion pretty self-evident.
5:17Our [music] protagonist Isa while
5:19heading to the next class overhears
5:21their conversation. It irritates her but
5:23not in a way one might think. She's
5:25mainly worried not about a but about
5:28herself.
5:33A pretty repulsive thought in her eyes,
5:35but she [music] still recognizes that
5:36this is a missing person we're talking
5:38about. So, there must be something to it
5:40despite a having a reputation of
5:42disappearing on the regular. Still, it's
5:44kind of weird for Isa to be worried
5:45about her like that. They [music]
5:47weren't exactly friends. She then thinks
5:49about the older man and how it's not
5:51exactly a rarity for some girls to be
5:53swooned by adult men much older than
5:55them, but she didn't take her for much
5:58of a romantic. Yeah, they definitely
6:01plan to elope all along. a pretty big
6:03leap in logic girl considering this was
6:05all hearsay from people that bully you
6:07on the regular but I'm getting ahead of
6:09myself I say somewhat torn on this on
6:12one hand she find it really cute how
6:14[music] is definantly following her love
6:16not caring about society's ridicule but
6:18on the other that would mean is not
6:20coming back and at that point what is
6:23there to hope for [music] anymore
6:25while on one of the breaks Vadim
6:27approaches Asa and asks whether she
6:29knows anything about the disappearance
6:30she says no and that They weren't really
6:33close anyway. Vadim, however, manifests
6:35into existence this gem of a line. His
6:38background hyenas find this hysterical.
6:40Oh yeah, Vadim, please insult the
6:42bisexuals in the room as well. I'm sure
6:44that will make you very, very likable.
6:46The verbal abuse is of course being
6:47poorly disguised as jokes. This happens
6:49pretty often over the course of the
6:51game, and really, it's been happening
6:53over the course of Isa's [music] entire
6:55life. She may say she's used to it, but
6:57in her mind, she's imagining scenarios
6:59where would come into the room and
7:01pretty much beat up anyone who was
7:03acting like an [ __ ] A might even be
7:05running late, coming straight from her
7:07lover's place. No, she's already inside
7:10the building, taking off her jacket and
7:11coming up the stairs through the
7:13school's corridors. Her footsteps are
7:14even audible. It's definitely her. Vadim
7:18notices her enthusiasm and pretty much
7:20involuntarily crushes delusions. Those
7:23footsteps were never ears. Vadim and his
7:25buddies then insult her some more with
7:27the same jokes and pretty much call her
7:29ugly. As is very worn down from this,
7:31acknowledging that these fantasies of
7:33hers never help. It's even a good thing
7:35that didn't come cuz that would just
7:36make her more pissed. It's a good thing.
7:39A great thing really. I think about some
7:42more. Sure, her attendance record is
7:44already bad, so it wouldn't be
7:46surprising that she skipped classes. So
7:48yesterday she went straight to her
7:50lover. But in that case, what she heard
7:52[music] yesterday evening,
8:02this should probably be reported, but
8:03she's having second doubts. She may be
8:05tearing starcross 12 hours apart,
8:07telling on them like that. And Iris also
8:10probably okay, right? It's kind of hard
8:12to disregard the age gap, but judging
8:14off like that is ugly, ugly, ugly after
8:17[music] all. And it's not like her
8:18testimony is going to help with
8:19anything. It points to neither the
8:20culprit nor the possible location. So,
8:23let's keep silent and everyone will be
8:25happy. All right, time to head home, I
8:28guess.
8:30Ah, the voice of reason just in time.
8:32Well, if you weigh all the pros and
8:34cons, then on the off chance that really
8:36is missing, providing info to the
8:38authorities and potentially saving a is
8:40well worth it. Saving a think I said to
8:43herself. Yeah, that sounds nice.
8:46visiting her in the hospital, receiving
8:48words of deep gratitude. Wait, why is
8:50she in the hospital again? No, all she
8:52needs is news of how a is living her
8:54life happily ever after. So, with a
8:56newfound resolve, Shubina heads to the
8:58teacher's office and uh there's a girl
9:01standing right by the entrance. Is there
9:03a queue? Asa asks. A Q? Oh. Oh, no. I'm
9:06just waiting for someone. The girl then
9:08recognizes Isa. Well, Isa does not
9:10recognize a girl. Apparently, everyone
9:12is supposed to know each other here
9:13since this is a small school, but Asa
9:15hardly knows both of the people by name.
9:17That's a relatable introvert moment if I
9:19ever seen one. I feel you, Aishka. She
9:22would have probably known about this
9:23girl through friends or something. But
9:25after a certain tossia's departure, she
9:27was left with no friends. The girl
9:29introduces herself as Merina, full name
9:31Merina Kaplan. She's heard the
9:33announcement about disappearance and
9:34decided to tell what she knows to the
9:36teachers. Now, however, she's unwilling
9:38to share anything with Asia. The wolves
9:40got ears, you see. Isa, as usual,
9:42condemns herself due to her lack of
9:43vigilance and social skills and decides
9:46to just head to the office. But Melina
9:48stops her. Apparently, she was waiting
9:50here for Isa specifically in order to
9:52catch her before she reported anything.
9:54Poor girl is already thinking that she's
9:55going to get bullied again. Fortunately,
9:57Melina seems to be a very chipper and
9:59friendly person. So, nothing bad really
10:01happens. In fact, she knows something
10:03about Isa because a told her. Does this
10:05mean she's a friend? In any case, Assas
10:082 wants to tell about what she saw
10:09yesterday to the teachers. But Marina,
10:12fearing that they may be overheard here,
10:14panics and grabs Assa's hand, heardly
10:16dragging her across the [music]
10:17corridors. Bro, has been fighting cord
10:20battles in her mind to finally get the
10:22result she needs to testify. And now
10:24she's denied even that. Come on, man.
10:26But ultimately, she's glad that the
10:28choice [music] was made for her in the
10:29end. Whether it was because of her heart
10:31wishing for this to happen or because
10:33the universe [music] willed it so this
10:35must be the right path. Yes, the
10:37universe definitely had something to do
10:38with this bending itself to the vicious
10:40of a worthless snat. Wouldn't be the
10:42first time, right? The whole wide world
10:45wants her to know [music] what happened
10:46to Gachvka.
10:57So yeah, that was the prologue. There's
10:59not much to discuss here, honestly.
11:01We've seen almost every member of the
11:02main cast, learn about the incident that
11:05kickstarts the story, and got to
11:06experience the life of an average
11:0814-year-old in a Soviet school. So far,
11:10the game establishes two crucial pieces
11:12of its ambience. One, the world. It is
11:15shown through grainy real life photos
11:17spoot for a color filter. It's nothing
11:19special really, something that I can
11:21whip up in Photoshop in a couple of
11:23minutes. But in a way, it makes me feel
11:26nostalgic. Probably because I've studied
11:28at a kind of similar school. But also, I
11:31think it induces a longing for a past
11:33that you've never been to. I doubt that
11:36there exists a [music] lot of players of
11:37this game who got to experience what it
11:39was like to study in 1986. But still, it
11:43feels so familiar and cozy, like a
11:46Polaroid photo that had deteriorated
11:48slightly, but is still in your album
11:50after many decades. Or maybe a memory
11:53that you can't [music] quite recall in
11:54its entirety, but it still has those
11:57feelings that are tied to the moment.
11:59It's only how I feel about this, but
12:01these remarks can also be indicative of
12:04the upcoming story events and themes.
12:06Another, and possibly the most important
12:08piece, is the constant inner monologue
12:11of Asa. It's arguably the best written
12:13component of the entire novel. The way
12:15she grapples with reality and her
12:16fantasies, how she views the world
12:19through the lens of cosmic balance and
12:21finds beauty in it, and how she doesn't
12:23hesitate to self flagize and deprecate
12:26herself in comparison. It's still too
12:28early for me to dive into characters.
12:30[music] This part is more a comment on
12:32the vibe of the game, but I'm just going
12:35to say that our girl Asa is not exactly
12:38[music] okay in the head, even if she
12:40describes some things in a cute way
12:42sometimes. And that's understandable
12:45[music] considering the environment she
12:47finds herself in.
13:02Speaking of the environment, I suppose
13:04there are some changes to that now. We
13:06are sent back several weeks before
13:08[music] the disappearance incident. The
13:10namesake of episode 1k
13:12is fed up with Vadim picking on a
13:14helpless Asa and decides to throw a
13:16chair at him, which was pretty
13:18effective. It missed, but the stress
13:20damage is going to stay with the guy for
13:21[music] a while. Then rips the notepad
13:23from his hands and slams it on our desk.
13:25Repeat that again and I'll kick your
13:27teeth in. Oh yes, please do. A teachers
13:29comes into the room, but pushes past
13:31them and heads outside the classroom
13:33despite the teacher's shouts and
13:34threats. It's apparently not an uncommon
13:36occurrence for it to be defined like
13:38that, only without the chair throwing.
13:41But this incident is much more important
13:43than you might think, but for that we've
13:46got to go through a bit of an exposition
13:49dump. You see, the reason why the game
13:52is called Zato is because it's an
13:54anagram for administrative
13:58or closed administrative territorial
14:00formation. It's a closed city, one where
14:03you're not allowed to leave or enter.
14:05And the game takes place in one, Veruta
14:075. Such cities were created to safeguard
14:10special facilities for designing and
14:12manufacturing weapons of mass
14:13destruction, recycling and repurposing
14:15of radioactive materials and for other
14:18purposes that would help with concealing
14:20military and state secrets. Orcuta 5
14:23houses a research center which according
14:25to some later dialogue is focused on
14:27researching natural resources. At least
14:30that's the official story. In any case,
14:32since this is a closed city, its
14:34population is not exactly large, around
14:366,000 people. Residents here behave as
14:39if it was a [music] large gated
14:40community or a developed village. Rumors
14:42spread fast, and everyone knows what
14:44everyone did. That's why the crime rate
14:46is [music] virtually non-existent, and
14:48the standard of living here is
14:50noticeably higher than average,
14:51considering the widespread shortage of
14:53goods in the USSR during the [music] 80s
14:55and '90s. All in all, there's seemingly
14:58no reason for people here to act [music]
15:00up and cause trouble. That's why I's
15:02case is so difficult. She's pretty much
15:05known as the problem child. And while an
15:07adult can be punished in a variety of
15:09ways for tarnishing the reputation of a
15:12city, a [music] kid is another story. In
15:14this case, the responsibility falls on
15:16her parents. What's so wrong with them
15:18that Gacheska has started to behave this
15:20way? Do they not teach her discipline?
15:22Do they not understand [music] that
15:23they've been granted so much and yet
15:26they can't do the bare minimum of
15:27raising their own child? Do they want to
15:30be here? Do we want them to be here?
15:32Ira's reputation has only worsened after
15:34the chair incident. Asa doesn't
15:36understand why. They were only playing,
15:38having fun, and it was her own fault for
15:41bringing the notebook anyway. Those
15:42poems and drawings inside. The guys were
15:45understandably interested in taking a
15:46look. Those scribblings are just little
15:48fun distractions. She shouldn't be
15:50offended really. No big deal. But she
15:53wants to thank anyway. Even though Asa
15:56couldn't find an opportunity to talk
15:58with a for a long time, all with Asa
16:00being a scaredy cat and all, she
16:02accidentally bumps into her in the
16:04bathroom. She's casually smoking [music]
16:06sitting near a window. Asa barely
16:08manages to say hi and scurry to a stall.
16:10After a period of self-conscious
16:12nervousness, she hears that a is about
16:14to walk away and suddenly burst out of
16:16the stall. Anime. Even after that, she
16:18still can't say a word. But after some
16:20awkward happenings, she asks whether a
16:23was cold while smoking near [music] a
16:25window. Weird, but answers honestly. Asa
16:28then apologizes for getting a into
16:30trouble because Vadim read her stupid
16:32poetry. A says she did this because
16:34Vadim was annoying her, so there's no
16:36need to apologize. I say's gratitude as
16:39usual turned into something pitiful. But
16:47holy [ __ ] she likes my scribbles. I'm
16:49in love. Weeks later, nothing really
16:52changed. Same school, same lessons, same
16:54books, same walks, same home, same
16:56[ __ ] Yeah, the game really likes to
16:59hammer at home how much bullying Assa
17:01endures and how much she's hoping that
17:03comes in and puts a stop to it. But
17:05these thoughts occur not only during
17:07classes, but every time she's outside or
17:09going somewhere. She even started taking
17:11new routes, hoping to bump into a and
17:14maybe talk with her. They may even
17:15sometimes pass each other in school. But
17:18a doesn't really pay attention to her
17:20despite Isa's attempts in calling her.
17:22Asa asks Vadim to return her 50 copics.
17:25He refuses, saying he doesn't remember
17:27lending her money. We can see that Asi
17:29is not exactly afraid of Vadim. More
17:31like she chooses to cope with his
17:33behavior by justifying it somehow. Maybe
17:36he really did forget. Still, she
17:38involuntarily glances at the doorway,
17:40secretly expecting a certain someone to
17:42arrive while berating herself for
17:44thinking this way. The girls in the
17:47class ask Asa whether she wears makeup.
17:49They don't usually talk to her, but they
17:51seem nice. A cool detail is that if you
17:53look closely at Asa's face, you can see
17:54some small dark dots on her. Those are
17:56most likely meant to be imperfections in
17:58her skin caused by puberty, something
18:00that every other character lacks.
18:02Anyway, the girls invite Assa so that
18:04they can apply makeup on her. This
18:07doesn't go well. Asa, of course, inhales
18:09some military grade copium and then runs
18:11out of the class straight to the
18:12bathroom. Before that though, she bumps
18:14into a Okay, how is this getting worse?
18:17Y is startled but is more confused and
18:19disgusted. Aso continues her dash to the
18:21deer sink. There's no real reason for
18:24why she expected a to care for her. A
18:26bunch of coincidences like her throwing
18:28that chair or saying Isa's poems aren't
18:30stupid. Those things weren't serious,
18:32right? Vadim returns the 50 copics while
18:35basically calling Isa a [ __ ] How
18:37classy. Yeah, I guess she got her hopes
18:40up, thinking that she deserved something
18:41better while already having it so good.
18:44Probably another one of her delusions.
18:46But she's wiser now. That's a part of
18:48growing up. And those moments with a
18:51they're enough. She can look back at
18:53them fondly and warm her heart that way
18:56knowing those little occurrences
18:57happened. Everyone has those, right?
18:59Life is a series of good and bad [music]
19:01episodes. It's something she should
19:03learn to be content with. It's something
19:06she used to be content with until until
19:09she decided it wasn't enough. But
19:12really, she's got nothing to complain
19:14about. She was in the previous part of
19:15the country. She's got caring parents,
19:17books, and TV shows to enjoy. She buys
19:19herself treats every day. She's got good
19:21grades. She's got classmates she can
19:23always talk to. It's her fault she can't
19:25get along with them that well. All of
19:27this. She has all of this right here,
19:30right now. Everything that a girl her
19:32age could ever ask for. So why did she
19:34act as if that weren't enough? Why the
19:37hell did I even
19:42And so she came. Hera is extremely
19:45pissed. Not only [music] because of the
19:46situation, but because the girl in front
19:48of her is so gullible. Asa had received
19:50a love confession [music] letter that
19:52told her to wait at the back entrance of
19:54the school. It was from Vadim. He never
19:56showed up. Asa [music] had to wait for
19:58so long that her legs got tired and she
20:00had to sit on cold, snowy concrete and
20:02wait some more. Maybe he'd come, but he
20:05wouldn't. Asa knew that already, even if
20:07she didn't believe it. A helps her up
20:10and filled with annoyance and
20:12frustration, asks why Asia still came
20:14here. Her answer is not very convincing.
20:17Then suggests that they should burn the
20:19letter, but Isa keeps it with her. A
20:21fake confession is still a confession.
20:23Those words didn't choose [music] to be
20:25written insincerely. Ah, whatever. It
20:27doesn't matter anymore. After weeks of
20:29prayer, finally came. I then speaks her
20:32first genuine words of gratitude. A is
20:35understandably flustered at this. That's
20:38cute. Y then says her goodbyes and turns
20:40around the corner, disappearing. Ia
20:42really wanted to talk to her some more,
20:44but maybe there's still a chance.
20:45Hesitating, she then runs after her,
20:48only to turn the corner and see no one.
20:50She's already gone.
20:54Isa's life didn't really change. Same
20:56days, same lessons, but she's still
20:59taking new roots, praying that she bumps
21:01into a one more time again and again,
21:05walking and walking, praying and
21:07praying. No one really noticed a coming
21:09in. Everyone's playing truth for there.
21:11And it's Asa's turn to do her there.
21:13Terrible timing. A doesn't pay her any
21:15mind and walks to her desk right for the
21:17crowd of boys. Only Vadim stands his
21:20ground. I assume for no good reason, but
21:22to be an annoyance. Gets tired of his
21:24shenanigans and almost shanks the guy
21:26with a bow compass. I love the sprite.
21:29But then she finally gets to her seat,
21:31unbothered by Jeers from the peanut
21:33gallery.
21:34Two times. Two times as she's been saved
21:37by a who [music] didn't even give her a
21:39glance. This can't be a coincidence. A
21:42second voice tells Asa [music] that it
21:44is. It's been only two times and weeks
21:46apart. Maybe you're right, but
21:50[music]
21:52it's been 2 weeks and is still replaying
21:54that moment in her mind over and over
21:56and over again. She's got all the
21:58justification she could ask for. She was
22:01content. It's still not good enough. Asa
22:05starts deliberately searching for. It's
22:07weird how hard she is to find in this
22:09small town. Maybe she enjoys [music] the
22:11outskirts more. That does sound like
22:13her. Isa knows that she'll be bothering
22:15her. Even imagines a scenario where she
22:18might be attacked. How exciting. She
22:20finally finds a behind the research
22:22institute in the smoking area. It is
22:24weirded out by how Isa managed to find
22:26her, but it's explained by her taking a
22:28stroll. A doesn't buy it. Instead, she
22:31offers to smoke since it is a smoking
22:33area. Asa obviously refuses, but
22:36suggests she try it. Reminds me of how
22:38my middle school friends try to get me
22:40to smoke. Uh, good times. Not the
22:43smoking. I never tried back then. Asa
22:45asks why is near the institute
22:48specifically. Apparently, her mother
22:49works there and sometimes brings her
22:52lunches. That's so sweet of her.
22:54Sometimes I wish there were smiley faces
22:56in [music] the text. I don't know why.
22:57It just fits. I guess the small
22:59portraits of Asa can kind of count as
23:01emojis, but uh Asa is pretty impressed
23:04by how proactive is when it comes to
23:06helping her parents considering the
23:08flack they might be catching from her
23:09behavior. Isa then compares this with
23:11the relationship she has with her
23:13parents and how she wouldn't even think
23:15about doing something like that. Is just
23:18cut from different cloth. While Isa is
23:20looking for excuses to delay her coming
23:22home, is working to make up to her
23:24parents and ease off some of the
23:26workload. That's why she's never in a
23:28cafe or in a community [music] center or
23:30on the streets. Why she's so caring? Why
23:33Isa is such a piece of trash.
23:36No, her mom only forgets lunch
23:40sometimes. Lunches are prepared in
23:42advance. The institute is not very far.
23:44Even if you live on the edge of town,
23:46you'll have plenty of time. Yeah, that
23:49doesn't work. This explanation doesn't
23:53work.
24:03Asa knows that it's not her business
24:05wondering what's deal actually is.
24:08They're not that close to be sharing
24:10secrets, though admittedly that would be
24:12nice. Your friend's not here today.
24:15She's not really my friend. You're
24:17pitbull then. Oh my god, bro. Well, it's
24:20nice to hear that they view them both as
24:21friends. At least something good came
24:23out of that little shitter's mouth.
24:25Wait, they're saying that a might be
24:27sent away because of her awful
24:29attendance record. That's not good. The
24:32town might be getting rid of a nuisance,
24:34but as will be losing the only person in
24:36the world who stood up for her. She
24:38doesn't want her to leave. Not only
24:40because,
24:44well, [music]
24:45she looks outside the window, far past
24:48the fences and the mountains, past the
24:50edge of the world.
24:52The world it's way too gentle. It's been
24:56too kind to an ungrateful brat like her.
24:59So if she earned the world's good
25:02graces, why can't a person so much more
25:04deserving do the same? What does a
25:07person like that have to do? And is
25:09there anything [music] that she can do?
25:13A bird flies past the window.
25:16I'm not sure if it's due to some divine
25:18intervention or extraordinary luck, but
25:22Asa finds a smoking in the bathroom
25:24again. She asks whether she truly
25:26doesn't care and if she really will be
25:28sent [music] away to live with her
25:30relative. A doesn't deny the
25:32possibility. But maybe it will work out.
25:35Maybe if she cleaned up her act, started
25:37studying, Asa can help with that. They
25:39can go to the library and there's not
25:42enough time. Asa knows this. She just
25:44wanted to selfishly [music] spend the
25:46rest of that time with a she wonders if
25:48she did the same thing when Tasa moved
25:50away again. That Ta must have been a
25:54very important friend. It's only been 3
25:57years since her departure. The memories.
25:59It's also hazy. A thanks Isa for her
26:02concern. Asa doesn't think that she
26:04deserves any thanks. She's actually been
26:06looking for her school diary that one of
26:08the boys hid somewhere. A school diary
26:10in the Soviet education system was
26:12something like a student's personal
26:13report card that they would carry around
26:15and hand in to the teacher when they
26:18needed to mark or any useful information
26:20to be recorded like homework or school
26:22events. It's kind of like a baby's first
26:24document. If they lose it, then they
26:26could get in serious trouble. Of course,
26:28Isa tries to downplay the blatant
26:30bullying, but a knows better. She heads
26:33straight for the boy's restroom and
26:34finds Isa's diary near a tiny window
26:36[music] above a stall. reaches it but
26:39breaks one of the toilets in the
26:40process. They quickly flee the scene.
26:45After the girls escape the consequences
26:48of their criminal activity, gets
26:50frustrated by this pushover [music]
26:51and says, "You can't keep doing this. It
26:54won't get any better if you keep doing
26:55this." But it's not like Asa never told
26:58them to stop. They just don't listen to
27:00her. And doing anything beyond this,
27:03it's just not possible for her. And at
27:05least they talk to her. She just doesn't
27:07want to be alone. A reminds her that
27:10she's going to [music] be gone soon as
27:12terrified at the thought. Now nobody
27:14will come to save her. She wonders why
27:16she's the one getting help while [music]
27:18situation is much worse than hers. She
27:21should be the one helping, but she can't
27:23think of anything that she can do.
27:25Unexpectedly though, requests a poem
27:27from Masa. I guess she liked that
27:29previous one. After some cute and
27:32flustered interactions, Asa agrees and
27:34they go their separate ways.
27:42Same days, same lessons, same thoughts
27:45about a coincidentally meet near a
27:48community center, also known as a palace
27:50[music] of culture in Soviet terms. A
27:52came here to return some books, but
27:54isn't yet willing to share their titles.
27:56[music] Unlike her, however, Isa
27:57mentions she's read the plague by Albert
27:59Kamos. It's about a town suffering from
28:02a plague and [music] its populace being
28:04trapped, grappling with the idea of
28:05inevitable death and how to cope with
28:07it. This novel shares a lot with Zato in
28:10both themes [music] and plot. And I'm
28:12going to mention all of that much later
28:14in the video, so keep it in mind. Also,
28:17if you didn't know, Kamos is the author
28:19of The Stranger. Wink wink nudge [music]
28:21nudge. A's main understanding of the
28:23novel's message was that evil is an
28:25inherent part of the world, which she's
28:27not sold [music] on. Y is more accepting
28:29of the idea though. This brings about a
28:31philosophical discussion on [music] the
28:33nature of evil. While sure that evil is
28:36everywhere, Asa believes that people
28:37can't [music] be inherently evil and
28:39brings up Dionius and his thoughts on
28:42how evil cannot be among the being
28:44because if it was a being, then it would
28:46have to participate in the [music] good
28:48and thus not be totally evil. It's all a
28:51part of a theological philosophical
28:53doctrine named patio [music]
28:55or the privation theory of evil. Isa
28:58basically wants to justify that there's
28:59good in everyone and [music] people
29:01don't do things purely because they want
29:03to be evil. There are other reasons
29:05behind it. They're just not pure evil.
29:08[music] Yeah. Just brings up Hitler.
29:11Understandable reaction ensues. This
29:13leads Asa to try [music] and explain to
29:15a her views on the universe as a whole.
29:17It goes pretty poorly. Like, imagine a
29:20shy and nervous 14-year-old trying to
29:22combine Agent of Cosmopsychism and a
29:25Greek doctrine on the existence of evil
29:27and explain it to another girl who just
29:29wants to read romance novels. And here I
29:32am reading and [music] recording this at
29:333:00 a.m. I'm pretty understanding of
29:36her right now, not going to lie. She
29:37says that it must be nice to think that
29:39[music] everyone's inherently good.
29:41She'd be angry as hell if she were in
29:43her shoes. Like a hund times angrier
29:45now. As then imagines how [music] I
29:47throws a 100 chairs at a 100 vadims like
29:50a body satwa. Yeah, she is weird. But
29:54this comparison [music] is somewhat
29:55relevant as the idea of the
29:57affformentioned cosmopsychism takes root
30:00in Buddhist schools of thought and well
30:02the concept of a body sata is also
30:05[music] inherently Buddhist. I will
30:06theorize about the meaning of these
30:08references much later in the video.
30:10Though what's important is that Isa is
30:12having a grand old time chatting with a
30:15very cute. After a while has to go, but
30:18before that she tells Isa that she was
30:20reading Angelique by an Golan, but not
30:22without feeling very embarrassed.
30:24[music]
30:24Yep, that proves it. You're not beating
30:27its allegations anymore. I'm pretty sure
30:29the novel series itself doesn't have
30:31much thematic significance here, but I
30:34may be wrong. Who knows? Regardless,
30:35[music] the girls part ways, but I say
30:38is already hungry for more. Maybe
30:40they'll meet again, get to know each
30:41other more, go to the movies. It will be
30:44so, so wonderful. She [music] needs to
30:48see her again.
30:51Yo skips even more classes than usual.
30:54She must have given up on keeping up
30:56appearances. Well, they wouldn't talk
30:58with each other even if she appeared,
31:00but seeing at least the back of her head
31:02would be nice. Hey, look. Even Vadim
31:04mentions how cheerful Asa has become.
31:07Oh, god damn it. It doesn't phase Asa,
31:09though. She's now determined to meet
31:11again. Even if she has to walk through
31:13the entire town twice, no fries over,
31:15the universe is surely to smile upon her
31:17again and reward her efforts. She can't
31:20afford to waste time. There's not much
31:22of it left already.
31:25Isa full of jolly and wonder finds a
31:28between the rows of garages which are a
31:30common sight in postsviet countries even
31:33to this day. A is crouched near a wooden
31:35wall hugging a thermos with [music] one
31:37hand and holding a cigarette with
31:39another. She looks extremely exhausted.
31:42Isa wants to ask what's wrong but it is
31:45mothering something.
31:47You spying on me now?
31:50No. No. I was just walking here at the
31:52garage wad.
31:55Her icy glare seemingly summoned the
31:57cold that would send shivers down the
31:59spine. It was of such contempt. No, we
32:03we can save this. This is salvageable.
32:06Just have to explain herself. That's it.
32:08She always takes these walks around
32:10school. She likes visiting places on the
32:12outskirts or some other weird places.
32:14Her eyes now show not disdain but
32:17confusion. Asa continues to ramble.
32:20stumbling for her words, desperately
32:22attempting to piece something together
32:24that would satisfy a talking so nicely
32:26back then. So, what happened? Asa
32:29finally finishes, but a seems tired from
32:32just looking at her. She walks away,
32:35leaving behind a hint of annoyance. Only
32:38the cold wind howls silencing Isa's
32:41parting words.
32:46The mounds of snow and garage roofs look
32:48smooth and soft. When blizzards hit,
32:51they'll get completely buried. She'd
32:53like a snow hill to form over her. They
32:56look cozy. She wonders what a carries in
32:59her ferrows. I guess tea is the obvious
33:02answer, but what if she's one of those
33:04people that like to carry some warm soup
33:06with them? That would be cute.
33:22Classmates are starting to discuss their
33:24plans for New Year's. In USSR, Christmas
33:27wasn't the main winter holiday. So
33:30instead, people celebrated the coming
33:31over a new year. This is probably
33:33because religion was heavily suppressed
33:35by the atheist state and [music] because
33:37New Year's was made the national holiday
33:39by set state. Isao is not really in the
33:41festive [music] mood. She's still
33:43thinking about era, thinking how she can
33:45make it up to her. Apologies aren't
33:47going to cut it. A gift would also be
33:49kind of weird. And she doesn't have that
33:51kind of money anyway. A treat. A waffle
33:54perhaps. She's not a freaking dog. She
33:57got to focus on how to go about this.
33:58Okay. Inhale.
34:02Exhale.
34:06She now sees everything a bit better.
34:08The buildings, the snow, the sky.
34:10Everything is friendly. Everything is
34:13beautiful. It's getting colder. Asa
34:15still goes on her walks around town, but
34:17doesn't expect to meet anyone. She
34:20wanted to go to the library, but it's
34:21already closed.
34:24Streets are now lined with New Year's
34:26decorations.
34:27There's even a pine tree near the
34:29community center, though it's bare for
34:31now. Isa wonders why she's meandering
34:35around like that, but every reason she
34:37comes up with is embarrassing. I assume
34:40[music] that she not only somewhat hopes
34:42to somehow stumble into Ira, but also
34:44she doesn't really want to come home.
34:49Asa goes inside an apartment building.
34:51While coming up the staircase, she
34:53realizes what she can do for a girl
34:56comes to her apartment's door and enters
34:57it. Relieved that there are no guests
35:00this time, she hangs her coat and
35:02briefly greets her father, washes her
35:05hands, and exits the bathroom. out with
35:08friends again. Mhm. Hi. She comes into
35:12the kitchen and starts boiling some tea.
35:14Some time passes in familiar but ever so
35:16slightly uncomfortable silence. Asa
35:19fills her teapot and brings it to her
35:21room.
35:26After locking herself in her room, the
35:28girl is swarmed with nasty thoughts.
35:31must her about how she doesn't spend
35:33time with her mother, but she
35:34understands that thinking like [music]
35:36that isn't going to help anyone. And
35:38yet, she does it every time she comes
35:40home. The plan right now is to write a
35:42poem for a very exciting prospect for
35:45our little poet. But what exactly is she
35:48going to write? For inspiration, she
35:50reads that one [music] poem that liked
35:52back then.
35:57Fore!
36:00[music]
36:06[music]
36:07Foreign! Foreign!
36:11[music]
36:29Honestly, here it's kind of relatable
36:31how embarrassed ASA [music] gets when
36:33looking at her own work. I feel like
36:35it's a common thing among creators to
36:37judge their creations a bit too harshly.
36:39Well, that's not going to stop our girl
36:41from making another poem. She's aware
36:43that it's difficult for her to
36:44communicate. But this should be
36:46effective [music] enough. She's got
36:48nothing to lose anyway. And when a reads
36:51this poem, it will all be worth it in
36:54the end.
37:00Now, I know I'm not exactly adding much
37:02right now in this analysis video essay
37:05play for thing. At the moment, it's just
37:07me retelling the events of the game.
37:09However, what I'm trying to show here is
37:12how important the game's atmosphere is
37:14to its immersion. Descriptions of the
37:16town, as [music] well as the music and
37:18Isa's introspective thoughts, are
37:20arguably the best thing [music] about
37:21the game. They come together to form
37:24this cozy feeling whenever our
37:26protagonist [music] is out and about
37:28admiring everything around her, or how
37:30she's in her warm room preparing a gift
37:32for a person dear to her. Zato is
37:35extremely good at making you [music]
37:36feel a certain way. Of course, it's much
37:39more evident when you play it by
37:40yourself. Well, that's why I urged
37:42everyone [music] to try it at the
37:43beginning of the video. So, you know,
37:45that's my final final reminder to you.
37:47Go play it if you haven't because the
37:49things heard ahead are going to be very
37:52much pivotal to the story. All right.
37:54[snorts]
37:58After some more regularly scheduled
38:00bullying, Asia remarks how has been
38:02absent for a week now. It's a bit
38:04unusual, but nobody seems to be bothered
38:06by it. She's probably taken in the
38:08sights before she has to leave her
38:10beloved town. After all, Isa would do
38:12the same. She really wants to see a one
38:15last time and show her the new poem.
38:17What kind of reaction would she have?
38:19Will she get happy, flustered? That
38:22would be really cute.
38:27Asa still keeps walking around the usual
38:29routes all across town. She doesn't
38:31expect to find a more of a duty she has
38:33to fulfill despite the increasing cold
38:36and windy weather. Earth in this town is
38:38so familiar to her. She's seen it all a
38:41thousand times. She can't hate it and
38:43she can't pretend to miss it when it
38:46ceases to exist. To leave work with 5,
38:49you have to deny its existence because
38:51it isn't supposed to exist. At least not
38:54for the public. You won't be allowed to
38:56leave unless you can convince an
38:58outsider that you're from the official
39:00public city of Horuta, not Porcupa 5.
39:03This was the case in the USSR, and
39:05closed cities still exist in modern
39:07Russia, but as far as we know, they're
39:10now officially recognized and are not
39:12kept secret anymore. It's the first day
39:15of this region's polar night. This means
39:17that we're not going to see the sun for
39:19a long time in this story. Some people
39:22get easily depressed during this time,
39:23but not AA. She actually prefers it this
39:26way. She comes to an old playground and
39:29reminisces about her time with Tasha. It
39:31was a bit unpopular back in the day, but
39:34that's why they liked this place. But
39:36today, there seems to be someone on the
39:39Americound. A drunkard? No, they don't
39:42have those around here. It's a small
39:45figure, but a very familiar one.
39:56It's a quietly sobbing all alone,
39:59looking pretty disheveled. After Asa
40:02calls out to her, it's as if she wakes
40:04up from her stuper. What do you want?
40:08Asa can't answer. All she wonders about
40:10is how a person can look so small. A
40:13stands up and stumbles a little. Very
40:15frustrated with everything. She doesn't
40:19want to be seen in the state, especially
40:21by someone like Isa. [bell] Go home.
40:24This isn't for you. Asa wants to say
40:27something, but it's all a blank. She's
40:30unable to say anything.
40:33Turns away, stumbles through the snow,
40:36and disappears [music] into an alley,
40:38while Isa is unable to utter a single
40:41word. It's like she was never here.
40:45>> [bell]
40:45>> A longforgotten feeling in her chest
40:47grows larger and darker, something she
40:50refused to acknowledge for the longest
40:52time. [music]
40:55The sky is full of thin pricks. The
40:58world is looking down on me, but not in
41:01the way other people do. It's kind and
41:04gentle, and I don't feel small under its
41:08gaze. [music] Its eyes are pure and
41:10tender.
41:16>> [music]
41:18[bell]
41:30>> Oh boy, that was um something. This
41:32episode sets up a lot of stuff and
41:34leaves us with more questions than
41:36answers. Why does a behave in this way?
41:38Is it because of her parents? Does she
41:40really have a lover? She doesn't. And
41:42what about Asa? Her behavior shows that
41:45she's a shy girl who's gone through
41:46heavy abuse, a lot of self-deprecation
41:49and doubt, inability to exert agency,
41:52inner conflicts, misguided justification
41:54of others actions. Some and many other
41:57of such behavioral patterns can also
42:00point to household troubles. We know
42:01that she takes long walks not only
42:03because she's searching for era, but
42:05also because she doesn't want to come
42:07home. ness might be due to some
42:10childhood trauma which we'll learn later
42:12is very much a possibility. What's
42:14definitely true is that her parents are
42:16unaware of the bullying Asa goes
42:17through. I mean they would have reported
42:19it to the teachers or done at least
42:21something if they knew, right? This
42:23suggests that not only Asia doesn't tell
42:26them anything, but her parents are also
42:28somewhat neglectful of her and are not
42:31interested in whatever is going on in
42:32her school life. So, be even less
42:34excusable when we learn of what happened
42:36to this girl 3 years ago and of the
42:39mental instability that resulted from
42:40that incident. But again, I'm getting
42:43ahead of myself. For now, we've learned
42:46two very important things. One, a girl,
42:50an ordinary girl. She's a loner and has
42:52a temper. She likes romance novels and
42:55later will discover her love for sweets.
42:58She's a caring person, but doesn't want
43:00to show it. She's straightforward when
43:02it comes to expressing her actions and
43:04her opinions about others. She may be
43:06brash at times, but it's mostly because
43:08of the surrounding circumstances. She
43:10has a realistic point of view about the
43:12world that stems from her personal
43:14experiences. Era is arguably the
43:17simplest character out of the main four,
43:19but the impact she has on Assa and the
43:22story at large is monumental. After all,
43:25finding her is the main goal of episode
43:272. We still don't have all the
43:29information about her to thoroughly calm
43:31through her character, so I'll save it
43:33for later. To our main heroine has a
43:36very interesting outlook on life. I've
43:38already mentioned cosmopsychism. It's a
43:40philosophical view that establishes the
43:42universe as a conscious being, not
43:44unlike humans. The whole reason why
43:46living beings even have consciousness is
43:48because we derive it from the universe.
43:50It's not an emerging quality of having
43:52something like a brain, but rather it's
43:54an inherent characteristic of the
43:56universe. and thus of all that is a part
43:58of it. Asa's brand of cosmos psychism is
44:01agentive which means that the universe
44:03chooses to act on its own and takes
44:05actions according to its motives.
44:07Without this distinction, the universe
44:09would be a passive observer, not able or
44:12not willing to do anything. Over the
44:14course of the episode, Isa thinks that
44:15the universe may be acting for her own
44:17benefit, even though she describes
44:19herself as being too insignificant in
44:21comparison. At sometimes her reverence
44:23towards it might be considered a type of
44:25worship. Praying for era to appear in
44:28class or during walks is a prayer that
44:30is meant to be heard by the universe
44:31itself. It reminds me of how shamans
44:34would summon rain by FPZ nature and its
44:36deities. A kind of manifestation of
44:39phenomena if you will. Of course is not
44:42exactly dancing or performing ritual
44:44sacrifices here but she still expects
44:46some kind of reward for her belief even
44:49if she denies it at times. Of course,
44:51there's no proof that the universe is
44:52doing anything here. It's mostly just us
44:55as delusions and wishful thinking. Well,
44:58that's how normal people see it. Anyway,
45:01uh that's it for the post episode
45:03analysis. I know I'm ignoring some
45:04elephants in the room and there's still
45:06a lot more to talk about, but we just
45:08don't have all the puzzle pieces yet.
45:10We'll continue after we finish episode
45:132. Also, I won't mention every single
45:15thing that happens now in the interest
45:17[music] of time and because I think I
45:19already adequately conveyed the vibe
45:21this game has. Also, I don't want to be
45:24stuck making this video for 2,000 years.
45:26Buckle up. This is going to be a long
45:28one.
45:41It's December 19th. Oh, hi Merina.
45:43Haven't seen you since the flashback.
45:45How have you been? She dragged Asa into
45:47thiska cafe to discuss what they know
45:49about the era and her disappearance. She
45:51also ordered a ktoska and a bird's milk,
45:54two Soviet desserts that are still
45:56available and popular in post USSR
45:58countries. Melina tells Isa that she was
46:00the last one to have seen a last night.
46:02[music] She recounts how she meta
46:04downstairs near her apartment building.
46:11The girl looked in bad shape, something
46:14Merina hadn't seen in a while. Through
46:16tears and sobs, a says how she shouldn't
46:19have done something [music] and how she
46:20doesn't want to go. Melina tries to calm
46:23her down, assuring that she won't go,
46:26but there's no more time left. She's
46:28out. Melina wants to convince her
46:30[music] that they can still fix this,
46:32but she can't ride anymore.
46:36They stood in an embrace for some time
46:38until Ira mentions that freaking weirdo.
46:41She saw her. After some time, a calms
46:44down and decides to head out, refusing
46:47Marina's offer to stay the night. The
46:49last time I gacha was seen, she was
46:51heading in a direction of her house,
46:53disappearing without a trace.
47:00Asa wonders why they shouldn't mention
47:02any of this to the authorities. Sure,
47:04her parents are catching a lot of flack,
47:06but that feels like they're giving up on
47:08her. Ma says that they don't really have
47:10a choice if a gets expelled.
47:12Homeschooling is not an option because
47:14there's [music] no one to teach her. Her
47:16mother is a nurse and father is a
47:17researcher at the institute. Wait,
47:19wasn't it her mother who is the
47:21researcher? In any case, none of this
47:23really [music] pertains to them needing
47:24to keep silent about meeting. That's
47:26when Molina brings up's little brother,
47:28Tuk. He's only finishing kindergarten
47:30and is about to enroll in school. He's
47:33going to have a rough time because of
47:34his relation to a troublemaker. And if
47:37and mention anything about unstable
47:40behavior last night, then the rumors
47:41will spread like wildfire and toolic
47:44will be known as the brother of a
47:45hysteric dropout. That's one hell of a
47:48legacy to inherit. And besides, [music]
47:50their testimonies are not exactly
47:51pointed to her exact location, so
47:54they're not really useful. [music] Asa
47:56is still uncomfortable with this course
47:58of action. After this, they banter about
48:00hanging Asa from a roof and making her
48:02yell or something. It's pretty funny,
48:04[music] trust me. Asa thinks how
48:06surprisingly easy conversing with Molina
48:08is, but she still misses that feeling
48:10she had when seeing Era. Wait a minute.
48:12Who's Oh my god, I just started to
48:15forget about you, you little piece of
48:17[ __ ] My team comments on how Molina got
48:18herself a new replacement. Apparently,
48:20they know each other. [music] It's just
48:22funny how you always got to have someone
48:23like that around. Marina retards with a
48:25good old, "You pissed your pants at 11
48:27years old.
48:29She really only came here to check
48:30whether he really saw Asa here or not.
48:32Thought he was hallucinating. Prick. He
48:35then finally leaves them alone. Medina
48:36explains that they knew each other since
48:38they were little. Then he grew up to be
48:40a jerk. Figures. Well, since Vadim's
48:43boys are now inside and are stinking up
48:45the place with their presence, the girls
48:46decide to head out.
48:50Hi and Mna walk for a bit, thinking of a
48:53good hangout spot. Oh, hey, another
48:55Buddhism reference. In the end, they go
48:57their separate ways, but not before
48:59Molina reassures Asa that a is going to
49:02be okay. On the way back, Asa notices
49:04that their seat in the cafe is half
49:06obscured for passers by. It seems that
49:09when Molina and went to the cafe, Marina
49:12deliberately chose the spot to hide a
49:14from the outside. Asa's thoughts are
49:16still filled with her and the desire for
49:18her to come back.
49:26Isa asks her parents whether they've
49:28heard of the disappearance and her
49:30father answers that there's an active
49:32investigation still ongoing. This
49:34relieves Isa though things at school are
49:36already back to normal. What follows is
49:38the usual bullying. But this time Isa
49:41stands out for herself a little, just
49:42[music] a little though. Vadim even
49:44invites her to hang out, but that's just
49:46another instance of mockery. As per
49:48usual, our girl inhales another cubic
49:51meter of copium and compares her case to
49:53the movie Scarecrow, where a girl is
49:56relentlessly abused both [music]
49:57mentally and physically. She then
49:59seriously considers the choice whether
50:01she should really go with the boys
50:03somewhere. Uh maybe it can be no. Did
50:07you forget the last time you alone?
50:09Well, she just overreacted that time and
50:12Vadim wasn't there. So, you'll overreact
50:15again and he'll make it worse.
50:19Sorry. You're right. I understand.
50:26[music]
50:27Molina catches Asa in the hallway. She
50:29tells her that she almost died while
50:31[music] playing hopscotch and now her
50:33butt hurts. What a tragedy. Asa
50:35interrupts the fun by asking if there
50:36are any [music] news about era. Of
50:38course, there are none, but she also
50:40wants to ask something and is
50:42uncomfortable to do so in school. The
50:44girls decide to meet after classes to
50:46have this [music] conversation somewhere
50:47else.
50:49While sitting through a lesson, Isa
50:51absent-mindedly looks out the window.
50:54It's covered in frost, forming prickly
50:56engravings. It pulls you in like a
50:59kaleidoscope. You look at it, into it,
51:02and through it. A repeating pattern.
51:05Needles upon needles upon needles. A
51:09glass that's shattered but not broken.
51:12It's just like that time. The pattern
51:15invites her in. She almost understood
51:18something back then. Maybe now it's
51:20time. Is there some kind of number, a
51:23shape, a sign, something? She
51:25concentrates harder, but it's too much.
51:28It's too bright. Too beautiful. It's
51:30overwhelming. It's too much. Too much.
51:32Too much. Too much. too much.
51:38She snaps back to reality and then looks
51:40back at the frost covered window. It's
51:43lovely. We'll come back to this one
51:45later.
51:48Classes have finally ended and Assa is
51:51now outside, but Melina isn't here.
51:53Maybe she's [music] finishing PE and is
51:55going to come from the back exit. She
51:57hears voices from that direction. Maybe
51:59she can catch her there. Oh, there seems
52:02to be an argument. It's Mina and Vadim.
52:05[music] He's accusing her of knowing
52:07something. Says that someone he knows
52:10had started to behave strangely and that
52:12his mom is worried. He's pleading,
52:15begging even, but Merlin doesn't know
52:17anything. He says that she got better.
52:19Sure, she's not the same or whatever,
52:21but she's functional. Before we hear
52:24anything else, Asa slips on ice. What a
52:26dumbass. Vadim, enraged, pulls [music]
52:28her by the coat, but Mina calms him
52:30down. He demands to know what she heard,
52:33but Asa denies everything. After a bit,
52:35Vadim drops her, but doesn't believe her
52:38lies. Mina comes to her defense and
52:40pretty much agrees to help Vadim with
52:41whatever the conversation was about. She
52:43then drags Asa out of there, leaving the
52:46bully behind.
52:50Hate. Let me tell you how much I've come
52:53to hate you since I began to live.
52:57After the girls got away from this evil
52:59and [ __ ] up school, Meline explains
53:01[music] that she was waiting for Isa at
53:03the entrance gate when Vadim came up to
53:05her for a quick chat. Worst mistake of
53:07her life. You don't say. She asks Isa
53:10whether she really heard anything or
53:11not, but she still denies [music]
53:12everything. My seemingly chooses to
53:14believe her. Asa thinks, "If I forget
53:17about what I've heard, then my lie is
53:18going to circle back to being true."
53:20They then head out to grab a bite at a
53:22convenience store. It turns out that
53:24Molina goes to the cafe pretty regularly
53:26with her numerous [music] friends. She
53:27lives with her brother who's not stingy
53:29about giving her ample allowance. She
53:31also often goes to the [music] community
53:33center to watch some movies. Next week,
53:35they're even bringing in an American
53:37one, [music] so it's a good opportunity
53:38to invite Asa, who usually doesn't go
53:41anywhere with friends because she
53:43doesn't have any. They then arrive at
53:44the store. Wants [music] to leave this
53:46place as soon as she graduates, while
53:48Asi is quite fond of the city and is not
53:50so willing. Well, this gal is destined
53:52for something greater, obviously, so she
53:55can do anything once she gets out
53:56[music] of this tiny hamlet. As long as
53:58this anything has nothing to do with
54:00math or bio or English or anything, some
54:04time passes, Mina tells funny stories,
54:07and I say is being a goodwill listener.
54:08[music]
54:09She looks into Marina's smile. It's
54:11lovely, but she's not sure if she sees
54:14[music] anything behind it. Maybe Mina
54:16thinks is lame and is bottling those
54:18feelings up until they burst out
54:19someday. But Isa will be ready for that
54:22day. [music] And until then, she'll
54:24enjoy her time to the fullest. It's like
54:26the universe [music] has thrown her a
54:28bone again. But it's not working like
54:31it's supposed to. And it can only be one
54:34person's fault. It's as if this is not
54:37[music] enough for her. She still thinks
54:38about the era, but the situation is not
54:41that alarming. It's only been 2 days.
54:43It's yet again's [music]
54:45irrational side taking hold of her.
54:47There's no way the universe would let
54:49something bad happen to [music] you,
54:50right? That's just plain wrong. The
54:54girls finally reach the [music] back of
54:55the research institute. Mina asks Isa
54:58what's wrong and assumes it's because of
54:59[music] her blabbering that she's so
55:01down. Caught off guard, Asa reaffirms to
55:04her that everything is okay. After some
55:06back and forth compliments, she then
55:07asks Marina about the rumored lover of
55:10era. This makes her feel repulsed at the
55:12thought and then she reveals that this
55:14guy is her brother and that [music] he
55:16is not her lover. The actual reason why
55:18they know each other is because Molina's
55:21brother, Lev, works at the research
55:23complex. He provides experimental
55:25underthecounter medication for a in
55:28order to alleviate her neurotic [music]
55:30condition. Nothing illegal though. That
55:32night when the girls saw her in tears
55:34like she was reduced to [music] a ghost.
55:36That was one of the times her condition
55:38took over. Sometimes she just can't
55:40focus on anything, any sound, any
55:43person. Sometimes her mind gets tangled
55:45and she starts to panic. Been taking
55:48these pills for a year, but in the past
55:50month she decided against it. One could
55:52guess it's because of some side effects.
55:55Isa starts panicking [music] and asks
55:57Molina yet again why they can't tell
55:59anyone about this. This isn't a matter
56:00of the family's reputation anymore. This
56:02is a matter of a person's safety. Melina
56:05retorts by saying that the police are
56:07not going to find anything with the
56:08evidence they'll [music] provide. But as
56:10vehemently opposes this idea if they
56:12tell them, the police will know that
56:14this is a serious issue and will work
56:16hard to find her. Maybe even the entire
56:18city will meanwhile lets out a sarcastic
56:22lawn laugh. No one is going to do
56:25anything. In fact, everyone [music] will
56:28say, "Oh, that makes sense. Always
56:30thought there was something off of her.
56:31That's right. She was totally messed up
56:32in the head. Yeah, this was bound to
56:34happen. [music] Sick people can just
56:36snap. It's sad, but what can you do? No
56:38point in looking now. Better than a 10,
56:40she killed herself in a ditch. Bet 100,
56:42she froze to death. Asa cannot believe a
56:45single word the person in front of
56:46[music] her said. But continues trying
56:48to tear down Isa's naive outlook. She
56:50thought that she would understand, but
56:52she may have been wrong. A kept silent
56:55on this for a reason, and that's
56:57something they have to respect. Isa says
56:59she understands but then unexpectedly
57:01counters with how Molina is afraid of
57:03the consequence of such action that
57:05telling people would also implicate her
57:07and her brother in [music] Ara's
57:09disappearance. She's not judging her for
57:11that but Molina totally does judge
57:13herself thinking this is some sort of
57:15gotcha moment used against her. Asa
57:18denies such intentions which results in
57:20an awkward back and forth of
57:22clarifications and apologies. [music]
57:24In the end, Melina concludes that Asa is
57:27someone she can't quite understand, but
57:29feels like she can trust her and that
57:32she's a really nice person, much nicer
57:34than Merina [music] could ever be.
57:36Internally, Asa disagrees, thinking that
57:39such praise and kindness are misguided,
57:41but they still deserve gratitude.
57:45She looks into the world, a world where
57:47[music] everything is kind to her, an
57:49unjust, lovely world. Its kindness is
57:52misguided on a scale that she can't even
57:55fathom. But calling it misguided is
57:58[music] an insult to the universe
57:59itself. What does she know about what's
58:01worthy and what isn't? At most, she's a
58:04conceited gnat. She shouldn't even try
58:06to understand the what'ss and wise. The
58:08only thing she has to do. The only
58:11reasonable thing for her to do is say
58:13thank you. So, she'll do just that.
58:17She'll say it as many times as it takes
58:19to get her feelings across.
58:21In other words, she'll say it endlessly.
58:26>> Thank [music] you. Thank you. Thank you.
58:27Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
58:29you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
58:31Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
58:32you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
58:35Thank you. Thank you.
58:38>> It's not enough. Her life is finite and
58:41so is her gratitude. It will never be
58:43enough. Even if she keeps living until
58:45her dying son swallows the [music]
58:47earth, it's a promise she will never
58:49fulfill. So she'll attract it. She
58:52apologizes.
58:53She needs a different approach. She can
58:56express only a finite amount of
58:57gratitude. But what if the gratitude
58:59itself becomes [music] infinite? She can
59:01repeat her thanks for as long as she
59:03lives. Like a pulsar emitting wave after
59:06wave of electromagnetic radiation. Yes.
59:08And the pulsar's radiation travels
59:10endlessly inside a vacuum. Hers should
59:13be able to do the same. But right now,
59:14her signals are buried under the 10,000
59:17km of our planet's atmosphere. They're
59:20too weak. They dissipate under the
59:22weight of over 5 quadrillion tons of
59:24air. Her signal is not strong enough.
59:27So, now what? Becoming an astronaut can
59:30be an option, but she doesn't have the
59:31qualities to be one. The next best thing
59:34is sending a strong radio signal to
59:36break [music] through the atmosphere,
59:37but that requires top-of-the-line
59:39equipment. It's not possible. But then
59:42what other options are there? Uh, of
59:46course, it's [music] so much like her to
59:48rely on others. It's so much like her to
59:50look for external means of getting what
59:52she wants. The answer is right there,
59:55right in front of her nose. The answer
59:58isn't her reflection. It's staring at
1:00:00her from the bathroom mirror.
1:00:07Me. It's all about me. I am my own
1:00:11parabolic antenna. The strength of my
1:00:14signal is decided by my own level of
1:00:16gratitude. It's a matter [music] of my
1:00:18resolve. It's a matter of admiration.
1:00:22It's a matter of dedication. [music]
1:00:25If my signal isn't able to pierce
1:00:27through the sky, that's a personal
1:00:28failing of mine. That's [music]
1:00:30something I'm responsible for fixing.
1:00:33Can I do that? I can. Naturally, I can.
1:00:37Any point made against that will be
1:00:39[music] an excuse. I just need to work
1:00:41hard. I need to work hard so that I will
1:00:43feel so much more grateful. I need to
1:00:46overflow with adoration. [music] I need
1:00:48to overflow with reverence. I need to
1:00:50overflow with love. If I fail to do
1:00:53that, my voice will never [music] make
1:00:54it to the cosmos. And then when I'm so
1:00:57overwhelmed with grace that I could die,
1:00:58[music] I'll get up to the highest point
1:01:00at top the sea level that I'm able to
1:01:02reach. I'll climb up high and I will
1:01:04look into the sky and I will angle
1:01:06myself so that the trajectory is just
1:01:07right. Then I will start my most
1:01:09powerful transmission to date. I will
1:01:12scream, "Thank you and I love you." So
1:01:14loud that all of the people in the
1:01:16radius of 3,000 km will feel it in their
1:01:18hearts and bones and muscles and their
1:01:22TV [music] signals and radios will
1:01:23break. And the next day, the whole world
1:01:26will report a radio signal of
1:01:28unprecedented strength blasting [music]
1:01:29from the communism peak.
1:01:34Although maybe Mount Elbert is more
1:01:37realistic.
1:01:38If I remember [music] right, Dad climbed
1:01:40it when he was in university. At least
1:01:43he has a pin from there tucked away in
1:01:44one of the drawers. Maybe I should ask
1:01:47him about it. No, better not. He's tired
1:01:51after [music] work. I should go to my
1:01:53room. Tomorrow's the weekend, so I can
1:01:56stay up late. I don't need to do any
1:01:58homework today either. I have the whole
1:02:00evening to myself. I will rest and
1:02:04starting tomorrow, I'll work harder than
1:02:06ever before. I'll love this world with
1:02:09everything I've got.
1:02:17Have you ever heard of the concept of
1:02:19den?
1:02:22[music]
1:02:26[music]
1:02:28The word means electromagnetic wave, but
1:02:31it is also a term for people who may
1:02:33[music] feel disconnected from reality
1:02:35and have a tendency to indulge in their
1:02:37own delusions, mentally removing
1:02:38themselves from reality. The origins of
1:02:41the term are heavily connected to a
1:02:42belief that surrounding technology and
1:02:45the signal that it emits affect a
1:02:47human's brain structure and chemistry,
1:02:49resulting in people seeing things
1:02:50they're not supposed to see. There
1:02:52exists a variety of denjacent [music]
1:02:54media and a whole subgenre called dener
1:02:56games. At some point, you may have even
1:02:59drawn comparisons between Zato and anime
1:03:02like Serial Experience Lane [music] and
1:03:04Evangelion or even games like the
1:03:06science adventure series
1:03:09to the bag of milk duology. Denai games
1:03:12themselves are characterized by mundane
1:03:14life being slowly consumed by horror and
1:03:17the supernatural. Be it in the real
1:03:19world or inside a character's [music]
1:03:20mind. They tend to focus on extremely
1:03:23detailed characterization through
1:03:24introspection, which allows one to
1:03:26follow a character's descent into
1:03:28unfiltered madness. Pure DPA games also
1:03:31often contain all the content warnings
1:03:33under the sun, including NSFW ones.
1:03:36Yeah, they're not joking when they show
1:03:38this stuff on startup. You can check VO
1:03:40Chaos's excellent video if you want to
1:03:42know more about the genre. But the
1:03:44question that is relevant here is how
1:03:46does this all relate to Zato? Well,
1:03:48after the previous scene where Asa
1:03:50becomes Heisenberg, we know that the
1:03:51electromagnetic wave part of Denpa is
1:03:54being portrayed here quite literally.
1:03:56Our protagonist is clearly not mentally
1:03:58well. She disassociates herself from
1:04:00reality, has trouble connecting with
1:04:02people, and has a unique point of view
1:04:04about the nature of everything. But I
1:04:07wouldn't call Zato fullon [music] dena.
1:04:09More like denpite, if that makes sense.
1:04:12See, one of the hallmarks of games in
1:04:14this genre is the way they portray
1:04:16moments of existential horror and mental
1:04:18distress. They tend to be very extreme
1:04:20and numerous in that sense. And sure,
1:04:23Zato will have a couple of moments that
1:04:25can be called visceral and disturbing,
1:04:28but the game never fully submerges
1:04:30itself in the insanity that is so often
1:04:32attributed to DPA games. Its goal is not
1:04:35to wow people with its shock value,
1:04:37which often happens with bad dener
1:04:39games, but to tell a more grounded story
1:04:42of people who are helpless because of
1:04:44the circumstances [music] they find
1:04:45themselves in. But again, if I go any
1:04:48further, I'll be spoiling what's going
1:04:49to happen next. Just know that if you've
1:04:52ever felt that this game is in any way
1:04:55laneike, then this is why.
1:05:06It's 21st of December. I standing in
1:05:09front of
1:05:20Yeah, I haven't talked about the OST
1:05:22much, huh? It's entirely composed of
1:05:24royalty-free [music] tracks from
1:05:25Pixabay, it.io, and free music archive.
1:05:28You can download the soundtrack on
1:05:30Zato's H.io page or on F's Patreon. Two
1:05:33songs that are not included, however,
1:05:34are the intro theme Out of Love by Scene
1:05:37and the credits theme golf by Jay
1:05:39Wharton. Probably because they're not
1:05:41exactly royalty-free. Despite this, the
1:05:43chosen tracks are very fitting to
1:05:45whatever situation is happening in game.
1:05:47Notably, Fairy is more recognized for
1:05:49her music, usually Vocaloid and Synth
1:05:51Via originals, and for her another
1:05:53story-driven project called Parties Are
1:05:55for Losers, but that's a whole another
1:05:57story. Asa has already made rounds
1:05:59around the city, but there's one place
1:06:01that she was neglecting, the car repair
1:06:04shop. After sudden incident, she was
1:06:06avoiding the place, but now she's
1:06:08determined to visit it again and admire
1:06:10it in all its beauty. It's imperative
1:06:12that she does this so that she's filled
1:06:14with more love for the universe and
1:06:16achieves sufficient signal strength.
1:06:18While on route, she sees Vadim anxiously
1:06:21crossing the street, but she's more
1:06:23focused on not encountering [music] him
1:06:24than figuring out what he's doing here.
1:06:27And here's the shop. Looks pretty
1:06:30inviting. The surroundings are very
1:06:32quiet. When she tries looking through
1:06:34the window, Asa only sees her
1:06:36reflection. They fixed it. Then she
1:06:38wants to go inside, but it doesn't seem
1:06:40that anyone's there. They should be open
1:06:43even if it's Sunday. Isa goes to check
1:06:45the schedule on the metal plate near the
1:06:47door. Let's see.
1:06:56Weird. It's only a bit past 12. The
1:06:59door's not budging either. Is it not the
1:07:01time yet? But when not today, would the
1:07:04universe really hold her back like that?
1:07:06No. The mechanics are probably on the
1:07:07lunch break. It should be listed
1:07:09somewhere on the plate then.
1:07:17Nope. No breaks. Maybe it's a holiday.
1:07:21Okay, check it again.
1:07:27Huh?
1:07:30Wait,
1:07:32wait. What's going on here? Is she
1:07:34sleepd deprived? All right. Just got to
1:07:36focus this time. Okay.
1:07:44No,
1:07:47that's not
1:07:49She's
1:07:51What the
1:07:54Ah, okay. This is something that happens
1:07:56from time to time to her. It's a dream.
1:07:59Sometimes the numbers are wrong.
1:08:01Sometimes objects are contorting into
1:08:04other shapes. Just got to close your
1:08:06eyes and understand that this isn't real
1:08:09and that she'll wake up in her room and
1:08:11see light beaming through her window.
1:08:14She'll see the morning sky in pink and
1:08:16blue hues. Everything is going to be all
1:08:19right. Okay, let's take one last look.
1:08:41Ah,
1:08:43I see that's what it is.
1:08:48>> What? What? What? What? I stumbled back.
1:08:50What is this? I look around the ranger
1:08:56here. I saw he was walking
1:08:58around.
1:09:01What did you do? Karen,
1:09:04Tom,
1:09:06you were really amazing. You've really
1:09:07helped me out today. The Today I've set
1:09:11out to fall deeper than before, to fall
1:09:13deeper in love. Right now, I'm so full
1:09:16of love. I feel like I'm going to vomit.
1:09:19I'm so grateful my fingers won't stop
1:09:22shaking.
1:09:23Thank you, Vim. I won't forget this till
1:09:27the day I die.
1:09:32>> The windows still only show us a
1:09:34silhouette. There's no snowfall, only
1:09:37snow. It's her behind the glass. She's
1:09:41looking in and looking out at the same
1:09:43time. Looking in and looking out. What
1:09:47do you see, Asa? What do you see from
1:09:49the inside of a sealed body shop? The
1:09:52same thing you see from the outside as
1:09:55the same blue sky, the same infinity,
1:09:58the same unfashionable [music] coat.
1:10:12It smells of oil. Heavy breathing.
1:10:15Hearts about to burst out of the chest.
1:10:18It's cold, dark, and dirty. The weight
1:10:21sticks to the insides.
1:10:24Muffled voices barely recognizable.
1:10:26Laughing. Words collapse before they
1:10:29reach them. A wall, a door in the lock
1:10:33stop anything before them. You try
1:10:36banging and yelling. All useless. Your
1:10:39body is too soft. Your words are too
1:10:42weak. Your outline is too blurry. Of
1:10:46course, you can't break through. You're
1:10:48no more than a shadow.
1:10:50A dirty, dusty, grimy shadow that reeks
1:10:53of petroleum and sweat.
1:10:56Why is a shadow afraid of the dark?
1:11:00Perhaps it didn't know it was a shadow.
1:11:03It lived too long thinking it was
1:11:05something so much more solid. It
1:11:08believed the notion of agency existed in
1:11:10this world.
1:11:12What a naive little shadow that was.
1:11:15It's time for it to face the truth.
1:11:18Soon it will cease to smell the oil,
1:11:20hear the voices, or feel the pain.
1:11:24It's a good deal, isn't it? The void
1:11:27opens its mouth.
1:11:31>> Get out.
1:11:34>> Huh? A clear voice. So clear it's like
1:11:38the words were spoken right into her
1:11:39ear.
1:11:46A window. Has it always been there? She
1:11:49stumbles through the darkness and finds
1:11:51a wrench to steady herself with. She
1:11:53feels its temperature, weight, and
1:11:55texture. She has a shape. She's there.
1:11:59After a moment of hesitation, she
1:12:01finally swings her arm down at the
1:12:03window.
1:12:27Now, you might be wondering what the
1:12:30just happened, and I wish I could tell
1:12:31you right now, but it just wouldn't make
1:12:34sense without the prerequisite
1:12:35information that the game will give us
1:12:37around the end of episode 2. So, again,
1:12:40I ask you to bear with me and keep this
1:12:42series of events in your mind, cuz it's
1:12:45all going to come together in the end.
1:12:47Trust me though, you might have already
1:12:49pieced some information just from that
1:12:51and we'll discuss it later as well.
1:13:00December 22nd, the girls meet during the
1:13:03break. Melina complains about how the
1:13:05constant dark puts a damper on things.
1:13:07They talk about this and that, how some
1:13:09parents enforce curfews on their kids
1:13:11after the disappearance. [music] This
1:13:13leads to how search parties are now
1:13:14being organized, but to no avail. Melina
1:13:17brings up how a could be staying at
1:13:19someone's house and how one of them
1:13:21could even be hiding her. Asa is not a
1:13:23fan of this theory. Bina wants to
1:13:25present another possibility, but instead
1:13:28she asks Asa her phone number so that
1:13:30later they can talk this over in
1:13:32private. Asa returns to her class and
1:13:34doesn't give Vedim her homework this
1:13:36time because she [music] didn't do it.
1:13:38Understandable considering what happened
1:13:40yesterday. Vim forgives her but tries to
1:13:42intimidate the girl to inconclusive
1:13:44results. Well, good thing there are
1:13:46nerds nearby that can be easily scared
1:13:48into giving up their notes. How
1:13:49resourceful, Vadim? Off a clip, you
1:13:52okay, not yet. Asa still needs to ask
1:13:53you a question, which seems pretty
1:13:55urgent. They meet after class and she
1:13:57asks Vadim about something that had
1:13:59happened yesterday. Vadim is visibly
1:14:01caught off guard [music] and tells his
1:14:03boys to go on without him. Then he
1:14:05forcefully pins Isa against the wall and
1:14:07demands [music] to know what she saw.
1:14:09What the [ __ ] dude? How is this not
1:14:11reported as any kind of harassment? This
1:14:13is supposed to be a scary moment, but
1:14:15our girl doesn't seem to be too bothered
1:14:17by this. Instead, she asks Vadim about
1:14:19the prank that he did on that metal
1:14:21plate in the car [music] repair shop,
1:14:23about how he managed to do that and how
1:14:26he knows about Tossa. The dude is
1:14:28absolutely [music]
1:14:29lost and thinks A is drugged out of her
1:14:31mind. She's absolutely convinced though
1:14:33that it was Vadim that did it. He
1:14:35however no longer cares and says that he
1:14:37doesn't know any Tas before leaving.
1:14:41Asa's copium injectors are going into
1:14:43overdrive. She genuinely doesn't
1:14:45understand Vim's behavior. He's
1:14:47definitely the type to brag about his
1:14:49pranks. Why keep silent now? So, she
1:14:51comes up with an explanation that the
1:14:53dude feeling guilty for his actions and
1:14:56is pretending to not know about the
1:14:58prank in order [music] to not spread any
1:14:59rumors. If a heard this, she would
1:15:02generally pass out from such copium
1:15:04exposure levels. Holy [ __ ] Even Asi is
1:15:06not fully buying into this lie because
1:15:08of how shitty of a person Vadim is. But
1:15:11it's better than facing reality. [music]
1:15:13So she thanks him for a chance to undo
1:15:16what happened and forgives him as she
1:15:18always does.
1:15:23We're now in the library. It's very cozy
1:15:26here. I love the color palette. I say is
1:15:28a regular here and has read pretty much
1:15:30everything that she wanted multiple
1:15:32[music] times. The librarian lady greets
1:15:33her and comments how she hasn't been
1:15:35here that often lately. I has just been
1:15:37going out more, which is good cuz
1:15:39apparently [music] she used to spend all
1:15:40of her time here. She asks whether the
1:15:42library has Angelique, that book Ira
1:15:45[music] mentioned. Unfortunately, they
1:15:46don't, but that's okay. She wasn't in
1:15:49the mood for that kind of reading.
1:15:50Anyway, something more familiar is her
1:15:52speed, like a 100 years ahead by Kir
1:15:55Bulichof, a sci-fi novel about a kid
1:15:57transporting himself into the future.
1:15:59Isa says that a movie adaptation came
1:16:01out last year and indeed it did. It's
1:16:04messing [music] with how she remembers
1:16:05the book though, so she tries to remind
1:16:07herself of everything that happens in
1:16:08it. Keep in mind its setting, plot
1:16:11points, characters, Dosa, she's not
1:16:14doing so well considering that one of
1:16:16the characters, Ver is someone who
1:16:18wasn't featured in the original novel,
1:16:20but instead is an addition exclusive to
1:16:22the movie. Somewhat [music] frustrated,
1:16:23she closes the book and picks something
1:16:25else. A folktale named Moroska, also
1:16:28known as [music] Father Frost. It's a
1:16:30retelling that has something special in
1:16:32it, but it's being covered up somehow.
1:16:34As with any folk tale, there are
1:16:36numerous versions and printed [music]
1:16:38editions of this fairy tale, but the
1:16:40general plot goes something like this. A
1:16:43woman has a daughter and a stepdaughter.
1:16:45She orders her husband to take the
1:16:47stepdaughter into the snowy wilderness
1:16:49where she'd be abandoned to die. When a
1:16:51stepdaughter is left alone in the woods,
1:16:54she meets Morosco, who tries to freeze
1:16:56her while asking whether she's cold or
1:16:58not. The girl always answers in a polite
1:17:00tone [music] that she's warm and never
1:17:02complains. Morosco then shows mercy on
1:17:05the poor child and gives her with
1:17:06clothes and jewels. When she returns
1:17:09home, her mother is angry and envious,
1:17:11so she sends her actual daughter to
1:17:13Morosco. She is later found dead in the
1:17:16woods because she couldn't bear the cold
1:17:18and refused to be polite. The message
1:17:20here is that you have to be hardworking,
1:17:23resilient, and of good moral character
1:17:25to [music] be rewarded, while if you're
1:17:27rude, and lazy, you'll die by
1:17:29supernatural means. I say things that
1:17:32children actually like being scared and
1:17:34that [music] they'll come up with
1:17:35reasons to be terrified. Is it because
1:17:37they're thrill seekers, or is it a
1:17:39survival instinct? To imagine that
1:17:41there's always danger lurking in the
1:17:43dark, to second guessess good
1:17:44intentions. That would be a depressing
1:17:47life if you had to scare yourself into
1:17:48experiencing it. But Asa no longer
1:17:51thinks [music] like that. She knows how
1:17:53the world works now. There's way more to
1:17:55love in the world than to [music] hate
1:17:57or fear. She then interprets the
1:17:59character of Morosco as the will of the
1:18:01world. You may fear it. You may find
1:18:03[music] yourself in a situation when any
1:18:05positive feeling towards it may seem
1:18:07impossible. But you must persevere and
1:18:10love it still. And then you'll be
1:18:12rewarded. After this revelation, Asa
1:18:15finds a never seen before page. [music]
1:18:17Every character is alive and well,
1:18:19smiling and looking right at her. She
1:18:21finally got the message after [music]
1:18:23all these years. This page is for her
1:18:25and her eyes only. What an incredible
1:18:27honor. She's such a lucky girl. Aw,
1:18:30schizophrenia never looked so cute
1:18:32before. She leaves the library knowing
1:18:34that the [music] universe has
1:18:36acknowledged her and has sent its little
1:18:38blessing her way.
1:18:49It's the evening. Mel finally calls Asa
1:18:52despite being fashionably late. They
1:18:54have some small talk about the
1:18:56monumental life shattering library trip
1:18:58about books and magazines they read.
1:19:01Apparently, Asa's father is very much
1:19:02against his daughter reading flashy
1:19:04magazines, particularly issues of
1:19:06Reesnik, which was a publication
1:19:08dedicated to covering topics that would
1:19:10be pretty unusual for Soviet teenagers
1:19:13like rock music and western culture.
1:19:15After they talked enough about comparing
1:19:17their taste in literature, Mila brings
1:19:19out the main topic. We know that a has a
1:19:23special neurotic condition where her
1:19:25brain sometimes comes under attack from
1:19:27sudden indiscriminate bursts of stress
1:19:29and disorientation. The thing is, if she
1:19:32remains in such states for long periods
1:19:33of time, she might start losing control
1:19:36of her higher functions. Just how I said
1:19:38to Mina when they last met, the pills
1:19:40only made those temporary episodes
1:19:42shorter and easier to wake up from, so
1:19:44to speak. But this this might be
1:19:47irreversible. She'll start to lose what
1:19:49makes one human. Her consciousness will
1:19:51begin to fall apart. Molina presents how
1:19:54she thinks the events of that night
1:19:55went. First, Ira was having a prolonged
1:19:58episode of the disease until Asa made
1:20:00her snap out of it somewhat. She
1:20:02hurriedly went away and reached Mina's
1:20:04house. From there, she went to a place
1:20:06where she is now. It's highly unlikely
1:20:08that she went to someone else's place in
1:20:10that condition. Finding a hiding spot
1:20:13would also be difficult. She'd be
1:20:15already found if that was the case, and
1:20:17she's definitely not out of town because
1:20:19closed cities have border control that
1:20:21doesn't allow people to leave without a
1:20:23reason. So, a logical conclusion would
1:20:26be that she went home. But then, why
1:20:28wasn't the missing person reported off?
1:20:31There are two parts to this. First,
1:20:33consider an era state at the time. It
1:20:35probably took her a long time to reach
1:20:37home, somewhere past midnight. The
1:20:39report was filed around 11 p.m. That's
1:20:42why it was sent out in the first place.
1:20:44But why wasn't it called off the day
1:20:46after? Well, imagine this scenario.
1:20:48You're a parent whose child hasn't come
1:20:50home for a while. You're extremely
1:20:52worried. so worried that you go to the
1:20:54police. But when you return home, you
1:20:56see your daughter stumbling like a drunk
1:20:58to your home entrance. You let her in
1:21:00and examine her state, which is
1:21:02something that you never wanted to see.
1:21:04Eyes glazed over, slumped the body,
1:21:07involuntary tears and snot, general
1:21:09[music] unresponsiveness. You'd think
1:21:11she's on drugs and be very angry with
1:21:13her. But there's something wrong. Her
1:21:16behavior is unsettling, but not in a way
1:21:19one would behave while on well-known
1:21:21substances. Good thing your spouse is a
1:21:23nurse who can somewhat confirm that. The
1:21:25dilemma here is, do you seek help at the
1:21:28hospital? Now, this seems like a
1:21:30no-brainer for some, but in the USSR,
1:21:32healthc care was not exactly trustworthy
1:21:34after the 70s. Funding was low and the
1:21:37industry was ripe with corruption, while
1:21:39the country's technological progress in
1:21:41medicine was subpar. Although healthcare
1:21:44was free, there was a sentiment among
1:21:46the populace that it's risky to trust
1:21:47the government with your health. That's
1:21:49why self-medication and traditional
1:21:51[music] remedies were popular
1:21:52alternatives to licensed hospitals.
1:21:55However, we should not forget that we
1:21:57live in a closed city which enjoys some
1:21:59privileges that a regular Soviet town
1:22:01would not have. That includes medical
1:22:04attention of higher quality. Worcotta 5
1:22:06in particular has a whole research
1:22:08institute. So there shouldn't be a
1:22:10shortage of high-grade professionals.
1:22:12And well, I did say to imagine yourself
1:22:14in this, but you're not IRA's parents,
1:22:17so their choice is theirs alone. In the
1:22:19end, yes, Melina insinuates that Iris's
1:22:22parents are treating her at home and are
1:22:24keeping quiet about it, all to save the
1:22:26family's reputation. Isa still doesn't
1:22:29exactly believe it, but it is a
1:22:31possibility. The worst thing is her
1:22:33condition is probably worsening as they
1:22:35speak. Isa almost shouts that they have
1:22:37to do something about it, but the sound
1:22:39of the TV stops her. The TV symbolizes
1:22:42her father's presence. Malia thinks that
1:22:44asking's brother, Tolluk, could yield
1:22:47something useful, so she decides to skip
1:22:49school and visit his kindergarten. She
1:22:52also asks if Asia would like to
1:22:54accompany her to Ira's house to try and
1:22:56see everything with their own eyes. Asa
1:22:59immediately agrees. She then writes down
1:23:01Melina's phone number. They say good
1:23:03night to each other and hang up.
1:23:06Asa looks at what she scribbled in her
1:23:09notebook during the conversation. She
1:23:11didn't mean to draw anything and yet the
1:23:15shape really reminds her of someone.
1:23:20I miss you. I really, really miss you.
1:23:30>> December 23rd. The class has passed by
1:23:33and the only thing that matters is what
1:23:35the girls [music] set out to do. Asa
1:23:37rushes outside and meets Melina when
1:23:41it's a bunch of primary school children
1:23:43firing snowballs at Asa and Melina. They
1:23:45barely escape when they meet Vadim
1:23:47again. He hired these kids to pelt
1:23:49snowballs at the girls because why not?
1:23:52He promised to show them a very special
1:23:54deck of cards. Not a very Kamsumo thing
1:23:57to do. By the way, Kamo was a political
1:24:00youth organization that promoted
1:24:01communist values and made teenagers and
1:24:04young adults perform community service
1:24:06to both improve quality of life and
1:24:08speed up the industrialization process
1:24:10in the country. When someone is referred
1:24:12to as a man of Kamo, that usually means
1:24:15they uphold communist values and are
1:24:17generally a well- behaved civilian.
1:24:19Anyway, Vadim is coming with the girls
1:24:21to apartment. Wait, what? Melina says
1:24:24that his brainless bra will help them
1:24:26which is doubtful but okay. We also get
1:24:28to know how Melina does academically. Ah
1:24:31I see another copium enjoyer. Welcome to
1:24:34the team. The party is now assembled
1:24:35[music] but he pretty much knows
1:24:37everything already. Asa is not happy
1:24:38about it especially considering what did
1:24:41to him in the past. But I guess even he
1:24:43can keep a secret if need be. Why else
1:24:45would Marina trust him? He's still an
1:24:47[ __ ] though. On the way, Marina
1:24:50shares her results regarding meeting
1:24:51Tollik at the kindergarten. She didn't
1:24:53even [music] get a chance to talk to
1:24:55him. The boy just ran away. Vim
1:24:57criticizes Merina's decisions and they
1:24:59break out into a childish spat, which is
1:25:01admittedly hilarious. This is going to
1:25:03be a common theme throughout the [music]
1:25:04next hour or so. Mina and Vadim's
1:25:06interactions are very much something
1:25:08that would happen between a pair of
1:25:10bickered siblings who on the outside
1:25:12hate each other's guts, but they would
1:25:14help one another in a heartbeat if it
1:25:16came down to it. Of course, these two
1:25:18are a bit more adversarero than that,
1:25:20but you get what I mean. [music] And oh,
1:25:22they're playing tag now. So much for
1:25:24hating each other's goods.
1:25:27After that's all over, the gang arrives
1:25:29at Ira's [music] apartment block. Meda
1:25:30says that she visited the hospital's
1:25:33mother works at. She hasn't shown up
1:25:35ever since the disappearance. Sounds
1:25:37suspicious, [music]
1:25:37but Vadim is still not buying into
1:25:39Medela's theory. Neither does Isa for
1:25:41that matter. But still, it's worth a
1:25:43try, even if the chances of it being
1:25:45true are slim. Vim even equates this
1:25:48idea [music] to aliens crash wounding in
1:25:50Tunguska of all things. Asa thinks it
1:25:52was a remote energy transfer that
1:25:54happened there. Something about lasers
1:25:56and plasma. [music] The event they're
1:25:58referring to is the Tunguska impact of
1:26:001908, an [music] explosion that happened
1:26:02in a Siberian Taigga in Yinisk Governor,
1:26:05now known as Castay Cry. The scientific
1:26:08consensus is that the explosion was
1:26:10caused by a celestial body, though
1:26:12whether it was a comet or an asteroid is
1:26:14[music] being debated to this day.
1:26:16Science fiction works based on this
1:26:17event also popularized alternative
1:26:19explanations like an alien spaceship
1:26:21crash landing or a beam of energy.
1:26:24Interrupts [music] this very unlikely
1:26:26but fun discussion between and by
1:26:29introducing her own version of events.
1:26:31Uh yeah, okay. Wait, holy [ __ ] Is that
1:26:33an outcome's razor reference? They go
1:26:34like this for a while and I say is happy
1:26:36that she gets to talk like this with
1:26:38people. But of course, nothing good
1:26:40happens to her if it's not a blessing
1:26:42from the universe. The signal grows
1:26:44stronger. They finally approach the
1:26:46entrance to the apartment building. The
1:26:48game tells us a little about kami
1:26:50blocks, particularly horshovkas, and how
1:26:52they're almost indistinguishable from
1:26:54each other. It's arguably the most
1:26:56famous piece of Soviet architecture, or
1:26:58infamous, depending on who you ask. The
1:27:01group enters the building, and the
1:27:02inside is also the same in all of them,
1:27:05including Asus. Even Iris's apartment is
1:27:07on the same floor and in the same place.
1:27:10Very cute. Ba tells everyone to stand
1:27:12near her and not say anything unless she
1:27:14says so. She rings the doorbell and
1:27:16after a bit we see Ira's mother who's
1:27:20looking pretty disheveled. Melina
1:27:22introduces everyone as friends and asks
1:27:24[music] for a book that she had lent to
1:27:26her. It's titled on the stability of
1:27:29closed systems. The woman is surprised
1:27:31that her daughter reads stuff like that
1:27:33but still agrees to look for it. Then
1:27:36explains to the gang that she didn't
1:27:37land any books so mother is going to
1:27:40come empty-handed. That's when they'll
1:27:42insist on looking for it inside the
1:27:44apartment. Even our resident girl
1:27:46grappler isn't okay with the [music]
1:27:47plan, but he doesn't get time to object
1:27:50when's mother comes back with the book,
1:27:54which she hands to Marina. She then says
1:27:58her thanks to the gang and slams the
1:28:00door in front of them.
1:28:08Melina is in total disbelief. She never
1:28:11gave this book to a ever. She had it in
1:28:14her bag in case they'd need to prove
1:28:16that they found it, but it's not there.
1:28:18Instead, it was at Ira's place. I opened
1:28:21the book on a random page. There's an
1:28:24order of certain components starting
1:28:26from moral belief, prejudice,
1:28:28subjectivity, and [music] it goes all
1:28:31the way down to food, water, sleep,
1:28:34breathing, and eventually soul. The soul
1:28:37in particular is the root of all
1:28:38cognitive function. Each subsequent
1:28:40component following the root is the
1:28:42result of varying degrees from the base
1:28:44[music] code which oh come on VM we
1:28:47really were digging for gold there. This
1:28:49is actually another piece of the puzzle
1:28:51that will help us later. So keep it in
1:28:52the back of your head. As for the actual
1:28:54book, I haven't been able to find
1:28:56anything on it. Maybe it exists, maybe
1:28:59it doesn't. If someone knows where all
1:29:00of this was sourced from, please leave a
1:29:02comment. is still digging in her bag to
1:29:05find the copy that she brought, but
1:29:06there was nothing. It's like the copy
1:29:08Ura's mother gave to her was the exact
1:29:11one that Molina brought with her. She
1:29:13looks so genuinely lost that even Vadim
1:29:16is uncharacteristically serious about
1:29:18this. But then, so it worked. She then
1:29:22quickly regains her composure and
1:29:24brushes it all off. Guess she's a bird
1:29:26brain after all. He my team goes along
1:29:28with it and throws out another casual
1:29:30insult. They then speculate about stuff
1:29:32which doesn't go anywhere. But Melina
1:29:34had already concocted another plan to
1:29:36get Iris's attention. They go behind the
1:29:38building and stop at the playground
1:29:40that's wedged in between the apartment
1:29:41blocks. So what's the glorious plan in
1:29:44question?
1:29:46Yep. Throw rocks at window. A pretty
1:29:49normal suggestion all things considered,
1:29:51but the target window is on the fifth
1:29:53floor. That's where yet again our new
1:29:56best friend Vadim comes in. [music]
1:29:58Surely he'll make the shot. They
1:29:59identify the exact window. It's the one
1:30:01with a teddy behind it. Isis imagination
1:30:04is swearing up again. Was this [music]
1:30:06the window was looking out of every day?
1:30:08Was she holding her teddy bear during
1:30:10those times? What's its [music] name?
1:30:12Misha Winnie. Sorry, Isa, but you're
1:30:15wrong. It's Roseel. Pa had dug up a
1:30:17couple of pebbles and handed them to
1:30:18Vadim. Dude's eye in the window like
1:30:20it's his last three-pointer of his whole
1:30:22career. He's taking too long, so Melina
1:30:25goes first and doesn't [music] even
1:30:26reach the wall. Vadim immediately calls
1:30:28her handicapped and shoots his shot.
1:30:30It's not too impressive, just below the
1:30:32second floor. He calls her Kaplan, which
1:30:34is a [music] first for this game so far.
1:30:36But then they decide to hold the
1:30:37competition. First one to hit the target
1:30:39wins. Loser by soda.
1:30:41>> Soda.
1:30:42>> It's now Asa's turn. She's not too sure
1:30:44about this. Her physical capabilities
1:30:46are pretty poor. However, she reminds
1:30:48herself that within her there is blood
1:30:50of ancient hunters, warriors that could
1:30:53overpower [music] prey much larger than
1:30:55themselves. The inner warrior is waking
1:30:58up. Adrenaline is pumping. It's do or
1:31:01die. I said, "You can do it. Your
1:31:03friends, your comrades are cheering you
1:31:05on." She prepares her throw and with
1:31:08utmost intensity, she
1:31:15not even 2 m. Yeah. Okay. Hey, you can
1:31:17sit this one out. Von fires the rest of
1:31:19his ammo and hits the third story
1:31:20window. With baited breath, the
1:31:22hooligans await their heavenly judgment,
1:31:24but nobody came. What follows is some of
1:31:26the usual fingerpointing and squabble,
1:31:29but they quickly resume the contest.
1:31:31Mina takes her turn and a four forehead.
1:31:34A moment of bewilderment followed by a
1:31:36smirk [music] of hubers. We don't need
1:31:38you, Vadim. Me and Asa can do this by
1:31:40ourselves. No need for third wheel. Oh,
1:31:42the humiliation, the bubbling pride
1:31:44inside of him. He's not giving up. His
1:31:47next row reaches even higher. Now the
1:31:49competition is getting interesting. What
1:31:51follows is an intense series of throws
1:31:53reaching higher or lower with a
1:31:55frequency of well a bunch of kids
1:31:57throwing snowballs and whatnot. I say is
1:31:58making herself useful by keeping track
1:32:00of the score and running under fire to
1:32:02collect rocks that have landed. By the
1:32:04way, can I mention that this is my
1:32:05favorite illustration in the game? I
1:32:07love how passionate and forceful Mina's
1:32:09expression and body language are. And I
1:32:11say is looking like a creature. This
1:32:13just reminds me of the good old days
1:32:14when I used to throw rocks at a friend's
1:32:16window so that he would go out to play
1:32:17with me. This whole sequence [music] is
1:32:19pretty much that, a depiction of how
1:32:20kids would have fun during those times.
1:32:22Asa contemplates how the [music] fallen
1:32:24pebbles look like a reversed meteor
1:32:26shower and how they are a sea of dark
1:32:28parabolis most uneven interrupted.
1:32:32She gets hit by a rock. That's what you
1:32:34get for daydreaming while collecting
1:32:35rocks under a so-called meteor [music]
1:32:37shower. This gives us my second favorite
1:32:39illustration in the game. Poor Ica. Get
1:32:41low soon. Our junior athletes are
1:32:43reaching higher and higher, [music]
1:32:45hitting a 4.54 milestone. Victory is
1:32:48near and so everyone chooses what soda
1:32:50they would like to get from the loser.
1:32:51Why didn't chooses cream soda? Asa likes
1:32:54[music] Duchess and Medina prefers tun.
1:32:56Duchess and tune in particular are
1:32:59drinks that originated in the Soviet
1:33:01Union. Duchess or Duchess being pearl
1:33:04flavored while tun is made using an
1:33:06extract of a plant named taragon or
1:33:08estreon. I'm not sure if there's any
1:33:10significance to them preferring these
1:33:12kinds of sodas, but I remarks that Vadim
1:33:15drinking cream soda is cute. I have no
1:33:17idea why. Maybe they thought he's too
1:33:19mature for that. Well, anyway, Milina
1:33:21prepares her ultimate throw. She hasn't
1:33:24missed one in a while, as she said.
1:33:26That's probably a jinx.
1:33:28Oh, no. Yep, definitely a jinx. The
1:33:30criminals quickly make their getaway,
1:33:32but the disgruntled voice recognized the
1:33:34one of them as Merina. She's probably
1:33:36going to get an earful from her brother,
1:33:37but the kids are having too much fun to
1:33:39care about that until Isa inevitably
1:33:41asks what's their next move.
1:33:43Fortunately, there's a plan C. The
1:33:45actual reason why Vladim is here is that
1:33:47some time ago, he checked every building
1:33:49in the town to see if they have rooftop
1:33:51access. The gang is going to go to one
1:33:53of them and try to see into window to
1:33:55maybe catch a glimpse of her. If they
1:33:57had a flashlight, they would try to
1:33:59flash Morse code in there, but they
1:34:00thought of this idea a bit too late. In
1:34:03any case, after a bit more banter, they
1:34:05enter a building that is opposite of
1:34:06Iris and go to the top floor. There's a
1:34:08ladder and the hatch that they can open.
1:34:10Getting out on the roof would be
1:34:12dangerous because of all the snow and
1:34:14ice. So, they decide to use binoculars
1:34:16while standing on the ladder. Melina
1:34:17looks out and reckons that throwing a
1:34:19pebble from here should be easier than
1:34:21from the ground. As I suggest, she runs
1:34:23down and grabs some from the playground,
1:34:25but Vladim stops her in the tracks,
1:34:27prohibiting Molina from breaking any
1:34:28more windows while sarcastically
1:34:30comparing her to a female World War II
1:34:32sniper, Ludmil Pichanka, who was so
1:34:34famous that she earned the nickname Lady
1:34:36Death due to her immense skill count.
1:34:38The binoculars get passed to Asa and so
1:34:41she climbs the ladder to see the outside
1:34:42view.
1:34:46The endless purple [music] sky stretches
1:34:48across the whole world. The snowy fog is
1:34:51so low that you'd think you can touch it
1:34:53if you were tall enough. Asa asks
1:34:55whether this is the tallest building,
1:34:57and Vadim tells her that the radio tower
1:34:59[music] on top of the research institute
1:35:00is the highest point in the city. It's
1:35:03off limits, though. As I tinkers with
1:35:04the binoculars and spots Iris's window,
1:35:06but the room is [music] pitch black, so
1:35:08there's not much to see. Well, there is
1:35:12something. A pair of eyes, tangled hair,
1:35:15someone looking back. No, never mind.
1:35:18[music] There's nothing nothing for her
1:35:21to see. At least it was a human shape
1:35:24sitting in that room. The shape of Ira's
1:35:28mother.
1:35:35So, in the end, nothing came of their
1:35:37investigation, no matter how Melina
1:35:39tries to deny it. She's even a bit
1:35:41pissed about it, snapping at Vadim when
1:35:43he remarks how he saw her hanging out
1:35:45with friends prior to all this. In the
1:35:47end though, Milin invites everyone to
1:35:48the movies. Vadim being his usual [ __ ]
1:35:51yourself doesn't like the idea but gets
1:35:52golded into it anyway. Aisha thinks
1:35:55about the whole situation as a temporary
1:35:57thing. Vadim will soon return to booing
1:35:59her at school and Molina will stop
1:36:01talking to her once the era situation
1:36:03gets resolved. It's a short-lived
1:36:05blessing, [music] but one she shall
1:36:07appreciate nonetheless. They then arrive
1:36:10at the movie theater sharing corn puffs
1:36:12and one large bottle of communal soda
1:36:14that serves as a compromise since they
1:36:16couldn't decide who's the loser. Don't
1:36:18wor. I'm sure you'll get your duchess in
1:36:20the sequel. The movie itself is from the
1:36:22US about a crossdresser. I have to add
1:36:25that LGBTQ plus representation in the
1:36:28USSR was almost non-existent for a large
1:36:30portion of its history. The government
1:36:32would often dismantle any groups that
1:36:34advocated for gay rights, often using
1:36:36physical removal as a permanent
1:36:37solution. Article 121 of the Soviet
1:36:40Penal Code, which prohibited
1:36:42specifically homosexual relations
1:36:43between men was removed only in 1993,
1:36:46while queer behavior was no longer
1:36:48considered a mental illness only in
1:36:501999. Anyway, the kids are no strangers
1:36:52to such flicks. Soviet cinema also has a
1:36:55very popular movie, Hello, I'm Your
1:36:57Aunt, which has a similar premise. Why
1:36:59didn't tries to one up everyone by
1:37:00saying that his [screaming]
1:37:02the lights dim and the premov role of
1:37:04Fatil starts playing. Fitil was a movie
1:37:07journal that made short 10-minute long
1:37:09comedic episodes that were shown just
1:37:11before a movie would start. These
1:37:12episodes would tell anecdotes and
1:37:14stories that would make fun of
1:37:15corruption and general misdemeanors like
1:37:18drinking in public spaces. The journal's
1:37:20goal was to fight with negative aspects
1:37:21of society by injecting a humorous
1:37:23almost mocking attitude towards it and
1:37:26encouraging citizens to not fall prey to
1:37:28these things. Then the film begins.
1:37:32It's very glossy, very powerful. There's
1:37:34usually a clear contrast between Soviet
1:37:36and American movies. Soviet cinema was
1:37:39more grounded, more downto- earthth and
1:37:41true-to-life, depicting stories on a
1:37:43more personal scale. Hollywood, in
1:37:45comparison, had advanced filming [music]
1:37:47technology and equipment and a whole
1:37:48different philosophy when it came to
1:37:50making art, and it showed. Asa describes
1:37:52it as an exquisite fake, one that even
1:37:55[music] the creators believe is real.
1:37:56Writing an unbelievable story and then
1:37:59selling it as real with unrivaled
1:38:00professionalism and creativity. That's
1:38:03what Hollywood was all about. Not that
1:38:05Soviet filmmakers [music] couldn't
1:38:06create masterpieces that incorporated
1:38:08fantastical elements. They very much
1:38:10could. But I'm not a film critic, so my
1:38:12opinion is just that. My opinion. Turns
1:38:14out it's a very funny movie. But Isa's
1:38:17[music] vision starts to blur. Sounds
1:38:19turn into an unrecognizable cacophony.
1:38:21Her cheeks are hot from what I assume
1:38:24are tears. Mina asks her what's wrong,
1:38:26but receives no answer. It's oh, just
1:38:29noise.
1:38:34She wakes up outside the theater in
1:38:35Melina's arms. Vadim asks what's going
1:38:38on and offers to bring something to
1:38:40drink, but his concern is unneeded. As
1:38:42is now fully lucid and is now wondering
1:38:44about where is she now. What is she
1:38:47doing? Maybe she's given up thinking
1:38:50that everyone's forgotten about her.
1:38:51Vadian tries to reassure her that she'll
1:38:53be found, but that's not what meant. She
1:38:56asks, "How can they even do this? laugh,
1:39:00watch movies, have fun, while a is
1:39:02deteriorating by the second. In return,
1:39:05Vadim asks if they should just sit down
1:39:07and cry while waiting for a miracle
1:39:09[music] to happen. She disagrees, but
1:39:11doesn't know what to do instead.
1:39:13Spending time like that makes her feel
1:39:15rotten. Vadim tries to put his thoughts
1:39:17through a realistic lens. It's not their
1:39:20fault that a disappeared, but self
1:39:22flagagillating yourself like that won't
1:39:24help anyone, including a head. Asa knows
1:39:27that he's not wrong, but it's his
1:39:29perspective, one that she's not allowed
1:39:32to have. She then compares herself to a
1:39:34pig who doesn't deserve to frolic around
1:39:36the grasslands while a horse is lying in
1:39:39a ravine with broken legs. It's the same
1:39:41sentiment she expressed earlier that she
1:39:44doesn't deserve the blessing of hanging
1:39:45out with friends and having a normal
1:39:47life with normal relationships. It
1:39:50contradicts her earlier view on how such
1:39:52things should be accepted and
1:39:53appreciated no matter whether she thinks
1:39:55such gifts from the heavens are just or
1:39:57not. Her disgust with herself combined
1:40:00with her love for her friends and
1:40:02especially [music] Ura creates this
1:40:04mindset that eats at a person from
1:40:06within making one believe that they
1:40:08shouldn't have existed to begin with.
1:40:10Asa responds to Vadim saying she can't
1:40:12feel the way he does. Wasn't polite to
1:40:15him or anyone, so they might not feel
1:40:17too bad for her. But Asa, on the other
1:40:20hand, can't imagine living without her.
1:40:24You didn't even know her that well.
1:40:28Well, might as well laugh, Vim. You've
1:40:31earned it. But he doesn't. Melina
1:40:34quietly demands Madim goes back to the
1:40:36theater, but he instead heads home. It's
1:40:38not really the mood right now for
1:40:40watching movies. Lena then starts
1:40:42blaming herself for even gathering
1:40:44everyone in the first place, saying that
1:40:46it was dumb of her to think that she
1:40:48could change something and hanging on to
1:40:49hope that her actions will help someone.
1:40:52Asia objects to this, but Melina
1:40:54interrupts her and says that she is a
1:40:56forgiven person and that she wishes she
1:40:58could forgive herself like that. Then
1:41:00they part ways.
1:41:02I say regards this day as another
1:41:05illusion, an American film, a dream you
1:41:08will inevitably wake up from. Everything
1:41:10will be the same tomorrow. [music]
1:41:11Same classes, same bullying, same
1:41:14prayers for era to come. She thinks
1:41:16about how fun it would have been if she
1:41:18spent this day with a how high would she
1:41:20throw a pebble? What soda would she
1:41:22prefer? Would she enjoy the movie? How
1:41:25nice would it be to see her laughing?
1:41:29Asa returns to the playground, dragging
1:41:31her feet across [music] the snow. She
1:41:33doesn't believe Melina's theory. Hell,
1:41:35Melina herself didn't believe in it
1:41:37either. But this is something that Asa
1:41:39has to do. It's disrespectful to even
1:41:41think the way they did. But this is a
1:41:43selfish gesture that she allows herself
1:41:45today. This is something that makes her
1:41:47feel content to have done something that
1:41:50may or may not bring results. A message
1:42:09Two girls meet up outside and [music]
1:42:11are soon going to head to this village
1:42:13cafe. Merina slips a pill bottle into
1:42:16pocket and warns her not to give in to
1:42:18her addictive personality. A returns the
1:42:20favor by puffing smoke into Marina's
1:42:22[music] face. She probably deserves it.
1:42:24Inside they start talking about the
1:42:26chair incident and how Vadim irritated
1:42:29a. Yeah, you tell me. She mentions Isa
1:42:31and how after that day she caught her
1:42:33doing her business and started to
1:42:35apologize [music] for everything that is
1:42:37happening to her. But then explains that
1:42:39might have become clingy because those
1:42:41kinds of people [music] don't get much
1:42:43attention and tend to put a lot of
1:42:45importance into seemingly insignificant
1:42:47things. She would also treat it like a
1:42:48big deal if it happened to her in
1:42:50[music] middle school. Here is not sure
1:42:52what Madun is talking about there. It
1:42:54all makes sense on the surface, but it
1:42:56would then have to be applied [music] to
1:42:58herself as well, which it doesn't
1:43:01because that would mean that Merina
1:43:04changes the subject to Marina's
1:43:06displeasure, [music] but ultimately she
1:43:08doesn't mind as she starts prattling
1:43:09about some school drama and her friends
1:43:11and stuff. Ara's slowly zoning out. She
1:43:15knows that Melina noticed her not
1:43:17listening, but she's talking like
1:43:18nothing's happening. That's right.
1:43:21Nothing has happened [music] nor will
1:43:23ever happen. It's all pointless here.
1:43:26First intended to tell Molina that she's
1:43:28done, but couldn't quite catch the
1:43:30moment. Well, she could all this time
1:43:32just walk away, but it's particularly
1:43:35hard to do this time. Why is she so
1:43:37weak? No matter how much you choose, the
1:43:41cake doesn't taste like anything.
1:43:50All right, another signal, but this one
1:43:52is a bit easier to parse. I won't dive
1:43:54too deep here, but the important bit
1:43:56right now is that we know why Iris's
1:43:58meeting with Asa behind the garages had
1:44:00irritated her so much. Well, at least
1:44:02that's the reason gave to Molina. What's
1:44:05also important is that a had stopped
1:44:07taking her pills sometime before this
1:44:08conversation, presumably even as far
1:44:11back as before the chair incident. Why
1:44:13would I stop taking them? [music] It's
1:44:15probably because of those side effects
1:44:16they mentioned. Do they have anything to
1:44:18do with ear's behavior? We still don't
1:44:21have all the information we need. So,
1:44:23let's just keep going.
1:44:30Imagine drawing a line. It won't be
1:44:33perfectly straight. It'll be wavy and
1:44:36jagged at times, especially if you go on
1:44:38long enough. So, you keep going. From up
1:44:42close, it's a mess. But if you start
1:44:44zooming out, all the imperfections will
1:44:46become insignificant until your eyesight
1:44:48will only see a single perfect straight
1:44:51line. Even if the fluctuations are
1:44:53enormous, the line just needs to be long
1:44:55enough so that they too become
1:44:57negligible. Picture now an endless line,
1:45:00one that stretches across the whole
1:45:02entire universe. Only an infinite curve
1:45:06could possibly offset it, right? In
1:45:08other words, a circle, a cassette reel
1:45:11that plays everything that has and will
1:45:13ever happen. Is the song endless or is
1:45:16it stuck on loop? The real is endless.
1:45:19Hence, there's no need to rewind the
1:45:21tape. And it's a beautiful song. There's
1:45:24no need to change it, nor is it possible
1:45:26to do so. To dream of altering something
1:45:29that's already perfect. It's
1:45:31blasphemous. Who are you to think you
1:45:33could improve a masterpiece? You a human
1:45:36or do you wish to deface it? To inflict
1:45:39change like could inflict a wound upon
1:45:40the body? How low? Thankfully, the body
1:45:44that you're wounding heals much better
1:45:46and faster than you could ever imagine.
1:45:48You push the knife in and you feel it
1:45:51all. The resistance of the skin, the
1:45:53muscle, the bone. You feel the warm
1:45:56blood gushing. You blink. There is no
1:45:59knife. There is no cut. Your hands are
1:46:03clean. All that remains is a faint smell
1:46:06of rust. You act surprised, but deep
1:46:09down you knew this would happen because
1:46:12you've always been aware of it.
1:46:14Everything in this world returns to
1:46:17absolute.
1:46:19It's December 24th. She feels the sun's
1:46:22gaze pierce through the concrete. It's
1:46:24something that she has to catch,
1:46:26something that she needs to see and own
1:46:28up to her hubris. Her signal is not
1:46:31strong enough to pierce for solid
1:46:32objects. Even the window is too thick,
1:46:35showing only a face she doesn't want to
1:46:37look [music] at. Vadim brings Asia back
1:46:39to Earth, asking for her homework once
1:46:41more. She's reluctant this time, asking
1:46:44why they can't do it themselves. He
1:46:46predictably answers that they are too
1:46:48busy with their own stuff. As says she's
1:46:50also busy, to which Vadim says, "Doing
1:46:53what? Walking alone, looking at snow to
1:46:56hallucinate." What? Why? Why did he say
1:46:59this? Why did she ever think that he
1:47:02wouldn't talk about it? Her classmates
1:47:04are reminded of the car repair shop
1:47:05incident in fifth grade. She was always
1:47:08weirder to them. Maybe she's like one of
1:47:10those quiet kids that might have even
1:47:12killed era herself.
1:47:13>> Shut up.
1:47:15>> Huh? Was that her own voice? Vadim is a
1:47:19little taken aback, but still gives the
1:47:21usual [ __ ] about all of this being a
1:47:23joke. He asks once again for the
1:47:25homework. [music] This time, Asia
1:47:27refuses. Oh well, guess it's the entire
1:47:29back then. She can't do anything about
1:47:31this. Only pray for someone to show up.
1:47:34And even now, she stops herself from
1:47:36even thinking about it. Not because the
1:47:38most important person in her life will
1:47:40no longer appear. No, it's because this
1:47:42is how it's meant to be. Any divergence
1:47:45will be calmed into a perfectly straight
1:47:47line. Vadim's actions were meant to send
1:47:50a message, not from him, but from the
1:47:52universe. He might not see it, but Isa
1:47:55sees everything. His smirk, his eyes,
1:47:58his laughter, all of it feels a little
1:48:01forced. That slight hint of concern he
1:48:03showed back at the theater. It was
1:48:05something to be corrected. This isn't
1:48:07happening of his own accord. It's the
1:48:09universe's will returning everything to
1:48:12an equilibrium, to absolute, and he's
1:48:15none the wiser. But she sees this beauty
1:48:18with her own two eyes. It's so beautiful
1:48:21it hurts. It's okay. Don't worry about
1:48:24him, she says. He shows a sign of
1:48:26nervousness about anything. His friends
1:48:31make a few more dicks at her, but she
1:48:33now welcomes them. The signal grows
1:48:36stronger. Soon she'll fulfill her
1:48:38purpose. A bird flies past the window
1:48:41three times in a row.
1:48:44As you can see, as the game goes on,
1:48:46Isa's thoughts are diving more and more
1:48:48into the realm of cosmology and
1:48:50metaphysics. The more she suffers in the
1:48:53real world, the more she tries to
1:48:54disconnect herself from the [music]
1:48:56immediate surroundings and justify
1:48:58things that are happening around her.
1:49:00It's a defense mechanism, [music]
1:49:01probably one that she had developed
1:49:03after the car shop incident. And it's a
1:49:05unique one, too, but not one that comes
1:49:08completely out of left field. Remember
1:49:10that sci-fi novel I mentioned? I read it
1:49:13so many times that if she had to recite
1:49:15its contents under threat of torture,
1:49:17she'd do it no problem. And think about
1:49:19how much time she used to spend at the
1:49:21library before the events of the game.
1:49:22She probably scoured the entire thing
1:49:24for science fiction stuff and maybe read
1:49:26some actual studies relating to
1:49:28philosophy and the cosmos. What I'm
1:49:30saying is the more reality beats it
1:49:33down, the more she tries to justify
1:49:34[music] it with higher concepts and the
1:49:37cosmic will doing its thing. It's
1:49:39unsettling if you think about it. This
1:49:41kind of unnatural optimism for me sounds
1:49:44more like fanaticism. We'll soon learn
1:49:46that there's more to Assa's worldview
1:49:49that meets the eye. But for now, let's
1:49:51continue.
1:49:55Usually, it's Molina who runs up to us
1:49:58after having talked with a bunch of
1:49:59friends. But now, o girl, what happened
1:50:03to you? Was the window thing that
1:50:05serious? She's walking along the
1:50:06corridors like a ghost and only snaps
1:50:09out of it once Isaic calls to her. They
1:50:11have a very strange conversation. Marina
1:50:14is usually the chipper, more proactive
1:50:16one. But this time, Isa has to lead and
1:50:19so she opens with the worst topic
1:50:20imaginable. This girl is not exactly a
1:50:23smooth operator, but you know, suggest
1:50:25they stop talking about a stop talking
1:50:27to each other. Period. She says she was
1:50:30stringing her along to help her delude
1:50:32herself into denying the obvious. If she
1:50:34and another person put their mind to
1:50:36believe in an obvious falsehood, then
1:50:38maybe it would become tangible. that era
1:50:41was with friends or at school or
1:50:43somewhere where she's okay. But ends up
1:50:45blaming herself for everything that had
1:50:47happened these past few days and maybe
1:50:49even beyond that. And so she's given up.
1:50:53Isa doesn't want to part with her and
1:50:55still wants to be friends. I bet you do.
1:50:57She then warns Asa to not hang out with
1:51:00people like her and promptly leaves. In
1:51:02the last moment, however, Asa noticed
1:51:04something in Manila's eyes that she
1:51:07shouldn't have seen beyond the smiling
1:51:09mask. An unfathomable, depressing
1:51:11[music] despair. Apparently, it's been
1:51:13there since forever. It all returns to
1:51:16its original form. She knew that this
1:51:18would happen, so why won't this ache go
1:51:20away?
1:51:23It must be the painful beauty of it all.
1:51:26She's overwhelmed. Everything falls back
1:51:28[music] into place so gracefully that
1:51:30it's impossible to tear your eyes away.
1:51:32Starting from the end, my dem's abnormal
1:51:35behavior started pretty late, but it got
1:51:37corrected rather quickly. Mina was
1:51:40talking to her almost every day. A very
1:51:42strong deviation. That's why her peace
1:51:44falling back into place caused a strong
1:51:46emotional reaction. So far so good. Then
1:51:49there's her. She was the first to come.
1:51:52She'll be the last to go. But how would
1:51:55that work? She's been gone for a long
1:51:57time already. There's nothing to comb.
1:51:59No, she must still exist somewhere in
1:52:01this world, dead or alive. As long as
1:52:03she exists in this world, this
1:52:05abnormality won't go away. So, how can
1:52:08traces of her be removed? No way as
1:52:11would forget her. She will remember that
1:52:12poem she had written for her. She'll
1:52:15remember the prayers. She'll remember
1:52:17her until the day she dies. And after
1:52:20that,
1:52:22the message is still there in the snow.
1:52:25Even if it's a bit shallow now in a
1:52:27window, there's no sign of a teddy bear.
1:52:29A simple message from the infinitely
1:52:31complex universe. She will be erased.
1:52:34Everything about
1:52:36will leave the world until there's only
1:52:38memory. Well, then a memory she'll be.
1:52:41She's looking straight at it. Her signal
1:52:43is not very strong, so her words may not
1:52:46be heard, but her intent will be felt.
1:52:48It may cleanse all the distortion on
1:52:50planet Earth. It can erase everything
1:52:52and everyone else for good. That's part
1:52:55of why she loves it. But there's a hint
1:52:57of denial, a rebellion. It may be mad,
1:53:00but [music] this won't change anything.
1:53:02She's just a pitiful, worthless gnat.
1:53:04She knows nothing she does matters. But
1:53:06for a no, for herself, the memory of her
1:53:09won't fade. That's the one thing that
1:53:11won't [music] change. It can swat her
1:53:13like a fly if it's so vicious. In any
1:53:15way, at any place, at any moment, erase
1:53:18her from this world. She's part of the
1:53:20problem. Right now that era exists
1:53:22within her, there's no choice but to
1:53:24smite her. So do it. Please cleanse your
1:53:28body. Cleanse it of this filth. Heal.
1:53:32Let the world return to its axes. Make
1:53:35everything right. Take everything back.
1:53:38Make everything nice. Make everyone
1:53:40happy. I'm begging you. Please, please,
1:53:44please, please
1:53:47>> do it. Godamn it. Her
1:53:54voice doesn't even echo between the
1:53:56buildings. Nobody pays any attention to
1:53:58it. And yet, she feels it. The signal
1:54:01has reached halfway. It made it past the
1:54:03densest layer. All that's left is to
1:54:05gather just a little more love, a little
1:54:08more gratitude, a little more [music]
1:54:10warmth, a little more, just a tiny bit
1:54:13more. And then then then
1:54:16you'll know. You know how much she
1:54:19really loves you.
1:54:22Isa tries calling Merina, but instead
1:54:25her brother Leaf picks up. A strange
1:54:28series of dull clinking noises come out
1:54:31from the other end. She's not feeling
1:54:33too well, so her brother offers to pass
1:54:36a message. Asa declines the offer and
1:54:38says her goodbyes, hanging up the phone.
1:54:52Someone is walking, feeling the solid
1:54:55ground underneath their boots. It is
1:54:57firm and solid until it suddenly isn't.
1:55:01They're falling, like in a dream. You
1:55:03probably had those at some point in your
1:55:05life. But why did you fall? The ground
1:55:08was there and you were so cautious. You
1:55:11think it's not fair. Not fair. Not fair.
1:55:14It's not fair. It's not fair. Damn it.
1:55:16Hey, someone's calling out to you, but
1:55:19you're still falling. It wasn't possible
1:55:21to save yourself from falling to begin
1:55:23with. Who are you kidding? [music]
1:55:25You can't prevent a fall when there's no
1:55:27ground below you. An impact needs two
1:55:30objects. There are no two objects. It's
1:55:33all one object. It's one object.
1:55:37Everything in the world is only one
1:55:40object.
1:55:41You jolt and skitter away from someone
1:55:43who just touched your shoulder. It's a
1:55:45blurry image, an incomprehensible shape
1:55:48with no discernable features. It asks
1:55:50whether or not you can see it. [music]
1:55:52Its hair color, the number of fingers
1:55:54it's holding. It's getting closer, but
1:55:56you can't get up. Your hands sink into
1:55:59something. Your legs are like spaghetti.
1:56:01Why won't it go away? What does it want?
1:56:04You're maybe scared, maybe confused,
1:56:07maybe angry. You try to throw something
1:56:10at the shape to make it go away. It
1:56:12flies back right into your face. You
1:56:15spit out the dirty grass that you threw
1:56:17against the wind. The person in front of
1:56:19you laughs. What the hell is your
1:56:20problem? Wait, her? It's a girl's voice.
1:56:24You lift your head up, trying to shut
1:56:26her up with your frustrated comments.
1:56:28Well, it's not you. Okay, it's you
1:56:31watching from Iris POV, but the text box
1:56:33said me, so it's kind of you. Look, it
1:56:36it was supposed to be immersive. Kira is
1:56:38still woozy and somewhat disoriented.
1:56:40She doesn't yet know who Merina is. She
1:56:43barely manages to stand up using a
1:56:45garage wall as support while refusing
1:56:47Marina's help. She knows better than to
1:56:49accept something like that. However,
1:56:51there's no sign of pity in her eyes.
1:56:53It's weird. Apparently, Molina followed
1:56:56her. But why? It's very unnatural for a
1:56:59[music] girl to be here. That's why I
1:57:01sometimes hides here when she feels like
1:57:03an episode is coming on because there's
1:57:05nothing more she hates than being pied.
1:57:07Elena tries to greet her properly by
1:57:09introducing [music] herself and offering
1:57:11a handshake but a refuses. You should
1:57:14though, she replies. Helps you
1:57:15stabilize, gripping something, feeling
1:57:18its texture. Good way to ground yourself
1:57:20though. I guess you're touching that
1:57:22wall already. A is completely lost. She
1:57:25can't get a read on Molina. Isn't this
1:57:27the part where she's supposed to laugh
1:57:28and mock her? She even swears not to
1:57:31snitch and offers to help with the
1:57:33episodes. She vehemently refuses, but
1:57:36Molina mentions she's the same as a she.
1:57:38She has the same condition and gets into
1:57:40similar cognitive states of confusion
1:57:42and helplessness. Maybe a even heard
1:57:44about her weird behavior back in middle
1:57:46school. She hasn't. This surprises
1:57:48Molina, maybe even more than you'd
1:57:50expect, but she suddenly gets so giggly
1:57:53and greets her like it's their first
1:57:55time seeing each other. Well, no matter.
1:57:57Time to stand up. Never mind. Although
1:58:00Molina failed to save her from face
1:58:02planting, she helps her up and invites
1:58:04her to a cafe. A sweet treat, huh? Wait,
1:58:07no. A doesn't even know her. Why would
1:58:09this girl be so friendly with a
1:58:11stranger? She stumbles away from her,
1:58:13trying to shake this weird feeling off,
1:58:15but Molina lets out her frustrated yell.
1:58:17Do you want to get better or not? She
1:58:20tries to [music] present the facts as
1:58:21they are. A won't get better, not unless
1:58:24she does something about it. And Molina
1:58:26is the one who can help her get better.
1:58:29No matter how protested, [music] she let
1:58:31herself get soft. She was set on letting
1:58:33her condition get worse until there was
1:58:36nothing to save. And despite [music]
1:58:38that, on the day she met Merolina, deep
1:58:41in her heart, hope reared its ugly head.
1:58:45>> [music]
1:58:52>> It's another more or less
1:58:53straightforward [music] signal. Now
1:58:55we're directly shown what ears condition
1:58:57looks like. It has symptoms akin to
1:58:59delirium accompanied with an intense
1:59:01brain fog of sorts. Not a medical
1:59:03professional, by the way. I'm probably
1:59:06maybe most certainly wrong here. What is
1:59:08apparent is that it feels like reality
1:59:10itself gives way under your feet.
1:59:12[music] You slip away into the void.
1:59:14kind of like falling in a dream as it
1:59:17gets pointed out at the beginning. It's
1:59:18the worst [music] kind of condition for
1:59:20a who seems like an independent girl who
1:59:23hates feeling helpless and despises
1:59:25being pied. What's interesting is how
1:59:27she gets out of that state. A mentions
1:59:29that having something that has a
1:59:31distinct texture, [music] temperature,
1:59:33and other features like a human hand for
1:59:35example can help you with the
1:59:37stabilization process. Notice how the
1:59:39scene happens behind rows of garages.
1:59:41Remember the scene when Ira and Dais met
1:59:44behind garages and a was holding a
1:59:46thermos? Probably with something warm
1:59:48inside. Yeah, she's still doing the
1:59:50stabilization things solo, but at least
1:59:53she kept in mind her friend's advice.
1:59:55There's even a piece of art on fair's
1:59:57Twitter account showing a holding aos
2:00:00with a caption, "Ground yourself." Well,
2:00:03ain't that something? There are also
2:00:05some implications that [music] suggest
2:00:06Iran and Merina knew each other before
2:00:08the events of Signal A, but that's a bit
2:00:11less concrete and not really important
2:00:13right now. It could just be that she's
2:00:15very excited to bond with another person
2:00:17who's suffering from a similar
2:00:19misfortune. Although there's a lot of
2:00:21insightful info in this flashback, we
2:00:23still do not know the exact nature of
2:00:26the disease Iran and Malina are
2:00:27afflicted with. And this is the last
2:00:30signal we'll get. [music] So, I suppose
2:00:32it's a mystery that in time will be
2:00:35resolved.
2:00:38December 25th, Molina called sick. Isa
2:00:41is gathering information on her to pay
2:00:43her a visit. She is still wondering why
2:00:45the universe is letting her do this,
2:00:47defying it like that without any
2:00:49punishment. She comes up to Vadim, who's
2:00:51hanging out with the boys outside. He's
2:00:53not exactly eager to talk right now, but
2:00:55Isa mentions the pills and he's
2:00:57immediately cooperative. You cannot
2:00:59imagine how hyped I was when the tables
2:01:02were turned on this waste of desk space.
2:01:04Isa just wants to ask for a home
2:01:06address, but Vadim is adamant that her
2:01:08visit won't change anything. He then
2:01:10reveals to her that those pills that
2:01:12Molina's brother is stealing from the
2:01:13lab, they're meant for her. I guess as
2:01:16much from the conversation he and Molina
2:01:18were having way back then. Vadim then
2:01:20reveals that Molina doesn't even see her
2:01:22as a friend. He's sure that Mina was
2:01:24keeping As someone to compare herself to
2:01:27in terms of being normal, like how hot
2:01:29chicks always have that one ugly friend.
2:01:32Uh, you never change, do you? Isa
2:01:35doesn't believe him for a second and
2:01:36even questions his behavior. How can he
2:01:39be such an ass hat towards someone who's
2:01:41been friends with him for a long time
2:01:42and even shared a good amount of the
2:01:44pills she's been splitting between
2:01:45herself and a probably in limited supply
2:01:48and Vadim doesn't even pay for them.
2:01:50This provokes from him an irritated
2:01:52response. But then he reveals that the
2:01:55pills are not even that effective. His
2:01:57brother and father are suffering from
2:01:59the condition and this medication barely
2:02:02even helps. What's even the point if it
2:02:04continues like this? He finally gives up
2:02:06the address and leaves with a pensive
2:02:09look on his face. Asa is still readying
2:02:12herself to be smited, but it never
2:02:15comes. She guesses that the situation
2:02:17may be unsavvageable at this point, but
2:02:19she still wants to see Merina to talk to
2:02:21her. On the way, she grabs some cookies
2:02:24from the store and heads inside Molina's
2:02:26apartment building. She's heading up the
2:02:28stairs, still asking the universe
2:02:30whether what she's doing is something
2:02:32permissible in its size. She's already
2:02:34in front of the door, reaching for the
2:02:36doorbell, still letting her do this.
2:02:39It's not too late. Perhaps back then
2:02:42when Voodian said that Asa doesn't
2:02:44understand how people work, he was
2:02:46right. Maybe she really doesn't
2:02:48understand how the universe works.
2:02:53After a bit of time, some footsteps are
2:02:55heard. Molina opens the door. She looks
2:02:58very tired and guesses that I is here
2:03:00because their conversation didn't end
2:03:02too pleasantly. But no, she just cares
2:03:05for her friend who had fallen ill. Aw,
2:03:08she'll be back on her feet in a couple
2:03:09of days doing cartwheels and teaching
2:03:11Assa to do the same. They'll have to
2:03:13tape a pillow to her head, though. The
2:03:14talk is going very well, but this is the
2:03:17fake Mad was talking about. The front
2:03:19she's putting up. Nah, that [ __ ] is
2:03:22lying. Her apartment is actually empty
2:03:24at the moment, so Isa asks if she can
2:03:27come over for some tea. Mela appreciates
2:03:29the offer, but then bursts into a coffin
2:03:32fit and [music] tries to retreat back
2:03:34into the apartment to protect Asa from
2:03:35infecting her. Asa however gets her foot
2:03:38stuck [music] between the door and the
2:03:39frame. How clumsy this though bought her
2:03:42a few seconds to maybe convince Mina to
2:03:44let her in. After all, she really wanted
2:03:46to
2:03:51that clinking.
2:03:54It could be heard through the phone as
2:03:55well.
2:03:59This girl is not alone here. My starts
2:04:02intensively coughing much less subtly
2:04:05than before. She's sick, you see. She
2:04:07has to rest, you see. The door moves
2:04:08again, but Asa grabs it, trying to pull
2:04:10it open. She asks about the noise, and
2:04:12Mina gives a load of [ __ ] answers.
2:04:14There's a feeling in her gut. She has to
2:04:16come in. They fight for control until
2:04:18Mina lets go of the handle, making us a
2:04:20tumble. The door then immediately
2:04:22closes. Desperation sets in. It mustn't
2:04:24dent like this. She just wanted to talk
2:04:26to her smile. Even brought her cookies.
2:04:29They could drink tea and talk. They
2:04:31could talk like they used to. It'll be
2:04:33the same. it it will be even better. She
2:04:36pleads into the closed door, scared that
2:04:38she'll be left alone again. Scared that
2:04:40Melina will disappear from her life just
2:04:41like a did. Even if she's strung her
2:04:43alone or used her, even if she's real or
2:04:45not, it doesn't matter. She just wants
2:04:47to talk. No matter who the person inside
2:04:49the apartment actually is, she knows
2:04:51she's pathetic, begging like that, that
2:04:53she's arrogant, selfish, disgusted,
2:04:55repulsive, stubborn, stupid. It doesn't
2:04:58matter. But it's still so humiliating.
2:05:01Despite that, AA continues trying to
2:05:03convince Molina to let her in, being as
2:05:05demeaning to herself as possible. Maybe
2:05:08this is all a test, a lesson to be
2:05:10learned. Maybe this will stop her from
2:05:12trying to deviate from the norm. But
2:05:14it's too late. You've already spoiled
2:05:16her rotten. There's nothing for her to
2:05:18lose now, only to push through. And
2:05:22this scene is honestly too disturbing
2:05:24for me to continue describing in a
2:05:26normal way. It feels to me like an
2:05:28eternity passes while this goes on. Asa
2:05:31is still begging for Marina to open the
2:05:33door and to become her friend. Please
2:05:34Marina, please. Marina, please Marina.
2:05:45>> So, you think I'm a nice person?
2:05:48>> I of course.
2:05:51>> And you want to be my friend?
2:05:54>> Yeah. Yes.
2:05:57I I really really do.
2:06:03>> All right, then. Come in.
2:06:06>> Uh uh. Thank you. Thank you so much. I
2:06:09>> Yeah. Yeah. Be quiet. Get in.
2:06:12>> Right. Sorry.
2:06:28The same series of shallow but
2:06:30consistent clinking sounds can be heard
2:06:32inside, accompanied by the ticking of a
2:06:35clock. Asa hands Mina the cookies,
2:06:38wondering if it's a cat who's making
2:06:39those noises. According to Mina's
2:06:41earlier statement, she instead reminds
2:06:44Asia of that argument by the research
2:06:46institute and how she said it's easy to
2:06:49trust her. It's true she does trust her
2:06:52otherwise she wouldn't be standing here.
2:06:55Their eyes meet each other. Asa is
2:06:58unbothered by the darkness inside
2:07:00Molina.
2:07:01She's here, isn't she?
2:07:05I'll show you.
2:07:08The door opens. Molina walks in.
2:07:13Those sounds, it's a teaspoon tapping on
2:07:17the glass again and again.
2:07:21It all makes sense now.
2:07:42It's a absent mindedly holding a spoon,
2:07:47unresponsive to anything. Her eyes are
2:07:51empty, her appearance barely kept
2:07:54together thanks to Molina. [music]
2:07:56I say is destroyed by this revelation.
2:08:00trying to reach out to her. Her knees
2:08:02[music] buckle, but Melina catches her
2:08:05and guides her to the bed. She gives Isa
2:08:08some water and gently pats her head,
2:08:11just like she did at the community
2:08:12center. The room is littered with empty
2:08:15pill bottles occupied by portable
2:08:18necessities. Everything here is for one
2:08:21person.
2:08:24is slumped against the wall. The only
2:08:26signs of consciousness in her being the
2:08:28sounds of the glass.
2:08:31It's Morse code. Over time, she lost the
2:08:34ability to communicate. So, she had to
2:08:36use the glass and the Morse code sheet
2:08:38to communicate.
2:08:40But now, the only thing she ever repeats
2:08:43[music] is her name.
2:08:46She became like this on the day the
2:08:47group went to the cinema when [music]
2:08:49they tried to search for her at her
2:08:51apartment. Medina suggests they go to
2:08:54the kitchen and boil some tea. Asa is
2:08:56unwilling at first, but when she's told
2:08:59they'll drink it here, she reluctantly
2:09:02agrees.
2:09:09Melina prepares the kettle. Now we're in
2:09:11the usual set of expressions. She
2:09:13mentions that she wasn't like this a
2:09:15couple of years ago, but Asi interrupts
2:09:18her saying that she already knows this
2:09:20information from Vadim. Still, Min
2:09:23elaborates about her illness. It is
2:09:25something akin to hypers sensitivity
2:09:27only it subjects a person [music] to
2:09:29witnessing the code of the world or in
2:09:33other words the secret inner workings of
2:09:36reality [music]
2:09:36that are incomprehensible to the human
2:09:39mind. Usually people are unaware of the
2:09:41code, but some people lack the barrier
2:09:44that prevents them from acknowledging
2:09:45it. They lack skin on their soul, as
2:09:48Medina puts it. It's like walking with
2:09:51constant X-ray vision that turns
2:09:53everything into numbers and values. If a
2:09:55human mind is subjected to this
2:09:57condition, it slowly starts to lose its
2:10:00grip not only on reality, but on itself,
2:10:03on its humanity. Because when a person
2:10:06realizes that they're just numbers, they
2:10:08will no longer consider themselves an
2:10:10individual. They're just a string
2:10:12[music] in a larger program. I say is
2:10:14not at all shaken by this. In fact, she
2:10:17understands every single concept that
2:10:19Mina has mentioned only in her own
2:10:21interpretation. The reason why Mila can
2:10:23explain all this is because the research
2:10:26institute's true purpose is to study the
2:10:28code, the algorithm, and structural
2:10:30dynamics. If they can understand the
2:10:32building blocks of reality, they can
2:10:35foretell the future or even change the
2:10:37world's values, essentially becoming
2:10:39gods. A very stupid idea. According to
2:10:42Asa, any changes like this will not
2:10:44matter in the grand scheme of things and
2:10:46will quickly revert back to the status
2:10:48quo. A closed system will maintain its
2:10:51stability. A human is not supposed to
2:10:53think about such things. It's not only
2:10:55dangerous to the mind, it's impudent,
2:10:58defiling something that's already
2:11:00perfect. We shouldn't know that a bird
2:11:02is despair, distortion, and denial.
2:11:07We're not meant to know everything in
2:11:08the world is inevitable. The kettle
2:11:10signals with its whistle that the water
2:11:13is boiling, and Asia wonders why would
2:11:15people lose their sense of humanity over
2:11:17being a part of a greater hole. It's
2:11:20something she doesn't quite get.
2:11:24It's [music] again moves some of her
2:11:28hair from her face. She doesn't react to
2:11:30the touch. Those bright blue eyes don't
2:11:34have any light in them. But she's still
2:11:36here as a reffirms this fact again and
2:11:38again. And still she has this horrible
2:11:41emptiness inside. [music]
2:11:46The three of them sit at the table with
2:11:48everything prepared for [music] tea
2:11:49drinking even for a ask me why she
2:11:53doesn't take the glass away. Sorry, I
2:11:56couldn't take it away even if I wanted
2:11:58to. She then proceeds to chatter like
2:12:00it's nothing, commenting on how the
2:12:02cookies taste and [music] how they all
2:12:04should go to Zeldichko one day and order
2:12:06some desserts and how a is a big fan of
2:12:08sweets and smoking. Like come on, take
2:12:11pity on your teeth smoking too. Who's
2:12:15going to kiss you when they stink like
2:12:16that? Huh? [laughter]
2:12:18I'm kidding. I'm kidding. As is not a
2:12:20fan of this pitiful display and
2:12:22interrupts it by questioning whether
2:12:24will get better or not. Mina answers
2:12:27that she has to, but she won't be the
2:12:30same ever again. [music] Her perception
2:12:32has been altered and her behavior will
2:12:34be similar to how Molina behaves now.
2:12:36It's just that Mina learned how to fake
2:12:38it, how to put on a mask, and she has
2:12:41trouble taking it off, otherwise she'd
2:12:44forget how to properly behave around
2:12:46people. She lifts up to her mouth,
2:12:49carefully making her drink. Asa is in
2:12:53agony at this display. It's impossible
2:12:55to watch. The tea smell is the only
2:12:58pleasant thing about the situation.
2:13:00There was something she was going to do.
2:13:03Something important. [music]
2:13:05If you forgot, it probably didn't
2:13:07matter. No. If you forgot, it probably
2:13:11wasn't real. That doesn't make [music]
2:13:13sense. It does. It's like a dream. Like
2:13:18a dream.
2:13:20Yes. Exactly. Like a dream.
2:13:37you there? Someone's loopy today, huh?
2:13:40The girls are inside the Zichka cafe on
2:13:43one of their usual outings. Isa seemed a
2:13:45bit out of it there, but was returned to
2:13:47Earth by Marina. She jokes about how she
2:13:49must have gone bar hopping at night. To
2:13:51which I remarks that they only have one
2:13:54bar. Is that really the thing that
2:13:55bothers her? As looks like she was
2:13:57caught, though apparently she was doing
2:13:59something much more embarrassing, but
2:14:01then takes a guess and accuses of
2:14:03reading romance novels all night. A
2:14:05doesn't find it [music] incriminating in
2:14:06the slightest. After a bit more banter
2:14:09involving their favorite type of fantasy
2:14:10guy, like werewolves or vampires,
2:14:13reveals that she was writing a poem.
2:14:15She's very flustered by this, but
2:14:17encourages her by complimenting her
2:14:19previous work. What's the point of
2:14:20writing something if you want to let
2:14:22anyone read it? Well, Isa just enjoys
2:14:24making poems for the sake of it. But
2:14:26this time, she was particularly inspired
2:14:29by something.
2:14:35That something is
2:14:39the mood shifts. The cafe becomes frozen
2:14:42in time. Now only the girls exist in
2:14:45this place. A is strangely quiet. I
2:14:48explains why and when she had written a
2:14:51poem and expresses her worry that it may
2:14:54be a weird thing to do without asking.
2:14:56Despite that, Melina reassures her that
2:14:58it's fine and is a cute thing to do. Is
2:15:01then reads out the poem out loud.
2:15:09foreign.
2:15:33What you sit next?
2:15:54It's Molina's first time hearing her
2:15:56poetry. She likes it, even if it's a bit
2:15:59more aggressive than she expected.
2:16:01However, it doesn't take long for Asa to
2:16:04notice something. The room is now quiet.
2:16:07You could hear the usual little sounds
2:16:10like the clock sticking or muddliness
2:16:12movements, but
2:16:15the tapping has stopped.
2:16:25It's
2:16:26for real this time. Her eyes are now
2:16:29drawn directly towards Isu. Mina
2:16:31immediately stands up because of this
2:16:33and there's the tiniest of reactions
2:16:35coming from a but her attention has been
2:16:38grabbed by someone else who's in front
2:16:40of her. She's trying to see that person.
2:16:43Mina in a panicked state calls out to
2:16:46her again and again attempting to bring
2:16:48her to her senses putting a morph sheet
2:16:50on the table in front of her but Isaac
2:16:53can't look away from her. She sees a
2:16:56tiny hand movements, twitching, maybe
2:16:59attempting to grab onto something that
2:17:01would ground her, would save her from
2:17:04the dark place she's in right now.
2:17:06Milina falls to the floor, searching for
2:17:08some leftover pills in a sea of
2:17:09scalloped bottles. Asa grabs hand. Her
2:17:14fingers soon stop twitching, and her
2:17:16eyes now have their light returned to
2:17:18them. She sees Asa, and Asia sees her. A
2:17:24is here. She has found a way out. But
2:17:27finally finds a pill and turns around.
2:17:30She's frozen in place, recognizing the
2:17:33situation. This is everything that Asa
2:17:36had prayed for. All this time through
2:17:38the course of the story, she wished to
2:17:41not only see a one more time, but to
2:17:44also be seen by her, to be recognized
2:17:46[music] by the one person she proclaimed
2:17:48to be the most precious in the whole
2:17:50wide world. one that couldn't be
2:17:53replaced by anyone. Someone who was the
2:17:55biggest reason why she is filled with so
2:17:58much love. And all of the things that
2:18:00had happened so far, every challenge
2:18:02that the universe had thrown her way, it
2:18:06was all worth it to express a message of
2:18:08sincerest gratitude. [music]
2:18:12>> Thank you so much.
2:18:24>> [music]
2:18:28[bell]
2:18:36>> Have you noticed any changes in how you
2:18:38perceive time or space?
2:18:40>> No.
2:18:41>> Are you experiencing any unusual
2:18:43patterns in your thoughts or dreams?
2:18:46>> No. Do you ever feel like you're
2:18:48watching yourself from outside your own
2:18:50body?
2:18:51>> No.
2:18:52>> Have you found yourself remembering
2:18:54things that didn't happen to you?
2:18:56>> No.
2:18:57>> Have you seen anything lately that no
2:18:59one else seemed to notice?
2:19:01>> No.
2:19:03>> Are you being honest with me?
2:19:05>> Yes.
2:19:07>> Okay. Are there any places, people, or
2:19:10ideas you're fixated on lately?
2:19:13>> Yes.
2:19:14>> Can you name them? Era, sending my
2:19:17[music] message to the universe.
2:19:19>> What message?
2:19:20>> A love confession.
2:19:22>> A love confession.
2:19:25>> Yes, I will confess my love to the
2:19:28world. I'm very close to achieving the
2:19:30right signal [music] strength.
2:19:32>> Signal strength? Are you using a radio?
2:19:35>> No, I don't need one. My will is enough.
2:19:41>> I see. Let's continue then. Does the
2:19:44world around you feel balanced [music]
2:19:45or like it's trying to become balanced?
2:19:48>> Yes.
2:19:49>> Why do you feel that?
2:19:51>> Isn't it obvious?
2:19:53>> Please elaborate.
2:19:58>> Tired from this prolonged questioning
2:20:00session, Isa explains that was erased
2:20:02due to the universe correcting itself.
2:20:04She's been piling up too many
2:20:06irregularities, changing predetermined
2:20:08fates of numerous people, resulting in
2:20:10the outbreak of abnormal events. A had
2:20:13to be assimilated before she caused any
2:20:15more damage. Merina is sitting in the
2:20:17corner expressionless. Before that, she
2:20:20collapsed right after a vanished. That's
2:20:22the state Lev found his little sister in
2:20:25along with Isa, who he decided to
2:20:27interrogate due to her unusually calm
2:20:29behavior. And because he actually knows
2:20:31her a little, Lev corrects Isa's
2:20:33hypothesis by telling her that yes,
2:20:36reality is self-correcting, but a is not
2:20:39the main cause of it. She's been under
2:20:41threat for some time, but the recent
2:20:43events only accelerated her decay. They
2:20:46were only delaying the inevitable with
2:20:48medicine. Asa wants to know the exact
2:20:50nature of those pills, and Le obliges by
2:20:52describing them as downers or
2:20:54depressants. Their purpose is to dull
2:20:56pattern recognition and placate
2:20:58emotional responses. They won't make you
2:21:00forget what you've already noticed in
2:21:02the code, only lower the chances of your
2:21:04mind spotting [music] new patterns, as
2:21:06well as reduce stress from observing
2:21:08them. The problem is that they also
2:21:10limit the ability to experience any
2:21:12extreme emotion at all. No despair, but
2:21:14also no intense joy. Combined with the
2:21:17changed brain chemistry of a person who
2:21:19was subjected to the code, those side
2:21:21effects can result in something that we
2:21:23have seen in Molerina just prior.
2:21:25Another reason why a stopped taking the
2:21:27pills is because she felt like she was
2:21:29going blind, not being able to see the
2:21:31truth of the world. Asa wonders if the
2:21:33effects of assimilation into the
2:21:35universe really are irreversible because
2:21:37they were able to bring a back even
2:21:40though it was just for a moment. Le
2:21:42doubts this saying that what perceived
2:21:44might not [music] have been the
2:21:45objective reality. He suspects that Asia
2:21:48might also possess a level of code
2:21:50sensitivity but for some reason she
2:21:52doesn't suffer from negative effects.
2:21:54This might have something to do with her
2:21:56propensity to indulge in delusions
2:21:57[music]
2:21:58which is a common case among those who
2:22:00have the condition. though whether they
2:22:02can manifest something called
2:22:03distortions varies on a case-by case
2:22:06basis. Leaf even mentions that her
2:22:08answers based on a rather lengthy
2:22:10questionnaire don't exactly align with
2:22:12the recorded events, particularly those
2:22:14that concerned [music] Isa's childhood.
2:22:16Memory gaps can be a reason for these,
2:22:18but another explanation could be that
2:22:21she views reality so differently that
2:22:23some of her beliefs do not align with
2:22:25the current understanding of the
2:22:26phenomena that is taking place. Asa
2:22:29realizes that Lev's observations put
2:22:31into question something that is very
2:22:33important to her. So she is in disbelief
2:22:35and frankly denies his words with all
2:22:38due respect of course. That's when
2:22:40Molina comes to the rescue and
2:22:41corroborates her testimony with her own
2:22:43account of the events. Lev suspects that
2:22:46his sister's symptoms are making a
2:22:47return. She objects saying she's not
2:22:50delusional and cannot manifest [music]
2:22:51the distortions, at least to that
2:22:54degree. This must be referring to that
2:22:56time she misplaced the book. This means
2:22:58that she wished for the book to appear
2:23:00in Ira's apartment, [music] making it
2:23:02disappear from her bag. Maybe was on to
2:23:05something. Maybe I should stop taking
2:23:07this crap. Lev warns her to not even
2:23:09think about it and casually pops a pill.
2:23:11He continues by stating that is pretty
2:23:14insignificant in a grand scheme of
2:23:16things. In comparison, the research
2:23:18center has been causing distortions that
2:23:20encompass War 5's entire area, meaning
2:23:23that the whole city will be subject to
2:23:26correction. Every single person will
2:23:28soon contract symptoms of code
2:23:30sensitivity and shall be subsequently
2:23:32assimilated into the universe. The town
2:23:35is facing its inevitable end, but they
2:23:38can make it easier on themselves. Le
2:23:40slides a pill bottle across the table
2:23:42and suggests Asa or her parents take
2:23:45them. She doesn't think that dissipating
2:23:47into the greater stream is a bad thing,
2:23:49so she's not willing to take them for
2:23:51herself. and her parents may have
2:23:54already left insists [music] and so she
2:23:57takes them anyway.
2:23:59Before leaving, Asa asks why they've
2:24:02kept alive for so long if they knew this
2:24:05was going to happen. Wouldn't you?
2:24:09Yes, I would.
2:24:16Ha rethinks everything about the
2:24:18universe's behavior. It doesn't care
2:24:20about every little transgression people
2:24:22make. Her little rebellion in the end
2:24:25was inconsequential. This is no
2:24:27different from the barrage of insults
2:24:29she hurls at herself. It's all white
2:24:32noise. It's all just pin pricks. Only
2:24:35something truly unforgivable needs to be
2:24:37[music] erased. And that's the research
2:24:40center. It contaminates everything
2:24:42around it, making the whole city impure
2:24:44and infected. It's not a pin prick.
2:24:47[music] It's an open wound. one that is
2:24:49healing. Thank goodness. And yet Isa
2:24:53still wants to [music] stay in the city
2:24:54just a bit more. Let everyone enjoy
2:24:57their last days. She wants to gather
2:24:59just a bit more love. Her signal is
2:25:01almost ready to be sent. It's a
2:25:04preposterous request considering [music]
2:25:06everything it had done for her, but it's
2:25:09the last thing she will ever ask of it.
2:25:12Please listen to her message.
2:25:30Oh, [laughter]
2:25:33you cannot believe how good it feels to
2:25:35be free. At last, I can answer every
2:25:39single question in this game. Well,
2:25:41okay, not exactly every single one. We
2:25:43still have episode 3 in front of us, but
2:25:45don't worry, it's not nearly as long as
2:25:47the previous one. And to get the obvious
2:25:49out of the way, I may be terribly wrong
2:25:52about everything, especially about less
2:25:54concrete aspects like character analysis
2:25:56and some abstract things in the game.
2:25:58I'm not an expert on anything. I'm just
2:26:01a guy who spent an unhealthy amount of
2:26:03time on analyzing a 7 to 8 hour visual
2:26:06novel about a skitso whose girlfriend
2:26:08has been erased from existence. Anyway,
2:26:11the most common question I've seen from
2:26:13people who have just finished the game
2:26:14is what the [ __ ] just happened? And
2:26:17indeed, what the [ __ ] The story took a
2:26:19bit of a sudden swerve into almost
2:26:21fullon sci-fi. Sure, Isa's thoughts were
2:26:24a little out there, that's a common
2:26:26trait among Denver protagonists, but a
2:26:28whole city being erased due to
2:26:30scientists trying to play God and people
2:26:32being able to seemingly manipulate
2:26:35reality through their delusions, this
2:26:37all kind of comes out of the blue. know.
2:26:40Well, somewhat, yeah, it's supposed to
2:26:42be a shocking revelation for players who
2:26:44have been against Isa's viewpoint on the
2:26:46nature of the universe. Maybe it's even
2:26:48surprising for those who do agree with
2:26:50her. The thing is, as is the norm with
2:26:52good mystery stories, the signs were
2:26:54there all along. The one moment that
2:26:56could tip off some players that
2:26:58something is not right is the book
2:27:00disappearance scene, and it's a book
2:27:01called Onestability of Closed Systems,
2:27:03no less. The game tries to present it as
2:27:05a silly mistake, but one line from
2:27:07Molina reveals to us that this is not
2:27:10something that we should forget. Another
2:27:12hint is the prevalence of sci-fi as a
2:27:14genre of media in the story. It's very
2:27:16much deliberate that the first book Asa
2:27:18picks up in the library is a 100 years
2:27:20ahead. It serves as a possible
2:27:22explanation for her cosmic inclinations
2:27:24and gives a mention of Tossa, who we
2:27:26still haven't seen. And don't worry
2:27:28about it, we'll get to Tossa and who she
2:27:30is later. The biggest piece of
2:27:32foreshadowing, however, is the book Asa
2:27:34recommended to a [music] plague. In case
2:27:36you forgot, it's about a town that is
2:27:39suffering from a bubonic plague, which
2:27:41results in deaths of countless people.
2:27:42The novel follows a group of characters
2:27:44who cope with the inevitable disaster in
2:27:47a variety of ways. Some hope to profit
2:27:49from it, some lose all hope, and some
2:27:52seek salvation in Christianity. In the
2:27:55end, everyone is equal before the
2:27:57chaotic whims of reality. There's no
2:27:59point in looking for reason inside the
2:28:01absurd. A human can only gather his
2:28:04willpower and carve out his own meaning
2:28:06in the universe. The plot is very much
2:28:08reflective of the future happenings in
2:28:10Wara 5, even though their roles are
2:28:13somewhat reversed. This time, the
2:28:15disease comes from the people
2:28:16themselves, and it's the universe's job
2:28:19to correct this irregularity and in
2:28:21everyone's lives in the process. The
2:28:23book has a lot of parallels with Zato,
2:28:25both in story and themes. It's
2:28:27immediately apparent to those who've
2:28:29read it, I think. Although I could list
2:28:31even more similarities, this would take
2:28:33quite a bit of time and would pretty
2:28:35much derail this analysis, I think. Just
2:28:37know that almost everything that
2:28:38pertains to code assimulation and how
2:28:41people react to it can be compared to
2:28:43the plague and its characters. Speaking
2:28:45of the code, what's up with that? Are we
2:28:48really going the route of, ooh, it's all
2:28:50been a video game all along and we're
2:28:52going to do some spooky fourth wall
2:28:54breaks? Well, kind of. If you look at it
2:28:57from a certain very skewed and cynical
2:28:59angle, there is a possibility that
2:29:01characters are talking about straight up
2:29:04game code, not too dissimilar to games
2:29:06that explicitly include code or game
2:29:08file manipulation into their narratives.
2:29:11In my opinion though, this possibility
2:29:13is very slim. Not only because there
2:29:15won't be any creepy conversations with
2:29:17the player or something, but also
2:29:19because we don't actually know the exact
2:29:22nature of this universe's code. We do
2:29:24have some possible examples though. In
2:29:26that image I showed you earlier where a
2:29:29is holding a thermos. There is some text
2:29:31on the sides. [music] It's the code that
2:29:33she's been seen all this time. It shows
2:29:35several objects that is having contact
2:29:38with like the dress she's wearing and
2:29:40the ground she's standing on as well as
2:29:42their coordinates, stability, and
2:29:44probability. Not sure what to make of
2:29:47those exactly, but we have several
2:29:49concrete values that we can go off of.
2:29:51First, the ground has a 0000. 0
2:29:56coordinate, which implies that it's kind
2:29:58of a starting value. It's easier for me
2:30:01to think that the coordinates represent
2:30:03the cartisian [music] coordinate system,
2:30:05but we do not know for sure. I also
2:30:07assume this represents the positions of
2:30:10the first point of impact it is making
2:30:12with an object and not necessarily the
2:30:14position of objects themselves. Second,
2:30:17the thermos is the most stable object
2:30:19out of all of them, making the data
2:30:21request for its properties successful.
2:30:23Also, it's filled with hot water, not
2:30:25your soup. Sorry, Isa. Third, a data
2:30:28request provides additional information
2:30:30about an object like its texture,
2:30:32temperature, material, and so on. They
2:30:34also have these weird values, TN, DP,
2:30:37DT. [music] They could mean several
2:30:39things. I like to think they represent
2:30:41amount, pressure, and time. They could
2:30:44also mean something like deson diploma
2:30:47program double time score and osu
2:30:49anything really.
2:30:52Sorry editing window here. I was
2:30:54overthinking here. These values are
2:30:56probably just a denial despair and
2:30:59distortion. I'll talk about them a
2:31:01little bit later though. Another source
2:31:03of code is in the intro that plays when
2:31:06you boot up the game. Arguably, the
2:31:07first instance is when strings of
2:31:09seemingly random numbers are being
2:31:11shown, which are just words from the
2:31:13intro, but encoded in a A1 Z26 cipher.
2:31:16This could mean that written or spoken
2:31:19text is shown like that when it's read
2:31:21by the universe, or it could mean
2:31:23something else. It's unclear since this
2:31:26cipher is used only in the intro, as far
2:31:28as I'm aware. A more interesting
2:31:30occurrence of code is when we're shown
2:31:32black and white character sprites with
2:31:34blank faces. In the top left, we can see
2:31:36a characters.obj file being added. OBJ
2:31:39being a file format for storing 3D
2:31:42geometry. At least this proves that
2:31:44they're not two-dimensional PGs in
2:31:46universe. What's weird is that Assa is
2:31:48not even defined. Weird question marks
2:31:51start appearing like there's something
2:31:53wrong here, an undefined object. This
2:31:56can entail one of two things. Either her
2:31:59internal thoughts are so contradictory
2:32:00to reality and herself that she's
2:32:03experiencing an identity crisis, one
2:32:05that she's not even fully aware of, or
2:32:08the universe literally cannot define
2:32:10[music] her, meaning she's the biggest
2:32:11anomaly there is. There's also a secret
2:32:14third option linked with a secret
2:32:16character, but I'm not going to mention
2:32:18this one. You can figure this out by
2:32:21yourself. Something more relevant to the
2:32:23code itself is the information in the
2:32:24bottom right corner, consisting of two
2:32:26lines. The first line defines a face,
2:32:29maybe in reference to how character
2:32:30[music] sprite sheets have dozens of
2:32:32facial expressions, but only a couple of
2:32:34poses. This can also have a deeper
2:32:36meaning as we see the same lines of code
2:32:38in the car repair scene, only they're
2:32:40flipped. They also appear in the shot
2:32:42with some cracks, shots where Marina and
2:32:45A are falling, and the shot with Assa
2:32:47and her shadow lying next to each other.
2:32:50Notably, this is the only instance where
2:32:52this type of code appears in dark
2:32:54purple, though I suspect this was done
2:32:56more to fit the aesthetic of the
2:32:58composition rather than to underline
2:33:00some kind of meaning. The second line
2:33:02features seven-digit numbers followed by
2:33:04words despair, distortion, denial. These
2:33:07words are ever present in scenes
2:33:09involving the code and are even
2:33:10acknowledged by Molina in both [music]
2:33:12text. But what do they mean exactly?
2:33:16Okay, this might sound a little
2:33:18underwhelming, maybe even funny. [music]
2:33:20They're part of a 4chan copy pasta taken
2:33:23from their paranormal board called X. I
2:33:26guess the Tungusa alien landing is not
2:33:29the only outlandish thing in this novel.
2:33:31And honestly, that's part for the
2:33:33course. Mystery novels are rife with
2:33:35conspiracy theories, especially if
2:33:37they're of the deno variety. And this is
2:33:39no different. The particular sequence of
2:33:42numbers and words that Melina mentions
2:33:44are part of the universal function codes
2:33:46which are more commonly known as the
2:33:48despair code. Basically, it's hypnosis
2:33:51via programming Illuminati type [ __ ]
2:33:54Actually, it's directly taken from a
2:33:56book by Fritz Springmemmer and Cisco
2:33:58Wheeler called The Illuminati Formula to
2:34:01create an undetectable Total Mind
2:34:04Control Slave. All right, I'm pretty
2:34:06sure we're digging a little too deep
2:34:07here. And do not search this book up.
2:34:11You will regret it. It is [ __ ] up and
2:34:14evil. And okay, of course, we can take
2:34:16the shadow government approach or
2:34:18whatever to decipher in Zato's
2:34:20narrative. But let's take a look at
2:34:22other interpretation of the spare codes
2:34:24that were floating around at the time.
2:34:26Some users believed that these codes
2:34:28constitute the invisible fabric of
2:34:30reality, which you've seen will
2:34:33gradually start to erode an unprepared
2:34:35mind. something akin to witnessing a
2:34:38creature of Lovecraftian myth. Other
2:34:40users thought that seeing the despair
2:34:42code will make your mind experience
2:34:44psychosis, which will result in
2:34:46unlocking the power of insanity. One
2:34:49user writes, "The despair code is a name
2:34:51for something that [music] constitutes
2:34:53the inversion of the good in a platonic
2:34:55sense. In traditional societies, the
2:34:57despair code is represented by things
2:34:59like the Leviathan and Angramanu. The
2:35:02despair code runs through everything
2:35:04because it is everything in the world.
2:35:06put itself as it appears to be. The
2:35:08experience of psychosis is unavoidable
2:35:10when trying to understand this concept
2:35:12because our psychology is built [music]
2:35:14around understanding ourselves as a
2:35:16unified person. Contemplating that I am
2:35:18not what I am, meaning [music] that you
2:35:20as a subject are not your body, not your
2:35:23thoughts, not anything external means
2:35:26that everything external starts to
2:35:28appear disassociated from you. Now,
2:35:30because our psychology is so closely
2:35:32tied to our ontological conceptions,
2:35:35once the illusion starts becoming
2:35:36obvious, you cannot avoid terrifying
2:35:39experiences. Ghosts, aliens, etc. are
2:35:42all real because the mind makes them as
2:35:45real as anything could be. Eventually,
2:35:47if you don't stop, you'll find what
2:35:49you're looking for. The Leviathan, try
2:35:52to be ready. Another person comments,
2:35:55nothing exists together because
2:35:57everything exists in its own way. The
2:35:59despair code [music] is the only force
2:36:01that holds everything together and is
2:36:03the true universe if there is one.
2:36:05Everything that we comprehend as humans
2:36:07is not the true world. [music] It's
2:36:09impossible to understand this concept
2:36:11without experience psychosis because we
2:36:13would be telling ourselves that I am not
2:36:15what I am. Once we go insane trying to
2:36:17find this code, we can only get worse.
2:36:20Everything is real in its own way. Once
2:36:22you truly see it, it only gets worse.
2:36:25Once you see that the mind can make
2:36:26everything real and is [music]
2:36:28everything, you cannot help going insane
2:36:30with unlocking the power and insanity of
2:36:33yourself. Everything is against you. A
2:36:36lot of the described phenomena have
2:36:38several similarities to code sensitivity
2:36:40of characters in Zato. One must wonder
2:36:43if fairy really did take these concepts
2:36:45from conspiracy boards or it all just
2:36:48came to her in a dream. Regardless, I
2:36:50myself am not a fan of applying all
2:36:52[music] this tinfoil hat theory onto the
2:36:54in-game code directly. The explanation
2:36:56that is given within their narrative is
2:36:58much more believable to me than you look
2:37:00at number, you go crazy or something.
2:37:03But the idea behind the spare codes can
2:37:05definitely be seen in the overall effect
2:37:07code sensitivity has on people in the
2:37:10game. You see things that you're not
2:37:12supposed to see and your mind interprets
2:37:14them as real. You lose grasp on what is
2:37:16real and what is not because everything
2:37:19is as real as your mind makes it out to
2:37:21be. But in our case, those things are
2:37:24real. And if they're not, then you can
2:37:26just will them into existence. You just
2:37:29have to believe in it. Oh, and the last
2:37:30instance of code is at the end of the
2:37:32intro when it shows some actual lines
2:37:34from what I assume is the C programming
2:37:37language. I'm not at all familiar with
2:37:39coding, but I've asked some people and
2:37:41most of them agree that it's this.
2:37:42However, I do not know what to make of
2:37:45this information since Zato was made
2:37:47using Renpai, which is a visual novel
2:37:49engine implemented in Python. The images
2:37:51are most likely random code pulled from
2:37:54somewhere, though you can try to look
2:37:56the meaning in there through all the
2:37:57visual noise. I'll just assume it's
2:37:59nothing more, but another instance of
2:38:01foreshadowing what the game is about and
2:38:03move on. Now, we've reached the point in
2:38:06the story where we can finally discuss
2:38:08what's [music] the deal with every
2:38:10single major character. Aside from Asia,
2:38:12the game is still not done with her.
2:38:14I'll describe them individually and
2:38:16discuss their personality traits, their
2:38:17actions throughout the story, and how
2:38:19they [music] tie into this whole thing.
2:38:21Again, reminder, don't take my words as
2:38:23gospel. I'm just a guy who's trying to
2:38:25look deeper into characters while having
2:38:27no expertise in writing or storytelling.
2:38:29My guesses are as good as yours. Anyway,
2:38:32here are my thoughts about the students
2:38:34of Vakuta 5.
2:38:37Merina is perhaps the most complex one
2:38:40out of the three. Despite us spending
2:38:42most of our time getting to know her,
2:38:44she's an upper classman, which at times
2:38:46is not exactly evident due to her
2:38:48outward personality traits. Her attitude
2:38:50is chipper and teasing, often getting on
2:38:52the nerves of nononsense people like a
2:38:55or some of the adults. She's very adept
2:38:58at making friends [music] with her
2:38:59peers, which cannot be said about the
2:39:01grown-ups. Adding in the fact that her
2:39:03grades are in the gutter, we can assume
2:39:06that she's being viewed as a bad
2:39:07influence by both teachers and parents.
2:39:10We don't even know where her own parents
2:39:12are, only her brother. The small
2:39:14community of work 5 may even be of the
2:39:16opinion that Molina's parents didn't
2:39:18want her and pawn her off to be cared
2:39:21for by a sibling. This kind of
2:39:23reputation could lead to a person
2:39:24developing a cynical view of the world,
2:39:27understandably, especially if something
2:39:28like that happens at a young age. And
2:39:30then we throw her code sensitivity into
2:39:33the mix. We've learned in signals A and
2:39:35B that she had symptoms of this
2:39:37condition. Ever since middle school, no
2:39:39one was there to help her except for her
2:39:41brother Lev, who at some point managed
2:39:43to alleiate the illness and maybe even
2:39:46gave support to Molina so that she could
2:39:48reintegrate into society after suffering
2:39:50from the side effects of pills and seen
2:39:52for reality. The situation she found
2:39:54herself in in the past is eerly similar
2:39:56to what has been experiencing. Irregular
2:39:59behavior caused by phenomena that you
2:40:01cannot understand, leading to being
2:40:03misunderstood and isolated. It's not
2:40:05surprising that Marley in particular
2:40:07noticed Ira's truant tendencies and
2:40:10connected two and two together. I'd
2:40:12imagine she felt elated to finally see a
2:40:14person her age who understands what
2:40:16she's been going through and also
2:40:18obligated to help her in any way she
2:40:20can. Marina was very fortunate to have a
2:40:22relative who works in the institute
2:40:24while a has been struggling alone for a
2:40:26long time. It's this desire to help a
2:40:28person in exchange for sharing the
2:40:30burden of unwanted and forbidden
2:40:32knowledge that sparks an unbreakable
2:40:34friendship between the two. During the
2:40:37latter half of episode 2, Asa finally
2:40:39sees who Melina really is. A broken girl
2:40:42held up only by her facade of faint
2:40:45optimism. A placid despair stays within.
2:40:48She's not exactly keeping up appearances
2:40:50for her sake. From her perspective,
2:40:52there's no point in doing that anymore.
2:40:53At school, her look is now much more
2:40:55loose and tired, [music] and she stops
2:40:57hanging out with her background friends.
2:40:59After that day at the cinema, a became
2:41:01unresponsive, and because of that,
2:41:03Melina had lost the only support that
2:41:06kept her going. Sure, there was Asia, a
2:41:08her so-called replacement. But Melina
2:41:10didn't want to involve her anymore.
2:41:12Maybe fearing that she would meet the
2:41:14same fate, or maybe because she thought
2:41:17there was no point to it anymore. And
2:41:19yes, Isa was an anchor that kept [music]
2:41:21Mela sane. You'll need one when your
2:41:23best friend is slowly deteriorating in
2:41:25your bedroom. At various points in the
2:41:28game, Melina's low self-respect rears
2:41:30its ugly head in the dialogue. She
2:41:32doesn't view herself as a good person
2:41:34for one reason or another. She sees her
2:41:36actions as self- serving when she
2:41:38strings along Asia on a wild goose
2:41:40chase, thinking that by indulging in
2:41:42wishful thinking, she can manifest the
2:41:44reality of a being all right or
2:41:47something. If it wasn't that, then I'm
2:41:49not sure what her practical goal [music]
2:41:51was. At the very least, it helps
2:41:53distract her from the reality that is
2:41:55staring at her every day she wakes up.
2:41:57That what's happening to a is inevitable
2:42:00and that she had failed in saving her
2:42:02friend. Another thing that contributes
2:42:04to Molina's self-deprecation is how she
2:42:07seemingly lost her humanity in a sense
2:42:09that she can no longer feel what others
2:42:11feel. All this time, she showed herself
2:42:13as someone who's completely different to
2:42:16who she actually is. She effectively had
2:42:18to lie for a long period of her teenage
2:42:21life. Acting as not herself, but as
2:42:24Merina, the loving, goofy, caring,
2:42:26humorous girl at a 9th grade student of
2:42:29Vota 5's local school. Her mannerisms,
2:42:32hobbies, friends, the image she built
2:42:34for society to stop treating her like a
2:42:36freak show, all of it is fake. And it's
2:42:39not like she wants it to be this way.
2:42:41It's just she [music] cannot be genuine
2:42:43about it. Well, that's how Melina sees
2:42:46it anyway. From Isa's perspective, what
2:42:48she's doing cannot be proof that she
2:42:50doesn't have emotions. All these times
2:42:52when she had fun with Isa, when she
2:42:54continued to care for a when she
2:42:56interrupts the interrogation because she
2:42:58cares for her friend, it's all
2:42:59contradictory to the notion that she
2:43:01lost all her emotions. Those things
2:43:04cannot be faked because if [music] they
2:43:06were, Melina would have behaved much
2:43:08differently, especially after a got
2:43:10erased. She wouldn't have even responded
2:43:12to Lev. There would be no reason to.
2:43:15It's all like an American film, an
2:43:17exquisite lie, one that even the
2:43:19filmmakers start to believe. But can
2:43:22such a lie become reality if you believe
2:43:24in it hard enough? Can something that
2:43:26was false at first turn into an
2:43:28objective truth? That's one of the
2:43:30questions Zato poses, and I think every
2:43:33character has a different answer to it.
2:43:38Vadim Vadim, I know I've been hard on
2:43:41you before, and you know, it was
2:43:43completely deserved. Help me.
2:43:44>> But it's not because he's been a jerk
2:43:46all his life. Well, okay, we can't know
2:43:48that for sure. Maybe Maline is
2:43:50misremembering some things. Oh, he was
2:43:52such a good boy. How could he turn into
2:43:54an unruly delinquent? Back in my day, I
2:43:56wouldn't even imagine. In any case,
2:43:58there's not much to talk about Vadim. He
2:44:00originally wasn't meant to play a huge
2:44:02role. Hell, at first, Far didn't even
2:44:04plan on making any sprites for him to
2:44:06begin with, but as the story became more
2:44:08fleshed out, [music] his unpleasant
2:44:10presence was more and more necessary.
2:44:13And taking all of this into account,
2:44:14it's understandable that most of the
2:44:16game he appears to be one note, a smug
2:44:18bully dispensing cruel reality onto
2:44:21[music] our main character. And he
2:44:22mainly serves that one purpose. It's
2:44:24apparent, however, that in the later
2:44:26events, he shows he has some semblance
2:44:28of a decent human being inside of this
2:44:30nonchalant exterior. He hangs out with
2:44:33the girls, being a bit less of a prick
2:44:35towards Isa, but still quarreling with
2:44:37Merina as part of their banter. He then
2:44:39shows concern when Isel loses
2:44:41consciousness [music] during the movie.
2:44:42Even offers a drink. What a gentleman.
2:44:44Perhaps he's not such a bad guy after
2:44:46all. Only at school he starts behaving
2:44:48as usual, throwing tasteless jokes
2:44:50around with his buddies. Everything
2:44:52returns to absoot.
2:44:54Or does it? See, Vadim's behavior is
2:44:57like this mainly when he's with his
2:44:59classmates or when he's ready to [music]
2:45:01beat the [ __ ] out of someone. During
2:45:02that day with Melina and Dasa, his
2:45:04attitude was a little more mild than
2:45:06usual. You'd think he would be less
2:45:08friendly given his track record, unless
2:45:10he behaves like this when he's not
2:45:12around his friend group or when he
2:45:14doesn't need to put up a strong fraud.
2:45:16Peer pressure is definitely a factor
2:45:18when trying to understand Vadim's
2:45:19actions. He needs to serve his role as
2:45:21the leader of the group, [music] or at
2:45:23least as someone who's dominant in any
2:45:25situation he's in. I guess you could
2:45:27call it toxic masculinity, though the
2:45:29term is so butchered I'm struggling to
2:45:31even say it. The point is his character
2:45:34is largely influenced by outside
2:45:36factors. He has to appear as someone
2:45:38strong even if [music] it means picking
2:45:39on a lonely girl. Doesn't excuse him in
2:45:42the slightest, but there's still more to
2:45:44this. Remember how he mentioned that his
2:45:46dad and brother are afflicted with code
2:45:48sensitivity. The fact that Padim's male
2:45:50role models have fallen ill and have to
2:45:52be supplied with medication puts him in
2:45:54a situation where he is the only capable
2:45:56man in his family. It's a duty where one
2:45:58must appear strong and reliable. And
2:46:01this heavy responsibility is fallen on a
2:46:03boy who barely hit puberty. Imagine how
2:46:06a kid must feel when his family suddenly
2:46:08falls prey to an incurable disease. And
2:46:11now he has to be the one who has to keep
2:46:13everything together alongside his
2:46:15mother. When put in this predicament,
2:46:17Vadim had to quickly toughen up and
2:46:19conceal any weakness he still had left.
2:46:21Otherwise, everything around him would
2:46:23collapse even faster. It's only when
2:46:25begging Marina for the pills where he
2:46:27becomes emotionally vulnerable. He has
2:46:29to throw away his pride and all the bad
2:46:31blood they've had between each other to
2:46:33[music] sincerely ask for help. Even in
2:46:35front of Isa, he quickly puts up the
2:46:37front once he realizes he's become
2:46:39emotional. This may also be
2:46:40representative of the struggle that many
2:46:43men can relate to. Keeping up their
2:46:45stoicism, showing strength and value,
2:46:47and not allowing themselves to be open
2:46:49emotionally, lest they're deemed weak
2:46:51and unstable by people around them.
2:46:54Whether that's done for one's social
2:46:55standing or to become a man who can be
2:46:58relied on by others is up to the
2:47:00individual. Of course, the way Vadim
2:47:02goes about it is all wrong to say the
2:47:04least. But at least we can understand
2:47:06what factors were at play that made him
2:47:08who he is in Zato. Was his unsightly
2:47:11character largely shaped by the
2:47:13environment and circumstances? Or was he
2:47:15always such an [ __ ] Was evil an
2:47:17inherent part of him or is it [music] a
2:47:19consequence of his other emotions that
2:47:21he's too afraid to show? Those are also
2:47:24some of the questions asked by the game.
2:47:27Now, here's the real question. Is Vadim
2:47:30Witcher a Hitler?
2:47:34A might be the simplest and at the same
2:47:36time the most important character
2:47:38[music] in the story. She's the catalyst
2:47:40by which the events of the story get set
2:47:42in motion. The first person to have a
2:47:44positive relationship with Asa after her
2:47:46best friend [music] got separated from
2:47:48her. She like many others also puts up a
2:47:51front, tries to look independent and as
2:47:54a result strong. A common trait that she
2:47:56shares with Vadim. Her circumstances on
2:47:59the other hand are the same as Mliness.
2:48:01Poor reputation, unfavorable relations
2:48:03with adults, and the disease that they
2:48:06barely understand. In Ara's case,
2:48:08however, there was nothing [music] to
2:48:09hang on to. No savior, no cure, no one
2:48:13that she could talk to. A has that
2:48:15stubbornness and pride that she hangs on
2:48:18to, hating the feeling of helplessness
2:48:20that comes with her episodes, loathing
2:48:22when people pity her. [music] It's a
2:48:24common feeling among people, especially
2:48:26teenagers who want to establish their
2:48:28independence. And that feeling is what's
2:48:31keeping her from reaching out and
2:48:33actually solving her issues until Melina
2:48:36comes in. Of course, the friendship they
2:48:37establish after this encounter is much
2:48:40more important to them than they both
2:48:42would like to admit. Because Melina
2:48:43hates herself too much to view herself
2:48:45as [music] a friend, while a is a bit
2:48:48tund about it. Still, self-inflicted
2:48:50loneliness induced by the sheer
2:48:52hopelessness of her situation is
2:48:54something that would have destroyed a
2:48:56sooner or later. Actually, the same can
2:48:58be said about Asa. After the incident,
2:49:01she's been relentlessly bullied for
2:49:02being weird and weak, [music] either not
2:49:05having the courage to stand up for
2:49:06herself or not even seeing the point of
2:49:08doing so because of her worldview. In
2:49:11this scenario, [music] it's a who's the
2:49:13savior. Her feelings of compassion,
2:49:15which until then have been dealt by the
2:49:17pills, have slowly started to come back.
2:49:20That's why it's such an [music]
2:49:21unexpected event for everyone involved.
2:49:23Ya's actions were so seemingly
2:49:25uncharacteristic of her only because
2:49:27people remembered her only as someone
2:49:29who often skips classes, nothing more.
2:49:31Throwing a chair across the class would
2:49:33be quite shocking, especially if it's
2:49:35done by a girl. her hearing Asa's poems
2:49:37from Vadim's dirty [music] mouth have
2:49:39only further awakened the dormant
2:49:41emotions within her knowing that it's no
2:49:44wonder that when it was Asa's turn to
2:49:46[music] save her it was her poetry that
2:49:48brought back to the real world even if
2:49:50it was only for a second and yet why
2:49:53exactly would [music] she stop taking
2:49:55the pills they've helped Molina appear
2:49:57normal to everyone there's no practical
2:49:59reason to reject them if you want to
2:50:01continue living an ordinary life's
2:50:04rationale according to the kaplan
2:50:06household was that losing not only your
2:50:08emotions [music] but the ability to
2:50:10perceive the world as it is is
2:50:12ultimately not worth it. Emotions are a
2:50:14part of your humanity and losing them is
2:50:16like losing your heart or even your
2:50:19soul. And when it comes to seeing the
2:50:21truth, I think comparing it to a [music]
2:50:24body satwa in episode 1 wasn't without
2:50:26importance. Seeing the inner workings of
2:50:29reality can be interpreted as gaining
2:50:32some kind of other worldly knowledge. In
2:50:34other words, enlightenment. And I'm not
2:50:36saying a is some kind of saint or
2:50:38anything, though she could be in [music]
2:50:41the eyes of Isa. I'm saying that if we
2:50:43look at who a body satwa is, it boils
2:50:46down to a person who helps others while
2:50:48depriving themselves of higher status or
2:50:50luxury. It's a monumental act of
2:50:53selflessness, one that I parallels by
2:50:55rejecting the medicine [music] that
2:50:57would give her an easier time and
2:50:59instead choosing a more difficult path,
2:51:01ruining her reputation [music] just to
2:51:03help an unfortunate girl. I think she
2:51:05really would throw a 100 chairs at a 100
2:51:07vims if she had to. It puts into [music]
2:51:10perspective the compassion she has in
2:51:12her heart for Isa even if she refuses to
2:51:14admit it. At the end of the day, we have
2:51:18to remember that these characters are
2:51:20just what, 14, 15 years old. They're
2:51:23only kids who know quite a lot about the
2:51:25world they live in, but are still
2:51:26[music] struggling with their own
2:51:28emotions, morality, and relationships
2:51:30with other people. At times, their
2:51:32actions might not make sense or lead to
2:51:35the best outcome. Some may even be
2:51:37actually harmful to themselves or
2:51:39others. But that's just how growing up
2:51:41works, how people in general work. These
2:51:45characters are so great precisely
2:51:46because they're so [music] believable in
2:51:48their behavior. They chat about
2:51:50unimportant stuff. They have fun, cause
2:51:53mischief, laugh and cry. All the little
2:51:56things that I've skipped in my video are
2:51:58perhaps the most important when it comes
2:52:00[music] to immersing yourself in their
2:52:02conversations. I've come to really
2:52:04appreciate them in my time reading this
2:52:06novel. Yes, even you and even the
2:52:10character [music] we've yet to talk
2:52:11about, but that'll come a bit later.
2:52:16Welcome to the theory corner. Here we'll
2:52:19be answering all the questions I
2:52:20couldn't fit into any other section, so
2:52:23they're getting dumped here. There will
2:52:24be no order to them because I can't be
2:52:26bothered and this video is too long.
2:52:28Anyway, let's begin.
2:52:31[clears throat]
2:52:31What's the deal with the birds? Over the
2:52:34course of the game, when Asa sits in a
2:52:36classroom, sometimes a bird flies past
2:52:38the window. At one point, it flies past
2:52:40three times in a row. The intro also
2:52:42mentions the same sentence. So, what
2:52:44does this mean exactly? I don't know.
2:52:47>> You don't [ __ ] know.
2:52:48>> This bird thing is just too vague to
2:52:49have any concrete answers on, at least
2:52:51for my feeble canine mind. There are
2:52:53some interpretations we can apply here,
2:52:55though. First, and this is the most
2:52:57common one that I've seen people
2:52:58mention, is that the bird is somehow
2:53:00connected to the code and us's
2:53:02perception of it. As the plot
2:53:03progresses, the bird is seen more often
2:53:05and flies by several times. In a later
2:53:08scene from episode 3, it will go around
2:53:10so many times that Asa won't be able to
2:53:12count them. This suggests that it's an
2:53:14instance of distortion, signifying the
2:53:16rate at which reality around work 5 is
2:53:18degrading. This is somewhat supported by
2:53:20Le mentioning how Asa must have seen
2:53:22several cases of distortions already.
2:53:24Even Molina defines a bird using code.
2:53:26No way this is a coincidence, right?
2:53:28Perhaps. But we can go further than
2:53:30that. Two of our characters already have
2:53:33some sort of connection to birds. The
2:53:35first one being Asa. In that cafe scene
2:53:37with Marina, she gets them two types of
2:53:39dessert. A ktoska and a bird's milk. The
2:53:41latter being something Molina thought
2:53:43would suit Isa. It could be that she
2:53:45genuinely thought that cuz well, she
2:53:48does look kind of like a bird's milk
2:53:50type of person. But we shouldn't forget
2:53:52that Melina had x-ray vision of the code
2:53:54for some time and [music] her perception
2:53:56is altered in a way we cannot know. So,
2:53:58she may have seen something in Assaet
2:54:00that connects her to this whole birth
2:54:02thing. It's admittedly a stretch, but
2:54:04hey, the game's vague enough to the
2:54:06point that such theories are a
2:54:08possibility. I think the second
2:54:09character I want to mention is a her
2:54:11surname in particular, Gravka,
2:54:14references a certain type of raven.
2:54:15Gratch is the name in Russian, but you
2:54:18may know it as a rook. Just like any
2:54:20raven, they symbolize bad omens, death,
2:54:22wisdom, and change. If we assume that
2:54:25this particular bird is a rook, then the
2:54:27messaging of the town's decay is
2:54:28becoming even stronger, there may be a
2:54:31relation specifically to a since this
2:54:33bird often appears after Isa's inner
2:54:35deliberations where she wishes to
2:54:37[music] see a perhaps even manifest in
2:54:39the bird as a result. Very unlikely, but
2:54:42we got to keep the Yuri agenda going.
2:54:45The parents, it's a pretty broad topic,
2:54:48so I've included here the family
2:54:49situation of every main character. We
2:54:51know that a lives with her parents and a
2:54:53little brother whose name is Tollik. One
2:54:55of the parents works in a hospital while
2:54:57the other is employed in the research
2:54:59institute. It's weird, however, that a
2:55:01seemingly decided to misdirect [music]
2:55:03Asa by telling her it's her mother who's
2:55:05working at the institute, which
2:55:07contradicts Melina's future statement.
2:55:09I'm not sure what she was trying to
2:55:10accomplish there. I could give several
2:55:12explanations, but they'd be just
2:55:14speculation and have no concrete basis.
2:55:16For now, we'll trust Milo on this one
2:55:18and say that it's Ira's father who works
2:55:21in the institute. Moving on to Asa, we
2:55:23know almost nothing about her parents. I
2:55:25assume that her mother is a stay-at-home
2:55:27kind of person. [music] Her father, on
2:55:28the other hand, must hold at least some
2:55:30kind of job. Asa says as much, how he
2:55:33must be always tired from work and that
2:55:35she needs to avoid bothering him.
2:55:37Fortunately, we can find a little hint
2:55:39in her conversation with her dad about a
2:55:41and her father. You know's dad? Did you
2:55:44see him yesterday? No, we're not
2:55:46acquainted. I don't think he came into
2:55:48work. Now, why would he say that? Sure,
2:55:51he doesn't know Ira's dad. That's
2:55:53understandable. But why would he know
2:55:55whether he came into work [music] or
2:55:57not? He could be told about it by his
2:55:59co-workers or the police. Sure. Or it
2:56:02could just be that Isa's father also
2:56:05works in the institute. This is even
2:56:07supported by one of his next lines. A
2:56:09few of my colleagues went in for
2:56:10questioning. Why would his colleagues be
2:56:13questioned? It only makes sense if they
2:56:14knew something about Ira's father. And
2:56:16that is very much possible if they
2:56:18directly worked with him in the
2:56:20institute, [music] which in turn proves
2:56:21that Asa's father also works there since
2:56:24they're his colleagues, too. Now, why is
2:56:26this important? What good [music] does
2:56:27it do to us to know about the
2:56:29occupations of a character's parents?
2:56:31Well, you've probably already noticed
2:56:33it. Asia, and Molina all possess code
2:56:36sensitivity. Isis and A's fathers both
2:56:39worked at the institute as colleagues
2:56:41and Mina's brother is kneedeep [music]
2:56:43in the research on structural dynamics
2:56:45which is proven by his access to pattern
2:56:47suppressant medicine. They were all
2:56:49already majorly involved in the
2:56:51institute's [music] business. The only
2:56:52odd one out is Vadim which is fitting
2:56:55for a character whose presence wasn't
2:56:57really necessitated at the beginning and
2:56:59even his family didn't get off scot-free
2:57:02though their symptoms have started
2:57:03appearing only around the start of
2:57:05episode 2. Well, the girls have been
2:57:07suffering from them for years. What the
2:57:10hell happened in jammed signal C? For
2:57:12some, the answer may be kind of obvious.
2:57:15Signal C shows what happened to ISA 3
2:57:17years ago at the repair shop. Well, yes
2:57:20and no. At first glance, everything fits
2:57:23this narrative. Asa experiences a mental
2:57:25breakdown in front of the shop while
2:57:27trying to look through the window. The
2:57:28game cuts to someone in a dark place
2:57:31surrounded by the smell of oil and dust
2:57:33touching dirty metallic surfaces. It
2:57:35definitely feels like a place where one
2:57:37would repair machinery. It's even got a
2:57:40heavy wrench thanks to which this person
2:57:42is able to break the window and see
2:57:44someone whose name ends with SA. You'd
2:57:47assume this refers to Tossa, that one
2:57:49friend Asa got separated from. And you'd
2:57:52be correct if in this scenario it was
2:57:54actually Asa who got locked in the shop.
2:57:57See, there's this little piece of
2:57:58evidence right here, a couple of
2:58:00dialogue lines that are almost
2:58:02unrecognizable beyond a couple of
2:58:03letters and words. You may have noticed
2:58:05them appearing in the intro as well. In
2:58:07fact, the first part of the intro quotes
2:58:09only sentences from Signal C. So, what
2:58:12do they mean? Like, come on, take pity
2:58:15on your teeth. Smoking, too. Who's going
2:58:17to kiss you when you stink like that?
2:58:19Huh? I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
2:58:22This has been said by Molina during that
2:58:24department scene when they were drinking
2:58:26tea with Asa. Jam signal C was happening
2:58:29right when Isa got through to a using
2:58:32her poem or rather the poem was the
2:58:34window that had appeared what was
2:58:36interpreted as get out by her mind and
2:58:39the thing that actually got her out was
2:58:42Isa's touch. This has all been a large
2:58:44metaphor for sensory deprivation. Her
2:58:47pitch black prison where she couldn't
2:58:49see nor hear. Only a poem dedicated to a
2:58:52one that's filled with all the love Isa
2:58:55had to give could get through to her and
2:58:57only her touch could ground her so that
2:59:00she could see the girl that's been
2:59:01trying to save her all this time.
2:59:04Beautiful. The scene is framed in such a
2:59:06way that it applies both to aa at the
2:59:10same time. It's an ingenious way of
2:59:12showcasing how intertwined both
2:59:14characters are in their most miserable
2:59:16moments. how all the supposed
2:59:18coincidences [music] and similarities
2:59:20they had all get pretty much confirmed
2:59:23and subtly explained by this one scene.
2:59:25Now I can see why the Steam store page
2:59:27has an LGBTQ plus [music] tag. And here
2:59:30I thought it was thanks to Vadim's
2:59:32bigotry. Sorry, dude, but in the end,
2:59:35love always wins. There's still a lot I
2:59:38can speculate and theorize on. The game
2:59:40is full of little things that you can
2:59:42notice on subsequent playthroughs. I've
2:59:45only just scratched the surface level of
2:59:47characterization and provided a few of
2:59:49my takes on what's going on and we
2:59:51haven't even finished the game yet. I
2:59:53guess this means that I have a lot to
2:59:55say about it and yet I still wouldn't do
2:59:58justice to this work of art. So I think
3:00:00it's best we continue onwards and move
3:00:03on from theories and finally learn about
3:00:06the universal message of Zato.
3:00:19A day is inherently good. That's why
3:00:23it's silly to say the phrase today is a
3:00:25good day to someone. Kind of makes it a
3:00:28tautology like close proximity and end
3:00:30result. Even if you feel down, even if
3:00:33you miss someone dearly, even if
3:00:35everything around you is changing in a
3:00:37way you fail to understand, today is a
3:00:40good day.
3:00:41But for Asa, tomorrow will be even
3:00:44better. Tomorrow, from 10:30 to 11:00,
3:00:48the sun will rise. The polar night will
3:00:51end, and she will be where she needs to
3:00:53be. The background classmates start
3:00:55repeating phrases we've already heard
3:00:57before. Are they all just a memory, or
3:00:59is it really happening? Either way, Asi
3:01:02is no longer affected by them. She
3:01:04doesn't respond to outside influences
3:01:06anymore. Only ponders the vastness of
3:01:08the tundra. How the sky is only as high
3:01:11as the highest point in the city. She
3:01:13feels the wood of the chair beneath her.
3:01:16She's Asia. Asa is her name. It's been
3:01:19only 2 days since she visited Melina's
3:01:21apartment. Time has been out of whack
3:01:23for a while now. Reality shifts in
3:01:25unnatural ways. [music] Shadows and
3:01:27light come from the wrong sides.
3:01:29Memories replace themselves in different
3:01:31orders. But it's all right. Everything
3:01:34is falling into place. Outside, kids are
3:01:37throwing snowballs at nothing.
3:01:39Surroundings are illuminated in blue.
3:01:41Around the corner, Vadim and Melina
3:01:43[music] are smoking. Malina doesn't talk
3:01:46anymore. Asa offers a pill bottle to
3:01:48Vadim, which he takes. He then swallows
3:01:51two pills and tries to give one to
3:01:52Malina. She slaps his hand away in
3:01:54return. Maybe having already surrendered
3:01:56to the situation. Or maybe as an act of
3:01:59respect towards a having decided to
3:02:01follow her judgment of rejecting the
3:02:03medicine. Either way, the girls hug each
3:02:06other. Melina petting Asa's head like
3:02:08she did every time she tried to comfort
3:02:10her in the past. It's okay. It's okay.
3:02:16Asa returns to her apartment. She is
3:02:19standing in front of the entrance to the
3:02:21living room. The door leading into it is
3:02:23half a jar. Her father's shadow is
3:02:26visible thanks to the TV's glow. Her
3:02:29mother is nowhere to be seen. She was
3:02:31looking for her husband yesterday, but
3:02:33Asa didn't tell her. Today, she crawled
3:02:36out of her bed towards the noise,
3:02:38towards the living room. Asa calls out
3:02:41to her mother, but no answer follows.
3:02:43She should enter the living room. She
3:02:46should come in and talk to her. And yet,
3:02:50it's okay. Sunrise is tomorrow. She's as
3:02:55tomorrow is going to be the best day of
3:02:57her life. Tomorrow.
3:03:00Tomorrow.
3:03:05Her eyes snap open. It's already
3:03:08morning. She didn't get a wink of sleep
3:03:10since she was so disturbed yesterday.
3:03:12But now it's day X and she's very calm
3:03:14about it. Maybe it's a sort of
3:03:16acceptance. Whatever happens happens,
3:03:18right? Asa sits in the kitchen waiting
3:03:21for the tea to brew. [music] It's
3:03:23December 28th, just 3 days before New
3:03:25Year's. This reminds her that she didn't
3:03:27get any presents for her parents.
3:03:29However, they, on the other hand, she
3:03:32climbs up a stool to reach the highest
3:03:34shelf of a wardrobe. There's a present
3:03:36for her. It's a hiding place where her
3:03:38parents put birthday and New Year's
3:03:40gifts. Asa found out about it when
3:03:42looking for something a couple of years
3:03:43ago, but she never checked it [music]
3:03:45again until now. After some cute
3:03:47hesitation and inner moral conflicts,
3:03:50she brings a wrapped box into her room.
3:03:52After carefully opening it without
3:03:54damaging the wrapping paper, she
3:03:56discovers a whole two presents inside.
3:03:58The first one is a hardcover journal
3:04:00with fancy highquality paper and an
3:04:02introduction page. Weirdly enough, one
3:04:05of the first pages has been turned out.
3:04:07My guess is her mother tried to write
3:04:10down something nice in there, but
3:04:12because of her rapidly declining higher
3:04:13[music] functions, she failed and
3:04:15decided to scrap the page so that her
3:04:18daughter wouldn't be distressed [music]
3:04:19by the unsettling scribbles inside. The
3:04:22second gift is a pair of soft cream
3:04:24colored mittens. I pass your face
3:04:26[music] with them. A, can someone draw
3:04:28that, please? I'd commission someone,
3:04:30but YouTube is not exactly generous with
3:04:32its ad revenue. She opens the journal
3:04:33and wants to write a poem or draw
3:04:35something, but there's barely any time.
3:04:38Still, there has to be something in
3:04:39there. It's a present from her late
3:04:41mother. It has to be [music] used
3:04:42somehow. Isa decides to write as many
3:04:44sweet things about her mom as she can,
3:04:46about how pretty the journal and the
3:04:48mittens are, about how sorry she is that
3:04:50they rarely ever talked. There will be
3:04:53three pages of apologies, as well as
3:04:55three pages of thank yous. Then she'll
3:04:56write what she loves about her. The way
3:04:58she cooked, how she asked you about your
3:05:01day, how she looked in that flowery
3:05:03[music] dress. But then nothing more
3:05:05comes to mind. These things should come
3:05:07naturally, right? But there's something
3:05:10wrong with her memories, [music] like an
3:05:12impenetrable darkness in her mind. And
3:05:14her grammar is pretty bad. Has it always
3:05:17been this bad? It seems she's already
3:05:20begun to lose [music] herself bit by
3:05:22bit. Or she's just tired from writing so
3:05:25much. It's time to go out anyway. So,
3:05:27she finishes by writing I love you and
3:05:31signing signed um Isa signed Asa. Her
3:05:37name is Asa. She then takes her mittens,
3:05:39gets dressed, takes one last look at the
3:05:42empty apartment, and says her last
3:05:44goodbyes.
3:05:56The streets are empty. It's early today
3:06:00and it's a Sunday and people don't get
3:06:02up that early on a Sunday. This is the
3:06:04explanation Isa goes with even though
3:06:06she's aware of the real reason. Soon the
3:06:09world will heal. The sky is painted with
3:06:12muted indigo. The street lamps contrast
3:06:15with the blue, creating a serene
3:06:17atmosphere amidst the frozen flakes and
3:06:20glistening snow drifts. The holiday
3:06:22decorations lie in the streets. It
3:06:24reminds me of how I, when taking a walk
3:06:26[music] back from school during winters,
3:06:28used to occasionally stop and admire the
3:06:31scenery that was sprawled before me of a
3:06:33silent road and some street lamps
3:06:35illuminating the way. After finishing
3:06:37the game, I started doing this a lot
3:06:39more often, even though I no longer go
3:06:42to school. Isa runs out on the road to
3:06:45get a better view of her surroundings,
3:06:47but not before looking both ways. Not
3:06:49like they had many cars back then. There
3:06:51were usually outsiders coming in and out
3:06:53of the city. Wait, but wasn't this a
3:06:55closed city, though? Why would there be
3:06:57outsiders? She apologizes to someone for
3:07:00her hazy memory. I wonder if she was
3:07:02addressing us or the universe or a
3:07:05different person. Asa. She is Asa. Her
3:07:09name is Asa. Now that she's in the
3:07:11middle of the road, she feels like
3:07:13running. Imagining herself as a plane
3:07:15with street lamps as her guiding lights
3:07:17on the landing strip. She will ascend
3:07:19beyond the stratosphere, [music]
3:07:20spread her wings, rev up her engine, and
3:07:23take off. Wait, what?
3:07:27Whose voice was that? Isn't everyone
3:07:29gone already? So, who just shouted like
3:07:32that? Well, Isa seems to have some idea
3:07:35who this person is. It's someone she
3:07:39knows very well.
3:07:46It's Tossa, Isa's childhood friend from
3:07:49the past. She is overjoyed to see her
3:07:51again, practically jumping into her
3:07:53arms. They laugh and giggle for some
3:07:55time before speaking. Tossi is now
3:07:58different from what Asi remembered of
3:08:00her, probably because they've grown up
3:08:02from the last time they've seen each
3:08:03other. "That's bonkers," she answers.
3:08:05"At least that part didn't change along
3:08:07with her personality." Hi explains that
3:08:09she's heading towards the research
3:08:11[music] institute to send a message to
3:08:12the world and invites Tossa to tag
3:08:14along. She doesn't quite understand what
3:08:17this all means. It's a bit too cryptic
3:08:19for her, but she agrees to go anyway.
3:08:22After this heartfelt reunion, the girls
3:08:25are walking down the street chatting
3:08:26away like they used to when they were
3:08:28children. Now that she's talking with
3:08:30her, Isa is glad that her memory didn't
3:08:32betray her this time. She remembered her
3:08:34right. [music] Tossa asks what Isa has
3:08:36been doing while she was away. Asa
3:08:38answers that she met lots of nice
3:08:40people, like the guys at school. They
3:08:42were the first ones to approach her
3:08:43after Tossa left, cracking jokes and
3:08:45such. There was even someone called Vita
3:08:47[music] that she sometimes talks with.
3:08:49He even bought her soda. What a
3:08:51gentleman. There's also Maria, to
3:08:53[music] which laughs and wonder why Asa
3:08:56calls her by her full name. Masha would
3:08:58be a more appropriate dimminitive,
3:08:59[music] but Maria felt more natural for
3:09:02one reason or another. She often hangs
3:09:03out with Asa and even brought magazines
3:09:06that one time. I personally don't
3:09:08remember her ever doing that, [music]
3:09:09but okay, Asena, you probably know her
3:09:11better than I do. They even went to a
3:09:13movie that one time, but the name
3:09:15escapes her and makes [music] her try
3:09:17pretty hard to remember it. Her memories
3:09:19are slipping and decaying with time,
3:09:21maybe even faster than before. [music]
3:09:23Despite that, there's still one thing
3:09:25she'll never forget. When being asked by
3:09:27Tasa whether she gets bullied [music] or
3:09:29not, cuz she'd be the number one target
3:09:31in her eyes, Asa mentions a friend who'd
3:09:33protect her if things went too far.
3:09:35[music] Her name is A. She may be a
3:09:38little rough on the outside, but she's
3:09:40very cool and kind and the best person
3:09:42ever and is kind of similar to Tossa in
3:09:45a way. H they do look alike now that I
3:09:48think about it. Funnily enough, Tossa is
3:09:50offended by this. Then she wants to say
3:09:53something but is hesitant to do so.
3:09:55After a bit of convincing from her
3:09:56friend, she just says that Asa is a was
3:09:59[music] pretty apt, but maybe could have
3:10:02worded it better. Tasa was concerned
3:10:04that her dear was would have a real
3:10:06rough time at school. But now seeing Asa
3:10:09and how much more cheerful she is than
3:10:11before, she sees no reason to worry now
3:10:13that her friend has so many other
3:10:15friends. As if sensing jealousy in
3:10:17Tasa's [music] words, Asa tells her that
3:10:19she was really sad when they got
3:10:21separated. There was this emptiness,
3:10:23[music] this hole that Tossa left. And
3:10:25so as decided to fill it with wonderful
3:10:28things, but it's kind of difficult to
3:10:30judge what is wonderful and what isn't.
3:10:32[music] A wonderful thing can only be so
3:10:34when it is compared to something. It's
3:10:36something extraordinary, something above
3:10:39the baseline. [music] But what's the
3:10:41baseline? How would one define it? For
3:10:43Isa, that baseline became herself.
3:10:46[music]
3:10:46She is the world's measuring standard.
3:10:49So after realizing this, everything
3:10:51became wonderful because the average is
3:10:54so unreachably higher than herself that
3:10:56her labeling anything as unremarkable
3:10:59[music] became laughably brazen. That's
3:11:01how she started to feel the emptiness
3:11:03inside her. Tasa sees [music] through
3:11:05the delusions though. She asks whether
3:11:07she felt that emptiness. Asa responds
3:11:10that there's no need for that anymore
3:11:11since her dear childhood friend is here
3:11:13now. Tacia wants to comment on this
3:11:16whole speech, [music] but Isaia already
3:11:18knows what she's going to say and
3:11:19decides to interrupt her by running
3:11:21towards the research [music] center.
3:11:23When in front of the building, Isa
3:11:25hesitates, thinking that she'll
3:11:26embarrass herself when she enters
3:11:28[music] an unfounded fear because, well,
3:11:30we all know why. Tossa catches up after
3:11:33which the girls find out that the
3:11:35entrance is unlocked and go [music]
3:11:37inside
3:11:42the research institute. Isa has been
3:11:44here before even though it's been a very
3:11:47long time. Tasha flips the light switch
3:11:49making Asa blind from the sudden light.
3:11:51This place is no longer recognizable to
3:11:53her. It's only been 3 years and 3 years
3:11:56ago was when she had to part ways with
3:11:58Tulsa. It's all so hazy for her. Tossa
3:12:02suggests they grab a flashlight from the
3:12:03janitor's booth. In the meantime, Asa
3:12:05searches for keys, even though she's
3:12:07certain all the doors in the building
3:12:09are unlocked. We are not sure why that's
3:12:12the case. Tossa finds the flashlight,
3:12:14one with a calendar that has photos with
3:12:16bikini models on it. She is positively
3:12:19elated at this discovery. The pair then
3:12:21approaches the stairs to the second
3:12:23floor. It's dark, so TSA takes out the
3:12:26flashlight and turns it on. She's not
3:12:28too happy seeing the Institute given
3:12:30that it is the reason they got separated
3:12:33at all. Asa's memories about that time
3:12:35are very much jumbled. So, she has
3:12:37trouble understanding why Taci is so
3:12:39hostile towards the place. As they go,
3:12:42Isa thinks she'd be pretty scared
3:12:43without Tasa. But, she's made it so far.
3:12:46That means she's following a
3:12:48predetermined path. And still she's
3:12:50reminded of how scared she was when
3:12:52watching an episode from a popular
3:12:54cartoon where a rabbit makes shadow
3:12:56puppets in a cargo hold. This refers to
3:12:58episode 7 of a very well-known Soviet
3:13:01show, Nupugadi, also known as Well, Just
3:13:04You Wait. If I were to summarize it very
3:13:07roughly, it's basically the equivalent
3:13:09to Tom and Jerry. The premise includes
3:13:11two animals disrupting each other's
3:13:13lives in a series of slapstick cartoon
3:13:15violence. And that's where the
3:13:18similarities end. Despite the
3:13:20allegations of plagiarism, the two
3:13:22series are very different, but that's
3:13:24neither here nor there. Asa asks whether
3:13:27Tasha remembers the reason they got
3:13:28separated. [music] Tossa says that the
3:13:30scientists that tore them apart from
3:13:32each other called her a distortion, an
3:13:35osmotic distortion specifically. It's
3:13:38some scientific mumbo jumbo really. The
3:13:40important thing here is that Assa has
3:13:42the ability to will things into
3:13:43existence or in other words cause
3:13:46sizable distortions. Not necessarily at
3:13:49will, mind you. There's some kind of
3:13:51process behind that. It's pretty hard to
3:13:53wrap your head around when you first
3:13:55hear it, especially for Isa. Well, there
3:13:58was a person who tried to cause a
3:14:00distortion but failed. She doesn't
3:14:02remember who it was, but we can make an
3:14:05educated guess. I think what she does
3:14:07remember is an office with wires and
3:14:10friendly sounding voices. Nothing more
3:14:12than that, though. It's like light in a
3:14:14ballroom with a matchstick. Only feeling
3:14:17that's left beyond those memories is a
3:14:20deep, deep despair. Good thing Tossi is
3:14:23here now. And at this point, that's all
3:14:25that matters. The girls reach a room
3:14:28with a mural on the wall. It's a mural
3:14:31Asia recognizes, so there must be some
3:14:33importance behind it. Unfortunately, I
3:14:36could not find the original photograph
3:14:38or the mural's location, so it's
3:14:40something that will remain a mystery for
3:14:42now. [music] The outside is already
3:14:44bright enough, so Tasha turns off the
3:14:46flashlight and sits in the armchair. Asa
3:14:48realizes why the Institute let her go
3:14:51despite her having this ability of
3:14:53manifestation. It is something that
3:14:55every person possesses. They're just not
3:14:58aware [music] of it. Distortions are
3:15:00born of the wishes and prayers of
3:15:02others. Some people are better at it and
3:15:04can cause them by accident. Some may
3:15:06need to band together to achieve any
3:15:09meaningful results. Still, everyone can
3:15:11do it. It just has to come from genuine
3:15:14belief. That's why the institute is
3:15:16blasphemous. Its distortions come from
3:15:18obligation and higherups command, not
3:15:21from an earnest wish. That's why the
3:15:23city is being corrected. While a
3:15:25distortion like Tasha doesn't cause any
3:15:27trouble, she would still exist. Even if
3:15:30they both were unaware of the inner
3:15:32workings of the universe or of
3:15:34distortions in general, she just
3:15:36wouldn't be called a distortion. She'd
3:15:38be called a miracle. Maybe that's what
3:15:41the mural is about. Tossa recines back
3:15:44into the armchair. On a side note, an
3:15:47interesting detail that I've noticed
3:15:48while looking through everything the
3:15:50game has to offer lies in the cover art
3:15:52of the game. It's Asa holding a turned
3:15:55off flashlight, leaned back in an
3:15:57armchair, looking into the distance.
3:16:00Weird. Shouldn't Tasa be sitting in
3:16:02that? Well, whatever. We don't have much
3:16:05time left anyway. The pair approaches
3:16:07the staircase leading to a rooftop exit.
3:16:10Asa puts her hand on the door handle.
3:16:12There is no need for keys. Everything is
3:16:15returning to its [music] natural state,
3:16:17to its default. And what's the default
3:16:20state of a lock? It's being open.
3:16:41An icy tundra spraws across and below
3:16:44the horizon. Colored in hues of
3:16:47encroaching sunlight. [music] The city
3:16:49rests below. What was its name again? It
3:16:52doesn't matter at this point. Everything
3:16:54below has fallen into silence. [music]
3:16:57And above is the radio tower. The girls
3:17:00notice something weird about the snow.
3:17:03It's falling upwards. Split from the
3:17:06mounds. The snowflakes fly towards the
3:17:09heavens. How cute. Everyone's going
3:17:12home. The residents of a town that
3:17:15doesn't exist return back to the
3:17:17universe to absolute. Tossa asks if Asa
3:17:21[music] is still afraid of heights,
3:17:23reminding her of that time on the ferris
3:17:25wheel when she was nine. Asa does
3:17:27remember this. In fact, she remembers so
3:17:31much more than that. All the matches
3:17:33she's been given have been used up. The
3:17:36ballroom is so massive [music] that it's
3:17:38impossible for her to illuminate it in
3:17:40full, but she can finally see around
3:17:43her. It's not a ballroom with marble
3:17:45floors and lobish decor. No. It's her
3:17:49body painfully writhing on the floor
3:17:52from the glass cuts crying for Tossia.
3:17:55It's a shattered window of a repair
3:17:57shop. It's her apologizing to everyone's
3:18:00parents. It's her standing in [music]
3:18:03front of her disappointed father and
3:18:06embarrassed mother. It's all just so
3:18:10boring. Asa answers to surroing
3:18:14anything from [music] right after she
3:18:15went away. It's not even worth talking
3:18:19about. But to already knew about [music]
3:18:22that. Asa approaches this service
3:18:24ladder. She wasn't lying when she said
3:18:27that she isn't afraid of heights. The
3:18:29ladder is stable and the tower is not
3:18:32that high. She's got no [music] right to
3:18:34hesitate. Asa begins her climb with Tasa
3:18:38following suit. [music]
3:18:40While the girls are on their final
3:18:42stretch, I want to insert one last
3:18:45character breakdown that I've been
3:18:46putting off [music] for so long. But in
3:18:49order to do that, we have to answer the
3:18:51question. Who is Toyosa? Well, for
3:18:54starters, the to that is before us is a
3:18:56distortion, a being created thanks to
3:18:58intense belief, or in [music] this case,
3:19:01a person, an imaginary friend wished
3:19:03into reality. A similar concept would be
3:19:06of Tibetan emanations, an autonomous
3:19:09entity with its own will and personality
3:19:12conjured [music] by one's mind. Told you
3:19:14Buddhism was going to be important,
3:19:15though the more common term for such a
3:19:17being would be uh toa. We don't know the
3:19:20circumstances behind her initial
3:19:22manifestation, but the toy seta that we
3:19:24see now may be a different iteration of
3:19:26the [music] same toa. Her design takes
3:19:29into it elements from every major
3:19:31character, a Marina, even Vadim and of
3:19:35course from Asa [music] herself. That
3:19:38same unfashionable coat being a dead
3:19:40giveaway. It's no coincidence that she's
3:19:42similar to them. It's because Tasa
3:19:45either adopted a part of their
3:19:46personality when being reconstructed
3:19:48from Isa's [music] memories of her
3:19:50friends or her behavior was like that to
3:19:53begin with. In any case, Toysa seems to
3:19:55[music] be almost a complete opposite of
3:19:57Isa's character and temperament. She's
3:20:00brash, even boyish at times, has a
3:20:02positive attitude, is confident, doesn't
3:20:05overthink much, is proactive, and is
3:20:07also protective of her friend even when
3:20:10she's not around. I'd even [music] go as
3:20:12far as to say that she embodies
3:20:14characteristics that Asa herself would
3:20:17have liked to possess. After all, Tossa
3:20:20is an intrinsic part of her. The cold
3:20:22metal and wet ice are getting through
3:20:25the mittens. [music] The winds pick up
3:20:26as the cold is harder and harder to
3:20:28ignore. There is no going back. Tossa
3:20:31asks [music] Asa if she's cold, if she's
3:20:34tired, if she wants to rest and come
3:20:36back down. No, she's fine. She's
3:20:39changed. Her eyes are fixed only on her
3:20:42target above. Looking to the side is a
3:20:45distraction. Looking down is punishable
3:20:47by firing squad. No. Worse. She'll be
3:20:51sent far away if she looks down. No, no,
3:20:54no. She doesn't want that. She doesn't
3:20:56want to meet eyes with her. Tossa is an
3:21:00imaginary friend. one that a child would
3:21:03think up in their mind as a means of
3:21:05providing companionship, comfort, or to
3:21:07shield them from the outside. Whether
3:21:09that was a product of Asa's natural
3:21:11childhood development or a mechanism for
3:21:14coping with trauma, I cannot [music]
3:21:16say. One thing I am certain about is
3:21:18that after their separation, Asa longed
3:21:21for Toys's presence. [music]
3:21:23What I think happened during the repair
3:21:25shop incident is that a band of boys
3:21:27locked [music] Asa in as a prank. Asa
3:21:30had a panic attack and started
3:21:32experiencing a cold sensitivity [music]
3:21:34episode. She was in a very similar
3:21:36position to a in jammed signal C. It's
3:21:39just the window [music] was an actual
3:21:41window this time, a way to escape. Asa
3:21:44couldn't see it though until a familiar
3:21:46voice rang through her head. It was Ta
3:21:49[music] still with her, wished upon
3:21:50again, but unconsciously manifested
3:21:53through an intense desire to be saved.
3:21:55It's the voice in Asa's head [music]
3:21:57that was telling her to avoid repeating
3:22:00the same mistakes that was watching over
3:22:02her like a guardian angel. Asa then
3:22:04grounds herself, picking up a wrench and
3:22:06[music] feeling its metallic texture and
3:22:08heavy weight, which stabilizes her
3:22:10senses. She then shatters the window,
3:22:13alerting everyone outside who now find a
3:22:16crying girl [music] covered in cuts
3:22:18lying on the grimy floor, calling out to
3:22:21a person who isn't here anymore. Do you
3:22:24have like a script prepared for your
3:22:26message? [music] Asa says no. She
3:22:28doesn't need one. Well, maybe she should
3:22:30have brought a note. Not like the
3:22:32message was ever [music] meant to be of
3:22:33her bows or anything. Knowing her
3:22:37knowing more and more memories keep
3:22:39slipping out. When she tries to remember
3:22:41something, another thing disappears into
3:22:43the mist. It's very confusing, but she
3:22:45can't afford to get distracted. [music]
3:22:47A note would be nice to have, but the
3:22:49words don't really matter. They're only
3:22:52vessels. This overwhelming emotion will
3:22:54surely reach its destination, [music]
3:22:56no matter the message. This warm feeling
3:22:59is so everpresent in her body that any
3:23:03blank spaces soon get filled to the brim
3:23:05with it. It's really, really lovely.
3:23:09This all comes back to Asa, her
3:23:13self-loathing, and how she views
3:23:15everything as above her. It's an extreme
3:23:18inferiority complex that she developed
3:23:21either [music] in her childhood or after
3:23:23the incident. Viewing everything as
3:23:26wonderful, but not herself, constructing
3:23:28a version of herself that takes in parts
3:23:31of people she has come to appreciate.
3:23:33Bring herself to a point of extreme
3:23:36reverence and adoration towards [music]
3:23:38the entirety of existence because that's
3:23:41how large the gap was between her and
3:23:44[music]
3:23:44anything in the world. The fact that she
3:23:47exists at all is already an [music] act
3:23:50of infinite benevolence from above. So
3:23:53the only thing she can do is express her
3:23:56gratitude to everyone and everything in
3:23:58[music] the universe.
3:24:01But isn't she a part of the universe as
3:24:04well?
3:24:19O.
3:24:21>> I cover my face. It's so windy up here.
3:24:25I hope my scarf doesn't get caught on
3:24:27anything. I crawl up to the platform and
3:24:29immediately slouch against the tall
3:24:31antenna. The ache that's been numbing my
3:24:33arms and legs for a good portion of the
3:24:35climb has suddenly become very apparent.
3:24:38Ow. Hey, pass me. Would it really be so
3:24:42hard to exercise once in a while? Gu,
3:24:45finally.
3:24:46>> The girl crawls out behind me. At least
3:24:49she's high on energy. Her eyes are glued
3:24:52to the view in front.
3:24:54What's that expression? I can't blame
3:24:57her, though. It's breathtaking.
3:25:00>> Whoa. Whoa. Are you seeing this? Yeah.
3:25:04This is bonkers. Bonkers. You're not
3:25:08reacting at all. Come on. Everything's
3:25:11so tiny. Wow. I can see so far. It's
3:25:15really beautiful. I'm just a little
3:25:17tired. Phew. Give me a minute.
3:25:21>> Woohoo.
3:25:22>> Her voice is drowned out by the howling
3:25:24wind. She laughs. The rising snow is
3:25:27viciously pelt in her face, but she
3:25:29doesn't seem to care. She's running back
3:25:31and forth around the platform, giggling
3:25:33and screaming profoundly as loud as she
3:25:35can. She's so happy. That makes me
3:25:39happy, too. I stand up and swipe the
3:25:41snow off the back of my coat. The clumps
3:25:44detach and float into the sky. The sky.
3:25:47It feels so close. I reach my hand up
3:25:50and yeah, no, I'm not tall enough. Of
3:25:54course, there's the antenna right beside
3:25:56me. That's the peak propping up the sky.
3:25:58So, around five more meters until I'd be
3:26:01able to make contact. I don't think I
3:26:03can climb it, though. There's nothing to
3:26:05grab onto. And frankly, I am too tired
3:26:09to try.
3:26:10>> Hey, what's up? Come here. It's about
3:26:14time. Oh.
3:26:17>> She skitters closer, still wearing a
3:26:19huge grin on her face. I fixed the scarf
3:26:22around her neck.
3:26:23>> It's cold. Cover up a little. Do you
3:26:27still worry about that? Don't pout. I
3:26:29don't want you to catch anything, that's
3:26:31all.
3:26:32>> She lets out a sigh of resignation. Are
3:26:35you my mom or something?
3:26:37I could be. You never know. No way. Why
3:26:41not? He looked too young. Maybe I'm
3:26:44blessed with youful looks. Uh-huh.
3:26:46Where's my dad then? Dead. I poisoned
3:26:49him. Scary.
3:26:54It's rising. Ah.
3:27:14light. White blinding light emerges from
3:27:17the endless mountain ridge. The jagged
3:27:20line of the horizon catches fire. It's
3:27:23burning high and wide and red, orange,
3:27:25and pink in [music] the most painful
3:27:28shades the human eyes can see. The
3:27:30flames are caught by the howling wind
3:27:32and start to spread across the melting
3:27:34fields of snow. Closer and closer,
3:27:38closer and closer until I turn my head.
3:27:42The figure of the girl beside me is
3:27:44bathed [music] in the violent morning
3:27:46rays. Her hair is the same color as the
3:27:49blazing hills. Her face is so familiar
3:27:52and warm, it makes my [music] chest
3:27:54hurt.
3:27:56>> You Your name? What's your name? Ah,
3:28:02>> she turns. I feel as if my body, my
3:28:06entire world has reached a boiling
3:28:09point. [music]
3:28:16>> Your name? Who are you? [music]
3:28:20Oh. Um, I so sorry I'm not sure. And you
3:28:26are?
3:28:29I see. [music]
3:28:31That's okay. Okay. Mhm. It's all right
3:28:35if you don't remember. It's probably not
3:28:38important. [music] You really think so?
3:28:41Yes. Because
3:28:44I feel like I've known you for a very
3:28:46long time. [music] Me, too.
3:28:50>> [laughter]
3:28:51>> That's wonderful. Then there's nothing
3:28:52to worry about, right? Um, [music] I
3:28:55guess I guess so.
3:29:00It's [music] just that uh H. What's
3:29:03wrong? We I feel [music] like I had
3:29:06something very important to do. A
3:29:09message? I think I was supposed to send
3:29:11a message.
3:29:13Message? [music]
3:29:15Like a transmission? Uh, probably. Yeah,
3:29:19since we're on top of a radio tower.
3:29:23H Yeah, that makes sense. What's the
3:29:26transmission?
3:29:28I I [music] don't know, but I can sense
3:29:32it. There's this feeling I need to get
3:29:34through no matter what. Oh. Uh, okay,
3:29:38that's good. Um, and who are you sending
3:29:41the message to? I [music]
3:29:44uh it's for
3:29:48>> the endless [music] tundra wraps around
3:29:50the globe. The western front looks cold
3:29:53and dark. But soon soon the fire will
3:29:55spread over the surface of the earth and
3:29:58fill the sky. The little town below is
3:30:00already [music] engulfed. The metal
3:30:02tower is red from the heat like a blade
3:30:04ready to be laid against an anvil.
3:30:07Little by little, everything burns
3:30:08[music] up. In a few moments, the entire
3:30:11planet will combust. The sun keeps
3:30:14[music] rising. The day is breaking on
3:30:16the searing peaks. The girl I know is
3:30:20smiling at me. [music] This girl I know.
3:30:23This girl. How many times have I seen
3:30:27her face? How many times has [music] she
3:30:29seen mine? I can't say. I really can't
3:30:33remember. But I know her better than any
3:30:37other person on planet Earth. [music]
3:30:39And I think she knows me better than
3:30:43anyone, too. I know her eyes have seen
3:30:46me [music] at my worst, and I can only
3:30:48hope they've seen me at my best. Is my
3:30:50best enough to outweigh my worst?
3:30:52[music]
3:30:53I wish I knew. But she's still here with
3:30:56me. Even after witnessing my lowest,
3:30:59most embarrassing, [music]
3:31:00most disgusting moments, she's still
3:31:03given me such an earnest smile. [music]
3:31:05The person closest to me, the person
3:31:09standing in the ring of fire, my best
3:31:12friend in [music] the whole entire
3:31:14world.
3:31:19Um, [music]
3:31:20is something wrong? No, not at all.
3:31:26[music]
3:31:29I have something to tell you.
3:31:32What? What? That's [music] right. I have
3:31:35a transmission for you. So, get your
3:31:37receivers ready. Uh uh me. Yep. All
3:31:42right. Transmission starting in [music]
3:31:44three, two. Um wait. Um I mean uh Okay.
3:31:50I'm I'm listening. I'm on the line.
3:31:54One.
3:31:58[music]
3:32:04[music]
3:32:08[music]
3:32:14[music]
3:32:21Doo.
3:32:23>> [music]
3:32:30[music]
3:32:38[music]
3:32:45[music]
3:32:50[music]
3:33:03[music]
3:33:26[music]
3:33:28>> Two students from an unknown location
3:33:31are trying to decipher the mysterious
3:33:33transmission coming from somewhere in
3:33:35the Comey Republic. One of them is
3:33:37pretty frustrated with the slow progress
3:33:39that the other student is making. The
3:33:41resulting message, however, is a bit
3:33:43unexpected.
3:33:46It's funny how it makes one say
3:33:48something embarrassing to the other
3:33:50person.
3:34:06So, what is the point of Zato? What
3:34:09exactly made me say a cringy video essay
3:34:12intro line, "This game changed my life."
3:34:15What's the message the game is trying to
3:34:17convey? Well, it's very complicated
3:34:20[music]
3:34:21and it's simple at the same time. The
3:34:24game is about a lot of things. It's
3:34:27about the mundane and the extraordinary,
3:34:30compassion and prejudice, faith and
3:34:34sacrilege, the government and the
3:34:36people, loneliness and friendship,
3:34:39denial and acceptance, lies and truths,
3:34:44you, me, us.
3:34:47It's a lot. It's so much more than I can
3:34:51ever hope to fit in a limited runtime.
3:34:54And yet the final message is the most
3:34:57important one. People often struggle to
3:34:59express their true feelings, to appear
3:35:02vulnerable, to [music] risk being
3:35:04rejected.
3:35:06It's understandable really. Many
3:35:08characters in this very game [music]
3:35:10struggle to say how much they really
3:35:12appreciate the people in their lives.
3:35:14And yet they all express their feelings
3:35:17in their own ways, like tiny little
3:35:20signals that are hard to detect, let
3:35:23alone decipher. This struggle to
3:35:25communicate leads to many unfortunate
3:35:28events. That's why I say this game is
3:35:31damper, but in a literal sense. It's a
3:35:35transmission to you, to Assa, to
3:35:39everyone. A message of endless gratitude
3:35:42and love. It's something that should be
3:35:44heard by everyone in the world and it
3:35:48should be said more often not only to
3:35:50others but to yourself as well. If a
3:35:53person loves everything and everyone
3:35:56then they should also be a part of
3:35:58everyone. So don't be afraid to love
3:36:01yourself too. You deserve it. That's
3:36:04what I believe now and what I'll take
3:36:06away from this game. You can interpret
3:36:08the signal however you like. Every
3:36:10person is different in how they decipher
3:36:12the code of the universe and other
3:36:14people's messages. It's all a matter of
3:36:17perspective. But when it comes to me
3:36:20specifically, I can safely say that I'm
3:36:24ready now to love the world and
3:36:27everything in it.
3:36:37Uh hi. Uh, it's postrecording Veno here.
3:36:41Uh, this is the part where the credits
3:36:43should roll with my patrons and stuff,
3:36:45but I don't have any, so I guess I'll
3:36:48just shout out the people that helped me
3:36:50to make this video. Huge thanks to
3:36:52Cinnaphon for providing a voice for Asa.
3:36:56I cannot even begin to say how thankful
3:36:58I am for his contributions to this
3:37:00[music] project. You can check out his
3:37:01stuff on Twitch and YouTube if you're
3:37:04interested in tabletop stuff. Another
3:37:06very helpful person for this project was
3:37:08Lehang Gaming voicing Lev. He mainly
3:37:11streams on YouTube, Variety Games and
3:37:13Limbus Company. So, go check him out as
3:37:16well. Now, there are two things that I
3:37:18didn't know where to include in the
3:37:20video itself, so I'm going to mention
3:37:22them here. First, the game is very
3:37:24dense. I'm amazed how it manages to fit
3:37:27so many themes in its 5 to 6 hour
3:37:30runtime. And so because of that, I
3:37:32didn't really feel the need to discuss
3:37:34absolutely everything. For example,
3:37:36where Amina's parents are or the
3:37:39identities of background classmates.
3:37:41It's all kind of miscellaneous theory,
3:37:43and I don't really feel like it was very
3:37:47important to the video. So, this
3:37:49information had to be cut,
3:37:50unfortunately. You can play the game
3:37:51yourself or join the Discord and Reddit
3:37:54communities. They were very helpful to
3:37:56me as well when I had to yap about my
3:37:58batshit theories and when I wanted to
3:38:01make a meme or two. Uh, second thing
3:38:03that I wanted to mention is this channel
3:38:05is primarily focused on Project Moon and
3:38:08Limbbus company content. So, if you're
3:38:10subscribed in hopes of uh seeing
3:38:12something like this video, then don't
3:38:15get your hopes up. I don't think it's
3:38:17going to happen anytime soon. This
3:38:20project was uh exhausting to make. I
3:38:22would really appreciate if you gave a
3:38:25like and shared this video so that more
3:38:27people know about this game. And
3:38:29subscribing, I guess, also helps in the
3:38:31algorithm, though I don't think it's
3:38:34worth it to pollute your subscription
3:38:36feed with my gotcha swab. Uh, so yeah.
3:38:40Um, thank you for watching again and
3:38:43>> [music]
3:38:43>> uh have a good day.

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of How Z.A.T.O. Makes You a Better Person by weno, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 36,160 words across 5,452 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.