Iwaihime Trailer Released

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DMM has posted a trailer for their upcoming game Iwaihime, with writing by Ryukishi07:

It looks like the game will have a big focus on romance, perhaps even more so than horror. Or maybe that’s just a bait-and-switch tactic. We’ll see when the game comes out November 27th in Japan. Either way, that tree (?) thing with the glowing red eyes is wicked cool.

The voice acting that starts at 2:00 in the video has been translated by Garlstadt on reddit:

Go, and curse your powerlessness.

Yours is not a destiny you can alter.

You are ten years late…

A hundred years late…

A thousand years late!

Someone has also posted a full version of the OP song, performed live by Rinne Yoshida:

Not among my favorite OPs* for a Ryukishi07 game, but it works.

* And for an extra bonus list, those would be!:

1. Pithos in the Fog (Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru)
2. Dusk is what Love Crosses Over (Higanbana no Saku Koro ni)
3. To That Day (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou)
4. Love is Omerta (Rose Guns Days)
5. Brand New Way, Broadway (Rose Guns Days Last Season)

29 thoughts on “Iwaihime Trailer Released”

      • Noo, leave Keiichi alone! I was already annoyed that the teacher character is described as a “Magician of Words” on the official site…

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      • I like some of the references and dislike others. You have to admit that Ryukishi puts some of the most unsubtle self-references in his stories. (Like the time he references Higurashi in Umineko with the full title and everything.)

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  2. He’s only doing the scenario for this, isn’t he? I can’t really see this as being a 07th Expansion game, especially since I didn’t recognize any of the names in the trailer that would otherwise be working on one of his games with him. I do realize this isn’t one of his doujin games, but not seeing the letters “07th Expansion” and the usual names dramatically appear anywhere felt bittersweet.
    Is this a Ryukishi07 original story, or was he just put in charge of writing the scenario only? I’ll admit I’m having some apprehensions about this one, since the setting seems to be Japanese high school #4,297, which is odd to me considering all of the other settings for his stories (well, maybe except Higanbana) were uniquely iconic. Also, there isn’t really any clearly defined story arc so far, and even the trailer leaves an ambiguous sense of what is to occur. I don’t really like stories with multiple romance arcs, just because the story loses its unity very quickly when being fragmented into different plot lines, so that has me skeptical as well. Though, despite all of these things, I know that horror is his natural element, so I hope that some terribly cruel things occur and flop the entire scenario upside down. It looks too sweet to be a 07th Expansion game, that’s why I hope he crushes that happy facade soon into the game, and presents us with something that’ll make us gasp and cry. What do you think, Tim?

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    • I’m not Tim, but I agree with pretty much everything you said, especially this part: “I don’t really like stories with multiple romance arcs, just because the story loses its unity very quickly when being fragmented into different plot lines, so that has me skeptical as well.”

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      • I’m working on translating a certain VN, and I was struck by something else. In these kinds of games, the protagonist has to be written in such a way that they’ll still be “in character” no matter what decisions you make. That means that by necessity they end up a much more ambiguous character than the protagonist in a linear story would.

        Don’t get me wrong—I’m still looking forward to this game, but I just realized this is another thing that kind of bothers me about multi-route games.

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    • >I hope that some terribly cruel things occur

      I want the story to be unique as much as you do but, this just reminds me of one of the scenes in umineko where Bern outright says the reader wont be satisfied unless there’s tragic and pain inflicted.

      Makes me wonder whether ryu’s whole fanbase is like that, expecting pain and suffering throughout his stories.

      Either way, I’m looking forward to what he’s come up with this time, though from what we’ve seen so far to me it feels like a safe and unambiguous project until TRI is finished, and to be fair, that’s perfectly fine.

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      • I can agree with a lot of this, but I don’t think it’s bad at all to want to see pain and tragedy in a Ryukishi story, because he’s always able to set up arcs where the pain and tragedy lead certain characters to compelling conclusions. For me, personally, I don’t find any joy in chapters where characters are brutally murdered, psychologically disturbed or placed in extremely difficult situations, but Ryukishi has a very distinct way of writing these scenes that always make the characters and the stories compelling, so when the characters inevitably reach some sort of emotional conclusion, their arcs become that much more satisfying for me. One of the reasons I loved Rose Guns Days so much is because there was such a quick feeling of gratification when it came to tragedy and resolution. Higurashi and Umineko, on the other hand, have extremely slow builds that ultimately feel more satisfying in the long run. I think Bern was musing on the fact that people are drawn to the tragedy in these stories, but not necessarily condemning it.

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      • I was thinking about this lately. While his games are full of dark and macabre stuff, they have an emotional undercurrent that’s very idealistic. Downright sappy at times, some might say! It’s not at all like the nihilistic torture porn in other franchises (I want to say the Saw films, but I haven’t seen any, so I don’t want to mis-characterize it).

        The pain and suffering make the story’s messages even more life affirming, since the characters hold onto their beliefs even through such cruel fates. I always likened it to how, in cooking, a little bit of salt makes sugar even sweeter.

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      • Sorry for the incredibly late replies, I thought I had email notifications turned on, but I must have been mistaken.

        Anyways, I didn’t mean for my comment to come across as being starved for scenes of torture or pain. Ryukishi has always had a way of making what appears to be peaceful, mundane settings into something incredibly chilling and profound. I don’t really believe that the story is as it seems, that there’s this undertone played within the setting that doesn’t make me believe. I feel like a sailor that’s experienced one too many storms, that a placid setting has an eerie quality about it, especially when you’ve been dragged through some pretty wild scenario’s like in his past work.

        I don’t really wish for pain and suffering, but I know that there is a great deal of meaning in them. Like Tim said, I don’t really relish the more graphic components of his stories, but I do enjoy the nuances that become apparent through them. In real life, pain is something abhorrently disgraceful, but when illustrated in a story like those that Ryukishi creates, it means so much more. Pain is two sided. When it’s overcome, there’s beauty, there’s love. That’s what I want to see, I want to see struggle requited, I want to stand atop that climactic hill with the characters and look back with them, and just realize the full extent of the journey they had to undergo. That’s what I look forward to in his stories, but it’s a shame that it also has to be connected to such a brutal idea.

        But, I won’t lie, I’m kind of a sadist that likes seeing blood. (> ∀ 0

        I like an intense story, so I would like to see another one, but if that’s not what Iwaihime is, I’m fine with that. I love Ryukishi after all, no matter what he writes.

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    • Yeah, it’s not an 07th Expansion game per se. He’s just been hired to do the writing. He also didn’t come up with the original concept, but I imagine that might’ve been vague as “cursed doll, spooky stuff happens”. It’s the plot twists and characterization within that bring all the depth to it.

      Through a certain lens, the different routes are just like the different arcs in Higurashi. “If events changed in this one small way, this is how events would unfold differently.” It’s not that different than the branching fates from whether Keiichi gives Mion the doll he won. Although it can be tough to write those to make sense in any order, and also fill in the small details between each other.

      I think the vagueness on story details is par for the course, though. And hey, there’ll be plenty of chances for Ryukishi to write some awesome Bad Ends. It’s not that I’m that pessimistic about the game, it’s just good to keep expectations low so they can be happily surprised!

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      • While Higurashi is obviously modeled after games like this, the different arcs in Higurashi are all part of a single overarching storyline. The main story doesn’t work if you omit any of those arcs. This isn’t the case with stories like Iwaihime that have different routes (well, not most of them, anyway).

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  3. 1. Pithos in the Fog (Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru)
    2. Dusk is what Love Crosses Over (Higanbana no Saku Koro ni)
    3. To That Day (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou)

    Okay, I’m not one to criticise other people’s taste in music. But seriously, how on Earth can the Higurashi Hou OP not be your favourite? It brought me to tears the first time I heard it!

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    • Yeah, those CGs are hella sick (in multiple meanings of the term). I was worried that the game would focus too much on romance like your typical galge, but the horror parts of this look really cool. I’m buying the special edition even though I don’t understand Japanese, so don’t worry, downloading the trial isn’t too crazy~.

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      • He doesn’t remind me of anyone yet, because like many VN protagonists, he’s barely displayed any unique characteristics at all :P

        But yeah, the scene where he rescues Kurokami is a lot like that scene in Higurashi, where Satoshi “rescued” Shion from the bike punks.

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  5. After reading Lucia’s route in Rewrite I’m reeeeaaaally looking forward to this one. He really proved that he can perfectly handle both romance and slight horror. I just hope he doesn’t steal too much from Higurashi/Umineko for it (like he did in Rewrite).

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    • I always heard that Lucia’s route was one of the weaker ones in Rewrite, but that makes me feel better for when I do eventually experience it.

      For real, Ryukishi sure does like to re-use some elements. Don’t tell me Rewrite also a rural village with bizarre, violent customs? :P

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      • The setting for the Rewrite isn’t chosen by Ryukishi, so it’s completely different.
        But for the story itself, well…


        I don’t know, it looked familiar.
        I can see why it can be considered as a weak route, especially for the ending that kinda worsen the character, but It’s still one of my favorite routes of the game.

        P.S. You can see my pro skillz with paint, I’m really proud of myself :p

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      • Well, he can’t really choose the setting but…


        I don’t know, it might look familiar.
        It’s probably disliked for the ending part that worsen the character, but it’s still one of my favourite routes of the game.

        P.S. I’m having real troubles figuring out how the blog works, for some comments I can’t reply and sometimes my replies aren’t even sent D:

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      • Well, he can’t really choose the setting but…
        http ://puu.sh/ldb4O/a37e76f7dd.png
        http ://puu.sh/lbex2/611ee387e8.png
        I don’t know, it might look familiar
        It’s probably disliked for the ending part that worsen the character, but it’s still one of my favourite routes of the game.

        P.S. I’m having real troubles figuring out how the blog works, for some comments I can’t reply and sometimes my replies aren’t even sent D:

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      • Oh ho, looks like I don’t know the half of it. I hope the anime does the “omnibus” thing with the routes (or as I see it, “the only way of adapting multi-route VNs into anime that makes sense”).

        Sorry, WordPress’s default setting is to hold all comments with 2 or more links to be manually approved. I just changed it, so it shouldn’t bother you anymore.

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      • Oh, I’m sorry for the triple comments, is there a way to delete my replies?

        There shouldn’t be adaption problems with Rewrite, we’re still talking about Key here. It just depends on the number of episodes and how they will adapt without it being neither rushed nor boring. I really hope they do a good job with it because it definitely has the potential to be a really good anime.

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