Siren 2 Maniacs: Archives 39 - 44

[No. 039] Ichiko Yagura's Student ID

The student ID of Ichiko Yagura, a middle school girl awaited by a tragic fate. There is something sad about the bright smile in her ID photo. Also, the words you can see on the left-hand page of her ID are the lyrics to "Song of the Little Turtle", which were written by Naoko Sato, Siren 2's planner.

Song of the Little Turtle

Here on Kameishi Hill, the dazzling morning sun rises
Ah, why do turtles walk so slowly?
The spirit of the little turtle, raised with inexhaustible persistence
Shoot for the edge of Space at the speed of light
Cross time, little turtle, prepare for takeoff

Here on Kameishi Hill, a sparkling wind blows
Ah, why are turtles' shells so hard?
The spirit of the little turtle, raised with unbreakable willpower
Aim for uncrushable strength
Surpass the elephant, little turtle, prepare for takeoff

Here on Kameishi Hill, a clear stream burbles
Ah, why are turtles' necks so long?
Look up at the high sky, with the spirit of the little turtle
Aim for the unsurpassable wall, the domain of the gods
Final evolution, little turtle, prepare for takeoff

The lyrics are quite stirring. The oddly cheery lyrics contrast starkly with the horrific fate that awaits Ichiko and her fellow students. The composer who was in charge of music for Siren 2, Kuniaki Haishima, also thought Ms. Sato's unique way with words was interesting, giving her the stamp of approval. "Konagihishoka", which is used in quite an impressionable way in the game, was also written by Ms. Sato.

[No. 040] School Uniform-Shaped Letter

A letter written by Ichiko Yagura to her friend Noriko Kifune aboard the Bright Win while sailing off the coast of Yamijima. For further details see the analysis of "Mystery of the Bright Win", but it shows Ichiko's concern for Noriko, who complains of feeling unwell. In the end, Noriko never reads the letter. The reason Noriko feels unwell is that she is pregnant with the child of her classmate, Ichiro Nakajima, but the pure Ichiko would never imagine such a thing and simply assumes that Noriko is seasick. Ichiko also mentions being uneasy about the drowned body that is pulled up by the Bright Win - "That means there's a dead body on this boat, right?" - and her fears are justified. Later on the body ("offshoot") changes into a "rampaging dove" and attacks the passengers. There is also a part at the end of the letter showing that Ichiko and Noriko have matching bracelets - for information on them see archives [No.074] Jade Bracelet and [No.077] Vermilion Bracelet.

Incidentally, the practise of folding letters into intricate designs was formally a popular hobby amongst middle school girls. It may be a custom that has died out with the advent of mobile phones, but the prop itself was actually made up, folded into the form of a school uniform using a very complicated pattern. As a special note, after photographing the letter for this Maniacs book it had to be folded back up into its original shape, which took a huge effort.

[No. 041] Riko Azuma Record

A hit song, "Azteca Queen", which caused an explosive boom in popularity for its singer, Riko Azuma. She is actually the younger sister of Eri Azuma, an idol who appears in Siren. Unlike her sister, who met her unfortunate end when she collided with a truck on her way to a year-end music award ceremony, Riko seems to have continued living a happy life afterwards. If you play "Azteca Queen" from the archive file, the record skips on the "Trusting... in the age of the sun" so that "trusting" sounds like "killing"; this was an idea that director Toyama says he wanted to do with "Kare no Hidari Te ni Nikukyuu" in the previous game.

[No. 042] Trophy

An item that shows that the tennis club of which Ichiko Yagura is a member finished as runners up in the 44th Nationwide Middle School Tennis Tournament. The tennis club appears to have boarded the Bright Win with the intention of taking the trophy triumphantly back to their own school. Things take a turn for the worse after this - perhaps this is due to the rumours that the trophy brings terrible misfortune to the school that possesses it.

[No. 043] Tomoe Ohta's Diary

A diary that was kept by Tomoe Ohta.

As explained in archive [No.011] Framed Photo of the Ohta Family, this is an item that shows that Tomoe is fully aware of her duty as eldest daughter of the Ohta family, the family charged with the role of protecting the peace of Yamijima. Though their lives end in unfortunate ways, from the viewpoint that what Tomoe and Tsuneo Ohta were trying to do was save humanity itself, perhaps this should have happened all along...

[No. 044] Ikuko Kifune's License

Ikuko Kifune, working part time at Sanzu Harbour, is qualified to use a ship's wireless communication system. This shows the independence of the girl who is said to avoid having relationships with others.

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Siren 2 Maniacs: Archives 39 - 44