Take a look at this bad boy. Can you imagine my pain then after the whole “string” thing?
God I was upset. Such a Bigsad. This book is so hard to attune on arrgghhh.
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Wait… How do you have 100% observation stat? The best I could do was 75%, I was starting to think, that’s the highest we can get.
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I’m a wizard. :>
Jokes aside. I played the third one a lot and memorized the correct answers. I even got all 5 students perfect for the last battle.
I think you get observation points for remembering things you observed. So a lot of the text input screens. Like the murder mystery stuff I think? 
It was fun.
Omg Jun smacked me for being a good observer, I don’t want it anymore cries
Good god 25 chapters how the hell am I going to 100% attune this.
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Thanks for explaining.
I only play the “choices only” version (I’m too lazy to type) maybe that’s why I can’t get it higher than 75%. Well anyway I guess I’ll just stay content with my 100% deduction stat.
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Yeh think it tells you at the beginning , “some content will not be available otherwise”
or something, as well as in this book.
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I can’t really say for certain why as i myself have mever been abused to understand much of what Junko dealt with. But if i take my guess, let’s assume sensei saved her from her father, that would mean he is her savior and that alone would put him in a positive light and bring her to see him as a father. Then again it could also be something akin to stockholm syndrome and the third worst case, she could be propelled by a damaged desire to not let sensei (her savior) down so she suffers through the abuse as she had to with her dad. I think it’s cause Gensai took her away from the abuse that was physically and psychologically breaking her. But that’s just a guess, a theory. I can’t say for sure and I’m not really gonna assume.
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Anyone know if there will be a next book? The ending seemed rather anti-climactic with no prologue or explanation?
Yeah, there will. In a couple of years, maybe.
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As I said, our perspective are too different to be agreeable in this case it seems. Where I can see sensei in a new light, you can only see the dark side.
Well, in this case we should drop this topic altogether unless we want to anger the mods.
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The way I see this sensei thing is he saved your life.You can at the very least thank him for that.
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I do agree about that point. How does MC could survive in the ruthless, merciless world without becoming stronger than him/herself - a helpless, hopeless child in their darkest childhood? He/she needed an instructor and that’s the role of sensei. That had to be the focus of this story in my opinion about the sensei’s presence (Besides, I think abuse problems aren’t the main point, purpose, and meaning that the story intended to do or seriously, forced the readers had to experience; I won’t debate about this in here). Personally, I just think SOH is an arduous itinerary of redemption, escaping from the shadow in the past, and becoming a better version than self. Well, if you don’t really like the story, first and foremost respect the author’s effort and ideas, let the story be and let everyone else enjoy their story in a peaceful way.
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Regardless of the mixed reviews that I saw, I’m very excited to play the game I’ve been waiting for well over a few months. It’s time to leave my assignments and club activities, and instead crawl up on my bed and play this game.
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@Sugi I agree. The Ronin is thanking Sensei more as a part of a process of forgiving themselves for what they are, and getting closure for the past, so they can move on and follow his legacy in a different way. Clearly Sensei’s mind wasn’t all there by the end, and that doesn’t excuse everything he did, but the Ronin is confronting a traumatic memory they had forgotten.
Book 4 spoilers…
It turns out Sensei didn’t really teach them the Jigoku since it can’t be taught…it was a curse they already had when he found them, as a result of the cannibalism. So instead of just killing them then and there, Sensei’s training was supposed to be about teaching them how to control their terrible power… that’s why he was so hard on them, and why he held the Ronin back, who was very gifted. It’s also the case the Ronin had blocked the memory of the cannibalism for years, so they are remembering Sensei saving them for the first time.
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Ok, since this keeps coming up, I am gonna drop my thoughts on it and then I will refrain from this topic. Since it is painful for some, definitely controversial for others, it’s difficult to come to an agreement on things like this. As such, I will drop this as an opinion piece not as an argument.
I look at it, not as a psychoanalysis of a person, but as a piece of fiction and in this piece of historically and magic inspired fiction with a clairvoyant emperor, an impossible ninja with amazing wisdom and understanding as well as cooking skills, a magical kid who can pout more and speak their emotions even less than our Ronin, demons – tall, angry, stretchy, sexy - , hell and a protective spirit chipmunk (in my case) – and I will not refuse the idea that Gensai had an idea of what would happen and that it is – all tied together. Maybe not by clairvoyance – maybe the idea of fate. And as much as I dislike his methods, he saved both - the Ronin and Jun(ko) from death. Our Ronin would have died, killed more kids or been killed by those that would have found out about them. Jun(ko) … well, the aunt and uncle weren’t quite happy and I doubt that cannibals were accepted under … normal circumstances.
The burning hot rods they fought with. The scroll and amulets in the pillar. His comments in the final battle … I like to believe that he knew and that he was grateful, that it wasn’t his own son, who had to be in this place. Or maybe - maybe he knew, that something horrible would happen, if his son DID find out and learned about it.
Let’s not forget one thing. Both – our Ronin and Jun(ko) – were cannibals, BEFORE Gensai took them in. He didn’t force them, he didn’t encourage them, he didn’t discuss it. In hindsight, it looks more like he knew what he had to look for and found it in these two.
A sword that cuts the heavens and one that cuts the hells. At least that is what I see.
There are other things foreshadowing it. The wolf in the temple. “We are what we need to be” to Nishi (my thought continues the comment to Nishi “so that they will not have to become it.”). The fact that they go on about how they need to be reforged, broken and reforged. Ume-Ume’s palm reading.
There are just so many hints – some little, some not so little and maybe even some, that aren’t supposed to be foreshadowing at all but my interpretation … that I will – simply – accept the idea, that Gensai knew what he had to do. Maybe not why or exactly for what – but he knew and from what I remember, he never wanted hell on earth. He wanted someone, who could stand against it. Fight fire with fire. That’s the way I read his last conversation with our Ronin at least – that and the need for forgiveness. Forgiveness – itself – becomes a theme throughout the story and I will – accept it as such.
Anyway, this may be an unpopular opinion - but please do remember, and accept that it is just that. My opinion
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Personally, I didn’t think the choices throughout the game affected the ending at all. It seemed that the author was set on coming up with the literal ending of (and I’m loosely paraphrasing here) “you have to give up everything for the path of the sword”. While not illogical, and by no means was the ending bad- Cause you end up saving the world and cutting down the final demon- it definitely left a lot of loose ends. Mainly I’m most dissatisfied with how none of the characters from Books 1-3 had any play in this. Aside from Toshie being hinted at helping from the shadows and Hatch also being hinted at, Momoko was nonexistent aside from a short explanation. In addition, while Masami did end up playing a short, but key role in the end (keeping the demon portal open for you to escape), it nearly killed her. I just wish that there was a definitive prologue with the characters from books 1-3. Some kinda reconciliation. Apologies for leaving them and saving the world ya know? But other than that, the ending made perfect sense and was technically a victory. (Although a bittersweet one) Also, in my ending, Junko died at the end. Is that avoidable? I did reject her romantically though. That might’ve been a factor.
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Define died.
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Sorry, previous comment was meant to be a reply.
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@iEch0 I’m guessing a lot of that stuff will be dealt with in book 5… we will just have to wait (although the side stories did help a lot getting some insight into the characters we didn’t see much of in book 4, so I enjoyed those).
There are lots of loose ends. Something is clearly wrong now with Masa with their eyes being left blank and hollow… going into hell and keeping the portal open must have taken a huge toll on him/her. I don’t know if Jun/ko is really dead or not…it sure looks that way, but then again things looked pretty grim for Masa at the end of book 1 and Momo at the end of book 3, and they both survived (with magic), so who knows. If Jun/ko does somehow survive, I can’t imagine them coming out of this unchanged, though…for better or worse.
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I said that before, I think we will and for some reason, I think they were ‘prepared’ for this.
"I’m already in hell."Maybe it’s just wishful thinking … but maybe that’s why they are the way they are, so they can prevail. Our Ronin learned forgiveness in hell …
But yes, things are going to get worse, before they get better.
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I need help! What did you guys do when Oyama was going to slap the child? Stop him or do nothing?
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