"Abound with So Much Information" - Yukiko's Castle Analysis Finale

Returning to Yukiko's Castle, there are 8 Floors, during which you face one major Shadow before the final boss. In this case, Yukiko's Shadow continues the theme of the Locked Away Princess, as someone who needs to be rescued. Many of the Shadows at this point are harder to really analyze - some appear in many other locations or in different forms, but some are more in-tune with the Castle's theme. This is also the first dungeon in which you face a sub-boss, the Avenging Knight, who works to protect the "Princess" and test her "Princes".

Reaching the top of the Castle, the group finds Yukiko and her "Princess"/Shadow self. The Shadow calls Chie and the others her "Princes", and is quick to push for one of them to 'take her away' from the Inn and Inaba itself, feeling herself trapped but needing someone else to let her free, to 'save' her.

[I am a Shadow, the true self...]

Yukiko Amagi: The High Priestess Konohana Sakura

Met on the first day of school but not really spoken to by the Protagonist or others due to a high demand at the Inn, Yukiko is soft-spoken and is asked out by a male student from another school (more on him later). The gossip overheard is about the "Amagi Challenge", possibly on asking her out and Yukiko failing to understand or simply outright rejecting people. She is often seen with Chie, who seems to dominate the conversation or try to bring Yukiko out a bit by talking about the Inn her family runs or by praising her looks, which Yukiko isn't always comfortable with.
Yukiko starts to open up after this, and show off a side of her that before, only Chie had seen, especially when it comes to her odd sense of humor and overall ability to help and support others. She still remains shy but also begins to realize and do things she wants, over what has been expected of her. Though soft-spoken, she works her best to help out, both as support but also as a counter to Chie. Like the Protagonist and Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko are strong in their attacks against each other, but also most vulnerable. Yukiko also begins to stop trying to hold in all of her emotions, especially towards her perceived 'destiny' of running the Amagi Inn. It's her old attempt to hold in her feelings, of being 'trapped' in a situation she cannot (or will not) get out of herself that results in her attempting to get the idea of being 'saved' by a 'prince'. Her calling Chie her 'prince' means she views Chie in a status as someone who 'saves' her and that, perhaps, she feels obliged to return a 'favor' towards for that.
One noted thing about the Shadows after this is how they begin to appear after this. Yosuke and Chie's Shadows looked like themselves, save with the yellow eyes. Princess Yukiko, the Shadow, ends up dressed up and powerful enough to control at least two sub-bosses during a battle. It's also interesting to notice the motif of Yukiko's ideal and how it manifests. Her clothing and the castle itself is Western in design, very different from the traditional Eastern that Yukiko possibly views as more of her own trappings. The dress, as opposed to the kimono that Yukiko is wearing when kidnapped, is also Western in design, and though revealing in some cases (showing shoulders), it's not too revealing either. A Princess to be rescued from the place that trapped her, though, fits well into Yukiko's wish to escape her life, but her fear of how to do it without help.

TAROT ANALYSIS

The High Priestess (II), Reversed

Also called the Popess, the High Priestess, or Priestess, often holds wisdom or is in a place where wisdom, especially about the feminine side, can be found. She has and shows knowledge as well as intuition, and will often sit before the entrance to a sacred temple. The Priestess is often dressed in Pagan or Christian symbols of a high authority - the Popess has the Papal Crown, the Priestess has a curved moon or horns that often represent the Goddess or the Moon. She is often seated and waits with esoteric knowledge in the area. The card is often representing the person asking for information, a person they will meet, or a secret or mystery of the feminine, including intuition, wisdom, or even sexuality.

Reversed, the High Priestess becomes associated with an inability to hear or listen to your own intuition or power. The message is not getting across, or something is missing from the information given to you, and while others might even find you appealing, either you cannot hear them, or don't understand what they want{Source: Psychic Revelation}. In the Fool's Journey, the High Priestess represents the mysterious unconscious and unrealized potential, and paired with the Magician, represents the unconscious, inactive power while the Magician represents the more active drawing of energy {Source: Learn Tarot}.

Yukiko's inability to see herself as powerful in her own right, as well as able to do what she wants, over what is told to her, has resulted in her being uncertain of her own power and beauty. She feels the need for someone else to pull her out of the situation, and doesn't realize how powerful she can be on her own, or how much she can do to start on her own before she might need that help. 

THEME: Escape and Inner Strength

Yukiko's Shadow tends to point out the lack of strength Yukiko feels towards escaping what she believes as her 'trap' on her own, and her inability to ask for help. Yukiko's focus on her own problems and Chie's own focus on her own problems as well also tie them together. They both lack the inner strength to really move forward and understand themselves, but after the two hard lessons in who they might really be, and how important the other is to them, it's obvious the two have become closer and wish to continue growing. The two connected cards of the dungeon - the Chariot and the Priestess - show their growth and what they will both focus on. Chie's movement-driven card and one that focuses on controlling the elements within yourself, as well as being able to know when and how to move forward, compliments Yukiko's intuition-driven card. The two need to focus on who they are and how they can grow, as well as realize what they need to move forward. Instinctively, both knew that something had to change and that they needed to be the ones to do so on their own, as well as be the ones who initiated their own transformations. In Chie's case, she had to admit that she did have the darker feelings about Yukiko as a friend, and for Yukiko, she had to admit that she hated working at the Inn and having her life dictated, but also that she can't just wait for someone to swoop in and save her. Both needed to escape their darker self and realize their own power, as well as realize how they worked off each other and how they could better improve their friendship. 

Rescuing Yukiko, sadly, only gives us little to nothing to go on for finding the culprit. She doesn't know who attacked her or how she got into the Midnight Channel. However, upon returning to school after her ordeal, Yukiko shows herself willing to become part of the investigation team and to help find whoever it is that wanted to kill her.

Information about the Killer - April to May 2011

- The Killer is targeting people in Inaba
   - Up to this point, the Killer has only targeted women
   - Each female was connected to the first victim, Mayumi Yamano
     - Saki Konishi found Yamano's body after her death
     - Yukiko Amagi possibly had interactions with Yamano at the Amagi Inn
       - Yukiko's mother collapsed due to stress, possibly while dealing with Yamano
- Yukiko remembers a doorbell and someone calling to her
- Each victim appeared on TV and on the Midnight Channel shortly afterwards
   - Mayumi Yamano reported her affair with a council member and was later suspended due to the attention the story had gotten, as well as pressure from the council member's wife, a famous enki ballad singer
      - A classmate was overheard saying that his 'soulmate' was Yamano shortly before her death, meaning she appeared on the Midnight Channel
   - Saki Konishi was interviewed due to her finding the body, though her face was obscured and her voice changed, the Protagonist vaguely recognizes her after meeting her once
      - The Protagonist first sees Konishi when he watches the Midnight Channel and his ability to go into TVs, showing his ability to call on a Persona. She is confirmed by Yosuke and Chie as having been on the Channel, then again by Yosuke as on a second time before her death
    - Yukiko was interviewed after the news learns that Yamano stayed at their Inn, but the interview changed quickly from about Yamano to about Yukiko
       - The day before, Yukiko is shown in her kimono on the Midnight Channel. The next day, her Shadow begins the 'show', changing the way the Midnight Channel operates

Questions:
    - Why change the format?
    - Why focus on women?
       - Why Yamano?
    - Who else has the ability to enter the TV and do they enter with their victims?


Next Up: More on the Persona - Konohana Sakura

More on the Persona (Elements, Folklore, and Transformation) - Tomoe the Chariot

PERSONAS: The Dungeon

The second floor of the dungeon in Yukiko's Castle is an open area with room for seating. The middle is huge, and no matter how often you go through that part of the castle, you never encounter anything besides Shadows - Chie's or Yukiko's. The two advance the plot in some way, or pause it before things can move forward.

Yukiko's Castle - Floor 2

This is the second dungeon in which two people who are connected in some way end up within the same dungeon and facing their Shadows. In this case, both are girls who are unhappy with an aspect of their life, and feel the need to either 'escape' or to be 'freed' in some other way. Chie's focus is on her external looks and her envy of Yukiko, while missing Yukiko's needs. What prompts Chie's Shadow to arrive is Chie hearing Yukiko's voice, talking about how she hated her name, but how Chie's compliments end up giving her courage, or at least more confidence while wearing a certain color.
As explained in the last blog, Chie and Yukiko both are two people 'trapped' in the castle that Yukiko's repressed side created. In some ways, both want a way 'out' and are looking for the easiest way, but Chie's issue is a lack of movement, or movement in a dangerous way that can result in self-destruction. Chie's views on her feminine side, or a lack of one based on her 'prettier' friend, has lead to a great deal of envy and self-hate over that. The result is her being overly protective of Yukiko, to the point of feeling like she needs to control every aspect or have Yukiko feel bad about herself in order for Chie to feel better by acting as the "protector".
Going with the Prince theme and the theme of being 'rescued', Chie being the 'prince' with the Protagonist and Yosuke, Chie is facing down a great evil before dealing with the main antagonist/evil that is guarding and holding the 'Princess' hostage. Most of the myths dealing with a princess in a castle leaves the Prince having to overcome multiple obstacles, especially personal ones, in order to save or even regain the ultimate goal. Chie, as the 'prince', must overcome her personal demon and darkness in order to move forward and help Yukiko with hers.

The Chariot: Tomoe

The second massive Shadow you have to defeat, Chie's Persona transforms first into the massive and starts to show off more of how the repressed feelings, especially deep ones, can change the original Shadow into something showing more of issues or darker beliefs that they have. After it's defeat and Chie's acceptance, the Shadow transforms into the Persona called Tomoe.

The Persona is based off the female samurai Tomoe Gozen, a tough and beautiful warrior who is known for going into battle with an over-sized sword and is spoken about in The Tale of Heike and was said to have fought during the Genpai War (1180-1185). A woman who took multiple heads of her opponents and was proclaimed both beautiful and deadly, and who is one of the well-known female warriors in Japan. 

Shadow Chie has long, dark hair, with pale skin and a lot of yellow on it, as well as the smiling face over the pointed, full-head cover it wears (like the pin Chie wears). She wears mostly a a BDSM outfit and carries a whip, held up by struggling girls in outfits who look like Yukiko. She holds chains attached to the Yukiko's, and will use her hair and whip against anyone she turns her gaze to, especially against Yosuke (who has a strong element against her Shadow). Afterwards, while the long black hair stays, the outfit becomes more like a female version of the Bruce Lee tracksuit, with armor and a double-edged spear she uses to attack her enemies.

The Chariot, which works on movement and belief in one's self, is exemplified in Tomoe as she is often the one who attacks with a strong physical attack, and has to level up before she gains her element attack. While not the leader, she is one of the strongest members of the team, especially against many of the earlier Shadows that you face off against.

ELEMENT

Element: Bufu (Ice)

              Weakness: Agi (Fire)

Ice is often an element used to distinguish a variety of water elements in fiction. Ice is a transformation of water, created in extreme temperatures (as opposed to steam, created at the other extreme). Water is considered a powerful element in many cultures, and often it is in or near water that something is created or destroyed. Perhaps the most famous quote about water that works for Chie and that exemplifies her and her card is one by Bruce Lee:

         [Don't get set in one form, adapt it and build your own, let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water in a bottle it becomes the bottle; you put water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.] {Source: Wikiquote}

Chie has to build herself up and adapt to the situations she's in. The Chariot is about movement and continuing forward with confidence. To move and be 'like water', Chie has to change and adapt to her new role and to her new opinion about herself. Through this and with the Protagonist's help, she begins to see that she does have a feminine side and admirers in her own right. She becomes who she needs to be, and adapts to what she needs to be.

Ice, though frozen, can sometimes have water flowing underneath. Huge pieces of ice, such as glaciers, often are much larger underneath the surface and are used to show the difference between what people see versus who you really are. Ice can, if thick enough, be safe to cross and create new landscapes, but if weak in any point, it can become extremely dangerous. Not only that, but depending on how well you're able to deal with such a cold element, you can create beautiful things like ice sculptures, castles, or even huge icicles that capture the light amazingly. But because of the way it's formed - with such cold - ice is also a dangerous element as well, just as water can be. 

Chie shows herself to be more than simply a girl who enjoys fighting movies and who practices what she sees on the shows. She proves to have feminine qualities, but also manages to show herself as more than just the tomboy she attempts to be, and shows all that she can be and how good she is.

Next Time: Yukiko's Castle - Finale

"So Much Information" - Yukiko's Castle Analysis Part 1

I have broken up Yukiko's Castle dungeon into parts due to it being the first 'long' dungeon encountered in the game. Unlike the Twisted Shopping District, with only one room and minimal monsters, Yukiko's Castle serves more as a place for the player to learn how to best utilize their abilities and partners, though they are stopped short on the first trip through due to the events that first happen for the castle.

After Yukiko's 'show' begins, Chie demands coming with the group, and introduces them to a place to buy weapons and armor, as well as the Shopping District. This gives the Protagonist access to places to buy food and items to recharge their points (SP and HP) as well as access to the Velvet Room, the mysterious place where Igor and Margaret reside and where they can register Personas or even fuse them into stronger or newer Personas.

Welcome to the Velvet Room

Identified in the first few parts as the location of Igor and Margaret, who tell fortunes and look at the tarot cards, the two doors to the Velvet Room (in the Shopping District and the entrance to the TV World) allow the Protagonist to enter and do one of two things - Register or Buy Persona from the Compendium held by Margaret, or ask Igor to Fuse Persona in his possession together to create stronger or different Persona. If the Protagonist has a S.Link in the given Persona's Tarot, they gain special powers, often leveling up and gaining more power as a result. This is why S.Links are so important and why they become so important as the game progresses, to where even having a small link will allow for more power or a stronger Persona. At this point in the game, Two and Three-Card spreads are allowed to create Fusion Personas, with Three-Card spreads often resulting in more-powerful creations, depending on the level of the Persona. Also note that the level of the Protagonist determines the level allowed for fusing and creating new Personas.

Yukiko's Castle - Entrance to Floor 2

The entrance and appearance to Yukiko's Castle is that of a traditional Western Castle, with the group walking up to where a large gate is open to the swirling doorway inside. Outside, rearing horses appear as statues lining the entrance. Horses rearing in such a way tend to mean fright, aggression, excitement, disobedience, or even in pain {Source: Wikipedia}. Stallions rearing are often signs of a fight (stallions are also considered 'studs'). Horses are also viewed as 'free spirits', so it's possible that the statues out front show some of Yukiko's concern over her inability to break 'free', and her wish to do so no matter what the cost (note that rearing can cause harm to the animal and the rider in some cases). The horses might also indicate Chie's Shadow Self having a hand in the creation - Chie is a 'free spirit' also reigned in, but she is more prone to 'rearing' and attacking others, especially to protect Yukiko. 

Because of Yukiko's disappearance, Chie has joined and rushes into the castle, hoping to find Yukiko and save her despite the warning from both the Protagonist and Yosuke. Thus, the first objective while searching Yukiko's castle is to find Chie and save her from whatever is in the castle, as she does not have the glasses to see clearly, nor a Persona to fight off Shadows with. The lack of a Persona also means she's just as likely to run into her Shadow Self and be attacked.

The first floor is littered mostly with the Shadows from before, a few other ones as well, but overall the rush to ensure Chie's safety is what comes first. For whatever reason, Yukiko's Shadow Self does not appear in this first encounter outside of appearing on the TV to announce her goal of finding a Prince. It could be that Yukiko's Shadow wishes to test Chie, or that Chie's repressed self has scared off Yukiko's. It's only after Chie reappears with her Persona that Yukiko considers Chie one of her 'Princes'.

[I am a Shadow, the true self...]

Chie Satonaka: The Chariot Tomoe

Another classmate encountered in the first day, Chie Satonaka is a tomboy who enjoys fighting films and who often hangs out with Yukiko. Chie has lived in Inaba her whole life, though she doesn't always know all of the people there as well as Yukiko. The two have been friends for a very long time, and Chie shows a great deal of concern for Yukiko, especially when she starts working more and more at the Inn, as well as when she's kidnapped. Chie's fear for her is what drives her into the castle ahead of everyone, ignoring Yosuke and the Protagonist's calls for her to wait for them.

Chie is often upbeat and optimistic, and though she is a tomboy in general and will use incidents with the boys (Yosuke in particular) to get steak lunches out of him, or even demand discounts, she is still feminine in her own ways. She and Yosuke often play off each other as comic relief of the group, with Chie being more like a male version of him in some cases. She is often approached by boys who want to ask her about Yukiko, which has lead to a lot of her insecurities. It's on this, and Yukiko's seeming dependence of her, that her Shadow preys on, pointing out Chie's own insecurities and her need for Yukiko to need her. Chie does need friends - she very obviously enjoys her time with all the others, and accepts everyone pretty quickly when the group begins to grow. Though she is quick to attack, especially when her friends are in danger, or suggest violence against the perpetrator of the crimes, Chie also will sometimes pull back from attacking others she knows, or will defend them no matter what the circumstance. She, like Yosuke, is a huge asset to you during the game, and while others can fill her role as a very heavy fighter (especially later on), she still does her best to help out and works with the group to learn more about herself and to be happy with both her feminine and masculine side.

Chie's Shadow self appearing as Chie works to free Yukiko means that this is the second dungeon where the trials are meant for at least two people, though this time there is a chance you can save both instead of arriving too late for one. Despite this, the Shadow isn't going to pull any punches either - she's quick to point out Chie's need for Yukiko and her dislike of herself compared to Yukiko's own beauty and femininity quickly come out, and the presence of others only makes Chie more agitated by what the Shadow is saying, as well as more willing to not accept the Shadow as what is really inside of her and what she really feels about Yukiko. Like Yosuke's need for people to pay attention to him and stay with him, no matter what, Chie's need for friends that need her as well manifests in a dangerous way.

TAROT ANALYSIS

The Chariot (VII), Reversed

The Chariot in general means movement, a control over said movement, self-assertion, and going into victory or war. The card itself shows a man or person of high rank in a chariot or similar vehicle, holding the reigns of two animals or mythical figures, one black and one white. The ability to control those animals while drawing a chariot is a very dangerous thing, and the results means years of experience and dedication, as well as being able to have animals that are just as well-trained and controlled. In some cases, the Chariot can also represent other modes of travel, like a car or similar.

Thus, the Chariot reversed is someone who has lost control, who has low self-esteem, and who lashes out or abuses those around them. If we continue with the car reference, the Chariot upright is a car that has someone who knows what they're doing, who is able to do whatever they need the car to do. The Chariot Reversed is an upside-down car, one that's crashed, and all the issues that comes with it. In the Fool's Journey, the Chariot is the Fool, having grown up and managed to gain control and an assertiveness over his powers and his abilities, gaining control of his environment.

Chie has to gain control of herself, of her darker self and of her unwanted emotions, in order to move forward and change, to regain that assertiveness and to have it be genuine instead of fake. 

THEME: Friendships and Loyalty

Chie's push to find Yukiko is due to how close they are as friends, as well as how much Yukiko means to Chie and vice-versa. Even if it was Chie in the Shadow World instead of Yukiko, I don't doubt that Yukiko would go through everything to save her as well and make sure she was alright. Their loyalty to each other is a major theme in the Castle dungeon - from Chie's attempts to save Yukiko that ends in her facing her own Shadow, to Chie helping Yukiko after they face off against Yukiko's Shadow. Chie even being called one of Yukiko's 'Princes' shows Yukiko's belief that Chie could act in the role the Prince was assigned, taking her away from Inaba and her ties to the Amagi Inn. While Yosuke and the Protagonist hold some connection due to the S.Link they created, as well as their shared 'newness' to the Inaba area, Chie and Yukiko have known each other for far longer, and know each other well enough to understand the dangers that come with such a close friendship. As Shadow Chie showed, sometimes even close friendship and such deep loyalty can be toxic, However, it also gives Chie something to work on as she realizes that she cannot always act as she had, and that she must find herself, as well as be a better friend to Yukiko, if she is to move forward. By doing this, and by admitting to the guys as well that this is something that is within her, Chie not only gains more friends outside of Yukiko, but shows her ability to grow and become a better person.

Next time: More on the Persona - Tomoe