I have no idea what the heck was going on. It seems like marisa made a wish to turn her sour life around and proceeded to die repeatedly until she ended herself.
No corruption. It's just that every wish comes with a price of 'someone important to you'.
Here's the summary:
- Marisa is in an abusive relationship with Deibu, though Deibu used to be much kinder before. - While at the pond, wakasagihime-yu says to Marisa that she can grant Marisa a wish. - So Marisa wishes Deibu would become kind like before - So the current Deibu is drowned in the pond - And up comes a kind Deibu, just like the one Marisa knew - Happy end! Or is it...?
Twist ending summary:
In the present - The Deibu didn't drown, she's just brought into wakasagihime-yu's dimension - Apparently, someone else wishes she's dead - Whose wish? Marisa's little sister Reimu shown in the flashback
In the past - So in the beginning little sis Reimu made a wish: She wants to marry big sis Marisa. As the price: Reimu gave her parents willingly - But she's too young to marry, so she stays in the pool until she grows up - As such, the parents did drown and die (well, eaten most likely though not shown), but little sis Reimu's death was faked - But then wakasagihime-yu asks: What happens if Marisa gets married first? - So little sis Reimu made another wish: Kill the one who marries Marisa. The price? Little sis Reimu will have to pay later - In other words, it wasn't Marisa's wish that were granted. It was the little sis Reimu's
Back to the present - So Reimu remembers she needs to pay the price... and Marisa's current children aren't Reimu's so why not them? They're in the way anyway - REMILIA TIME!! (the Remilias are not affiliated with wakasagihime-yu) - Wakasagihime-yu offered Marisa another wish, but Marisa would rather commit suicide since everyone else left her and she's too tired to go on living - Afterlife scene where Marisa and the Deibu are reunited
Welp. I've read and re-read everything. Unfortunately, my conclusion is the grammars used for the goddess's philosophical talk are just beyond my level. I don't even get half of what she's saying.
The good news is apart from that you can still enjoy the story! It's not like what the goddess is saying is important important or anything. She just likes hearing her own voice or something.
Welp. I've read and re-read everything. Unfortunately, my conclusion is the grammars used for the goddess's philosophical talk are just beyond my level. I don't even get half of what she's saying.
I was just wondering what she is talking about. It seems really like what the author is trying to convey.
And big thanks to Mister Translator.
Actually I am a little bit confused. Because the story is not easy at all...
Though selfish, Marisa's sister is a good wife and she really care about Marisa. She droned her parents in the pond to make a deal with the demon and end up being eaten by Reminia.
Maria had a good family, after she thought that everyone has left her, she met with her love and felt felicitous being together. She worked hard but the pressure of living made them more and more distant.
She unconsciously droned her wife who saved her life and is fooled by her own sister who killed her parents. Then her new wife and children are taken away by the cruel nature.
Finally, without anything left to love, Marisa is once again desperate and this time without anyone to stop her.
I am confused because I cannot understand what values the author is trying to express. Since this sort is not like common stories depicting the helplessness of yukkuris.
I thought the author is trying to say that everything come with a price. But this is too shallow and does not fit in the context.
Note that the goddess is actually a demon in the traditional style that demand something in exchange. Whoever made a deal with demon is not going to end well, this is the traditional theme. But this does not seems right either, for actually the goddess did not do anything too demanding or eval.
It is too much for a Yukkuri story. It is too much for me.
I was just wondering what she is talking about. It seems really like what the author is trying to convey.
Note that the goddess is actually a demon in the traditional style that demand something in exchange. Whoever made a deal with demon is not going to end well, this is the traditional theme. But this does not seems right either, for actually the goddess did not do anything too demanding or eval.
Good news! I spoke too soon, guess the sheer amount of hard grammars just intimidated me. I tried dissecting the dialogues little by little and managed to translate them :3
So apparently the goddess isn't that much of a demon barring the equivalent exchange thingy. If anything she does pity the existence of yukkuris.
So I guess the author is saying the only true happiness a yukkuri will ever find is through death.
That water spirit is actually a Djinn of sorts. Djinn tend to either twist wishes, or require steep payments (something precious).
Marisa pretty much gave up on life. The lake took her family, and her wife (before she was eaten by Remilias, who were not sent by the Djinn).
She, in her last moments of despair, told the Djinn that she didn't want another wish, she just wanted to be with her family.
Because of that, believe it or not, the Djinn granted it, but as payment, took the accessories. That's why the Nitoris suddenly weren't able to eat her, nor the accessories.
The reason Marisa couldn't tell Deibu from Reimu was because the Djinn swapped the accessories while they were both underwater -- that's why Marisa couldn't realize Deibu was her sister.
The reason Deibu is 'kind' to Marisa on the trail to the afterlife is because it's often viewed that after you die, you're made to reflect on the mistakes you made. Perhaps, after reflecting on that, Deibu became a better, kinder wife, especially after (being forced to) watching her husband Marisa with the fake Deibu wife. They do, after all, have the rest of eternity to spend together, so it's not too far from someone saying, 'it's okay, I forgive you.'
The Djinn, having lived as long as she has, and granting many human wishes, sees only despair and death in the life of yukkuri. A life of strife, struggle, and never truly achieving happiness (as per the ridiculous number of stories out there where they ALWAYS die in the end).
It's not as deep as it is just an observation.
Anyway, thanks for the translations! You're awesome, dood. :3
The Goddess see the life of yukkuri is like cursed for suffering. Even with magic, she can't do anything about it. No matter what, the tragic end will eventually catch up with them (such as Reimu being attacked by Remirya, or Marisa committing suicide).
What she can do to help them is to make a better journey to that end. She can use her magic to grant their wish. As long as they will pay with something precious, she can grant that wish, maybe a rule imposed on her.
In the end, she believed that death might be the only thing that can save them.
As for the accessories, they're actually payment for Reimu's wish to kill Deibu. She still have to collect her payment, but since Reimu is dead already, she must take what she could. The Nitori can't destroy the accessories because she will collect them as payment.
REWRITTEN SUMMARY (in-story order), based on Vorsch's brilliant translation and comment, since it seems like there's a lot of controversy regarding what happened:
Sixth/setting scene:
Once upon a time, there was a magical lake youkai that would grant any wish for a price. The youkai used to grant humans' wishes, but they stopped coming. The youkai feels sorry for yukkuri (compared to humans) because it seems that all yukkuri are fated to suffer, and the yukkuri can't find true happiness. Note: the genesis headcanon is a little messy, but the consensus seems to be that there was a wizard who summoned yukkuri into the world, but gave them bad luck. Therefore, the youkai decides to make the path to death (the only true escape) even just a little easier for yukkuri.
Third/flashback scene:
Two yukkuri siblings are born - Marisa and Reimu. Reimu falls in love with Marisa, so she makes a deal with the youkai to marry Marisa when she grows up. Reimu sacrifices her parents as the price. Youkai asks Reimu about the possibility of Marisa marrying another yukkuri. Reimu makes a second wish for that yukkuri to be killed, and the price would be paid if the wish was ever granted. Reimu lives in the pool, after faking her own death, since she's not old enough to marry Marisa.
First/pure scene:
Marisa falls in love with and marries another yukkuri, Deibu. They refresh and have children. Deibu becomes mean, so Marisa wishes that Deibu would become kind again. Deibu is sacrificed, and the youkai gives Marisa a kind-Deibu, who is actually Reimu.
Second/twist scene:
Deibu is brought to the youkai's dimension, linking to the third arc.
Fourth/price scene:
Reimu remembers that she needs to pay the "price" for killing Deibu, and decides that she'll sacrifice Marisa-Deibu's children. However, she's eaten by a Remi as she goes to the lake.
Fifth/suicide scene:
Marisa realises that Reimu was killed by a random Remi, thanks to Reimu's accessory lying on the ground (yukkuri will die for their accessories). Marisa visits the lake one last time, to drown herself. Youkai tells Marisa that she can make another wish, but Marisa says she doesn't have anything to pay the price with, and suicides by drowning in the lake. Youkai collects Marisa's and Deibu's accessories as payment for Deibu's wish.
Seventh/afterlife scene:
Presumably in yukkuri-heaven, Marisa and Deibu live happily ever after. It's not known what happened to Reimu, however.
--- My views: I personally disagree with Vorsch's statement that the story is not about corruption, because all the yukkuris took away another yukkuri's easiness/life/accessory so that they themselves could take it easy. Furthermore, the youkai lamented that there weren't any free lunches for the yukkuri. However, I'm probably just biased, lol.
Good story. Its a shame digging through the archives to find stuff like this is so hard.
That said, I'm not sure if people are just trolling, overthinking the story or genuinely don't know/understand the double meaning of "The Gold or Silver Axe"-story.
Dear me..Seems like after all this time..
I still have a soft spot for the honest ones..