Fatal Frame - A Literary Analysis 

5:14 "a young woman is forced to wear the blinding mask, which is exactly what it sounds like." Me: "Ah, a mask with no holes for the eyes so she can't see." "A mask with two spikes where the eye holes would be, so when worn, the woman is blinded." Me: 😮

Seconding something that has been commented a few times -- in Japanese culture the concept of "duty" shares a lot with the concept of "social obligation", and the obligation being not just difficult, time-consuming or not what the person wants to do, but actively world-endingly *horrible* is a very normal part of a duty narrative. In Shinto particularly, bad influences and demons are often born from a disregard of duty, or a refusal to accept failure. Fatal Frame's narrative is completely in line with Japanese conservatism in this regard.

This has been somewhat mentioned in the comments before, but... about that ending... Japanese society is more collective than most Western societies which are more individualistic. A very common way to illustrate is the Japanese have a saying of "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" as opposed to our "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". Honor and duty, thus, are interpreted very differently. Kyrie's duty is to keep that Hellgate shut for the good of the world, and no matter how unfair that is, it still falls on her. A typical Japanese person would most likely consider the ending tragic but necessary, and the idea of her not fulfilling her duty would be seen as shameful. This attitude is being criticized within Japan, of course. One of the reasons Persona 5 is considered a subversive masterpiece in Japan is that its story challenges the idea of blindly obeying people that are "above" you in society, but it's still very culturally ingrained. This tends to explain most of the endings in the Fatal Frame series, and gets addressed in the later games. I hope this helps people understand the ending!

Resident Evil is actually called Resident Evil because the Biohazard name had already been taken in America by a different game and a band. The all devs actually voted for Resident Evil to be the name and while its definitely a weird choice, that weird name was part of its charm and allure especially in the early days of the franchise. You see name like that on a shelf in '96 and you ask yourself "what is this game?" And here we are 25 years later still talking about RE and its strange name.

This game is certainly an old favourite. One of the reasons for this is an aspect that you skipped over by immediately covering the story chronologically. I really enjoyed that it is an odd kind of time-travel story, that the mansion itself is spiritually falling back through time as Miku explores it. The first night that she is there the mansion reflects the most recent events with what happened to Takamine and his assistants. The second night it falls further back in time to when Munakata and his family were there. Then finally it falls back in time to when the ritual was carried out and failed. I really enjoy when a narrative plays around with the linearity of time (so long as it is done well of course) and a surprising amount of the games I’ve enjoyed over the years have involved some aspect of time travel.

So I haven't played the first Fatal Frame, but regarding what you said about the ending... rather than establishing the rituals, the folklore, the culture, as something good or bad, would the game not be about duty as a painful thing? You mentioned that all these people could've just let go of their need to know, to figure out what was happening at the mansion, but wouldn't have been their duty to know? Whether it's filial bond, or duty related to their profession, it seems everyone who was drawn or trapped in the mansion was brought into it because they had to, rather than chose to. As you remarked, no matter how they felt about what happened, the threat remained, and it remained that the ritual was a way to ensure that everyone be safe. I feel like the game would thus not really have a morale, or a lesson that the characters need to learn to break free, but rather be about how in the end, they must play their part, and their sacrifice does indeed have a purpose. It's horrific, it's revolting, but it is what must be done, and Miku's journey would be about piecing together the stories of those who suffered so they do not have to be forgotten - so the "picture" of their existence can be remembered. I guess I kind of just eliminate the notion that there is a choice to act differently. I'm more familiar with FF2 and 3, and in both of them, it seems the characters have very little control on what is happening. The traditions, the folklore, is, in some way, "fact". It requires that some fulfil the different rituals, and until that is done, there is no escape. But really, I'm just asking. I should play it in order to really know what I'm saying, haha! I thoroughly enjoyed this video and will be looking forward to the analyses of the next Fatal Frames :)

Engagement: Engaged I've been looking forward to this for quite some time, and I'm stoked for the Fatal Frame 2 video.

Watching this video made me think of two things, neither of which have the strongest connection, but each of which has some link: Beyond Good and Evil, a 2003 action-adventure game about investigative journalism (kinda) - Jade, the main character, is a freelance photographer recruited by The Resistance to infiltrate various government facilities and photograph evidence of their conspiracy with the alien invaders whose attacks are used to justify government tyranny. You also use Jade's camera like Metroid Prime's scan visor, to learn details about enemies and interact with some devices. There's also a game-spanning sidequest to obtain photographs of every animal species on and around the planet, including humans and various sentient humanoids. A very different feeling game, in a very different genre, but touching on some horror tropes as well as having a camera as a key gameplay element. The Cabin In The Woods, a 2011 horror comedy movie produced by Joss Whedon where a secret underground facility attempts to guide a group of 5 teens through a standard slasher movie in order to appease ancient deities who would otherwise destroy the world. The parallel is obvious, but, again, there's a very different feel to the story.

I can't believe you're going to make us wait a year for the second video :o Least its not 10 years

Seems like a gothic ending to me: Yes the rituals were horrific, but they are necessary, there is no way out of the situation, they must be performed. No hope of everyone being happy, at least one person must always suffer.

Also a very creepy fave of mine. Here's hoping that port of 5 does well enough to warrant ports of 1-3 or a first time real release of 4.

I think the ending makes a lot of sense when looking at it through a lense of Japanese values. There's a lot of importance placed on living a life that benefits others (not just living for yourself) and the burden of duty. The rituals are tragic and horrible, but this is how the world is, and the choice to sacrifice girls (although deeply painful on a personal level, as evidenced from the ghosts), was just part of the hand they were dealt. Either way, thank you for making this video I love having a listen to all of your stuff while working!

Hi there! Before I proceed forward, I'll say this: I appreciated the analysis, it was comprehensive and clear and concise and it was very personal too. I appreciate the effort put into explaining the elements of this game, and how it holds up as a creation, as a work of art. The following two comments are off-topic, but perhaps might help provide additional perspective for prospective gamers. 1) You can technically play this game. Emulation of PS2 games has now become better, and considering that a significant majority of games are not available for download or have any HD remakes, emulation is definitely a good option to flirt with, if not consider outright. I also mention it because there is an element of NFP (Not For Profit) influencing everyone who helps make it possible, and keeps it running. PS2 has been decommissioned for quite some time now, and I can guarantee you all the units still in circulation, will eventually fade away into obscurity and will be exceedingly difficult to jump start. 2) your description in "The Tragedy of Kirie" as well as how religious obligation / cult obligation to contain demons, actually got me thinking about the Inquisition. The actual Spanish Inquisition and not the Monty Python comedy sketch, even though some elements of how they lampoon the actual thing is scarily close to the truth. The comfy chair, for instance, is funny as far as MP is concerned, but the actual torture WHEEL? or any paintings which depict the Spanish Inquisition... fundamentally, those in power who ran the Inquisition (a search on the topic says it ran from November 1 1478 THROUGH TO JULY 15 1834... WHAT?!) had tortured everyone and anyone who was in disagreement with them, because if they allowed such "creations" to "coexist" it will "bring the revelations upon us as the Anti-Christ and his Devilish Ways will consume us all", or whatever bullshit such zealots believe. A part of me finds this game fascinating and your analysis remarkable, is how the game subverts the stereotype and shows Kirie as taking the task of holding back the demons willingly, as a part of her fate. And in that context, I also bring it up because the first ting which popped into my head was the game "Blasphemous" specifically "The Penitent One". He's part of "The Brotherhood of SIlent Sorrow", he has a hero's journey to kill three patriarchs, pass through the bridge of the three cavalries, reach the mother of mothers, through to the rooftops of the archcathedral and then defeat the last son of the Miracle and by extension the miracle, and he has to become the next miracle, or turn to ash in the process of becoming so. I share this because what you said about horror stories essentially being tragedies, is very true. And it makes the tragedy so much more traumatizing and horrifying once you realize how they are subverting the expectation of "hero wins the day by conquering fear" and replacing with "hero simply took out something, but he's still nothing to no one, and the hero isn't going to become better for it". I appreciate your analysis, I'm just highlighting this because I kind of appreciate the insight which these videos give me. Thank you for all that you do. Keep it up.

What unspeakable things are happening all around us that we don't know about or choose to ignore? What horrors do/would you visit upon the few to save the many? What excuse is custom and tradition? The best stories confront us with our own hypocrisies and blind spots. Intentionally or otherwise.

Hey there! This is one of my favorite series, and it was great to see it get a really thorough look like this. I honestly tend to kind of overlook the first one a little in terms of the sort of theming and messages it offers, and this was a really cool insight to them that gave me a lot to think about. Very much looking forward to your entries on 2 and 3! I don't really have much to add thematically about the tragedy of Kirie, and I agree a lot with what you have to say about how it potentially undercuts the horror of the rest of the game. I did personally feel that it was scary in its own way, in the sense that it presents a situation where we're given two really horrifying outcomes, and while one is perhaps, shall we say, mathematically correct (a handful of people suffering > hell spilling into the world), both answers end up feeling morally repulsive - and the thought of being put in such a situation is honestly kind of scary. I wouldn't say the game nails this concept perfectly by any stretch - it's still ultimately just a trolley problem (but spooky) - but it's a neat idea that I think a lot of horror games shy away from by making their antagonists just evil for evil's sake, instead of doing evil things out of necessity, if that makes any sense.

I wish I had more of a constitution for horror. I couldn't play The Forst for more than a few hours, but there're so many solid games out there my damn jelly spine is barring me from!

we have to wait years? please do 2 and 3 next!!! don't make us wait!.

This was a great analysis that I really enjoyed and agreed with, I'm definitely going to check out your other content. One word about the ending... I see that other people have already covered the general cultural issues of collectivism vs individualism and how it is easy to misinterpret things from a Western perspective due to that... I wanted to add that the true necessity of the sacrifices is emblematic of that, but also, that this does not inherently justify all the psychological manipulation and cruelty employed by the head of the family in order to achieve that end. This is, as you pointed out, emphasized by the mask showing him to be a demon inside, little different from the "evil" he is holding back. I always read the ending that way, that while yes the demon gate is a real thing that requires some form of sacrifice to keep closed, the methods employed, the members of the family chosen to be the sacrificial victims, even that the sacrifice needed to be one person's life rather than daily smaller sacrifices from the whole family collectively... all of that was chosen by that man, not the demon gate, and that's why he is the true villain. That's how I always took it.

This is fascinating and I'm glad to have learnt about a game that would never have crossed my radar without you! Thanks =)

Yusss. One of my favorite games too, but no one else ever seems to remember it. Thanks for covering this series!

So glad to see you again Professor! Last series I watched was The World Ends With You series. So happy to be in Class!

Fantastic and thorough dissection of a classic horror game. You put into words what I’ve felt but never articulated, and why I love this game and series so much. Despite the missed opportunity for a better ending, it’s an experience that has stuck with me since renting the game at blockbuster way back. Thanks for the great videos, love the channel!

Excellent and thoughtful video as always Professor! Happy halloween!

Great vid, cant wait for more

absolutely love this series!!

Oh I LOVE this. Fatal Frame is one of my favorite games and the epistolary style of discovering the history is one of my favorite aspects of it. And the rest of the Fatal Frame games are as much fun to uncover. I can't wait for the rest of the breakdowns on this game series.

Another excellent video. It's really nice to see you uploading semi - regularly. I love your content and it makes me feel like my hobby has actual academic merit rather than just being a waste of time. Thank you for bringing a little more depth to our favorite pastime.

That is such a insightful vision about Fatal Frame, specially considering that the first one is the most straightforward one of the trilogy! Very nice video!

Awesome work!! I'm not super familiar with the Fatal Frame series, but this has definitely got me itching to check it out sometime. I'd always been curious, but you make it sound fun. If I can get ahold of a copy, I'll definitely play through it.

Regarding the tradition, I would say that while it IS needed, it also underscored how terribly inefficient traditions are to achieving its goals in comparison to just... educating people and letting people make an informed choice. They had to constantly sacrifice many young girls every decade or so, but in the end, what it took was just one girl (well, and a guy) who is actually willing to do the job to hold the hell gate for all eternity. I would say that had they let her have a family, they would have a soul that would literally willing to bear the weight of all hells to protect their children from its evil. I've seen similar tales from Japanese media, the two that sticks in my mind was Hanyuu/Oyashiro-sama of Higurashi and Yuyuko Saigyouji from Touhou. Yuyuko's self sacrifice not only sealed the Saigyou Ayakashi from making people commit further suicide, it also made her an ascendant spirit that now manages a section of the afterlife. Hanyuu, on the other hand, allowed for safety and peace in Hinamizawa from both greedy outside and internal cursed oni blood, even if her own sacrifice is often used as propaganda for "village unity" far in the future.

This is the scariest game I've ever played, bar none. Not even Silent Hill provides the same level of dread. The whole mansion drowns in evil and malice, just lift your camera and see the grainy environment (which disappears after Kirie is "exorcised").

Good vid, as always!

My first video game console was a gamecube. Sometimes I'm sad that I missed so many games before that, but I can always count on the games professor to help with my remedial studies! 😅

Almost didn't watch this one b/c of how gruesome the start is with the ritual descriptions, but I'm glad I did! Excellent dissection of a horrifying title.

If you didn't like the ending, how would you do it differently?

A correction about Junsei Takamine. His purpose of visiting the mansion in the first place wasn't to find out about what happened to Munakata. Miku, in the narration of the first cutscene describes him as a, "famous novelist". His purpose of visiting the mansion was to try and gather material about the dark and mostly undocumented Shinto rituals, which he would use as inspiration for his next book. A well-hidden document of his can be found on the first night in the Fireplace room, called "Black Notebook Scrap 1". He describes the plot of his next work (which partially reflects what you will experience throughout the game, a great use of foreshadowing), as well as a brief history of Himuro Mansion as he knows it. I don't believe he even knew the existence of Munakata until he began finding documents left by him during his time living in the mansion. Your deep analysis and explanation of Fatal Frame as well as Fatal Frame II make me really happy :D It's so exciting to be able to hear other passionate fans of the series speak about it, as well as explain the story's meaning on a deeper level than I've ever thought about.

Good work

This was a fantastic analysis. I have similar conflicting feelings over Kirie's ending; I know it's definitely cultural, as plenty here have mentioned the importance in Japan over duty and social obligation. It still breaks my heart though! So much weight on the shoulders of a teenage girl who just wanted to live and love. Also, apologies as I did scour the comments and noticed no one mentioned it- but I wanted to point out that Takamine went into Himuro mansion looking for Ryozo's folklorist *writings* about the mansion, not Ryozo himself. They never met, as Takamine goes into the mansion in 1986, while Ryozo's timeline seems to be somewhere around the late 1890's (you'll notice how he still wears male kimono, while Takamine is rocking more modern clothes. Plus, if he's old enough to be Miku's great grandpa, it'd be weird for 42-year-old Takamine to have any ties to him). (and extra note, the older I get the more offended I get over Takamine's design LOL; I had the memory of him being in like, his 60's at LEAST. But somehow this white-haired, heavily-wrinkled man is just 42???)

Personally i really liked the way it ended. I feel like when we enter the mansion, we are subjected to the absolute horror and tragedy of many many souls that suffered there. We are onlookers and to us it all seems cruel and unfair however, ultimately it is a necessary evil. An evil which I'm certain not even the people conducting the rituals were entirely happy about performing on the daughters of the village. But they knew it had to be done and noone involved in the ritual would be unscathed. Ultimately the story of the game is tragic and i love that for it . One of my favourites

Dude you *have* to do a video analysis on life is strange. I'd genuinely pay for a video as high quality like these ones on that game..

Rituals that elaborate ought to come with a warranty of *at least* thirty years. The Himuro family got ripped off.

Most of the true story concepts from Japan come specifically from urban legends. This is based on a mansion in the rural parts of Kanto outside of Tokyo. Edit: I'm having a hard time expressing my thoughts about your analysis with the ending. I feel there's a lost in translation moment for the reason why you don't like it. I feel when looking though this with a cultural lens, this ending comments a lot on the status of the society at that time. In that regard, of FF10

Thanks for the vid

Fatal Frame II Crimson Butterfly is one of the most terrifying games I have ever played. Shit gave me nightmares back in the day and I haven't brought myself to play it again.

I would like to not that decades of the gate being open didn't do anything other than turning a single mansion into a death trap. Instead of sacrificing young girls they could have put up a "evil demon house do not enter" sign and moved out.

Hello! I would love to see you make a video on the game “The Forgotten City”. I feel like it would be right up your alley with all the philosophical themes and focus on heavy dialogue. Thank you for all that you do!

damn, now I definitely gotta play this game

After playing silent hill 2 I think i should play this game

I'm sad I have to wait an entire year for you to cover more Fatal Frame, but this video was great.

6:07 I don't know if this "ritual" was inspired by anything in Japanese history, but it reminds me of a particularly brutal execution method used in ancient China called 五馬分尸, whereby [cw: description below may be distressing for some] a person has their neck and four appendages each tied to a different horse by rope, and then these five horses all pull in different directions until...well you get the point

You could probably do a pretty nutty analysis of Pathologic 2

Fatal Frame's Japanese title is simply "Zero." This is because the character for "zero" and the character for "ghost" are both pronounced "rei." A pun, if you will.

I just got in the series. Finished 4 and i am currently playing 5. I am obsessed. Its not scary, but i really like the gameplay and story alot. I’m big fan of Resident Evil, but i dunno, i think i’m enjoying Fatal Frame a tiny bit more. Hope they remaster original trilogy someday or i might need to emulate them.

I mostly loved this video, since I love all the Fatal Frame games! really loved the line you draw between the fighting system and the use of folklore and journalism to progress with the mystery! I never thought about it like that, but you're so right. but I have to echo many other comments in saying that your analysis of the ending and the overall message of the game's story is severely undercut by your lack of knowledge concerning the centuries of Japanese culture surrounding Confucian ideals of honor, duty, and the greater good. I'm off to watch your video for Crimson Butterfly, and I'll be interested to see whether you took that into consideration in that analysis.

I'm very late to the party, but this was wonderfully made. Though I disagree on a few points I love how you broke down the story

i don't think they dropped the ball on the ending, tbh. the rituals weren't "good," they were "necessary." big difference. it's not fair to anyone involved, but in order to protect everybody else, a few people had to suffer horribly on a regular basis. girls were used, i imagine, because women are thought to be more spiritually powerful than men and thus would provide a stronger barrier for the hell gate. ideally, the family would just have a young woman volunteer to seal the gate bodily like kirie rather than the creepy isolation/manipulation thing they have going on, though. i imagine leaving things to chance with the blinding ritual/tag game was meant to make the selection of sacrifices more "fair," but i feel like they'd have better luck with a fully-informed and willing participant. and to that end, i feel like one of the main themes of the series is that the rituals go wrong when the people conducting them get scared that the sacrifices will fail in their duty and do something terrible that upsets the girl in question. like kirie would've been fine if she had gotten to properly say goodbye to her lover, but knowing that he'd been killed because of her made the malice take her instead. they wanted her to have no attachments to the living world but denied her the closure she needed to accept her role in the ritual and actually let go of the living world.

Please make a video about pathologic 2

A while back if I recall correctly, you adored the idea for a Fatal Frame game for the Wii U and how inventive the gamepad could be used. Would you endorse a similar premise for the Nintendo Switch?

This was great, thanks for making this! The ending had always felt a little off to me, and your explanation as to why makes sense. Despite this, I still think FFI is the strongest entry in the series for a lot of reasons. Each subsequent game made some (or a lot) of improvements, but always fell behind in other areas enough to not quite match just how great this game was. I just played FFV for the first time a few months ago, and it's by far the weakest in the series - despite fixing some of my biggest issues with the series as a whole. It's sad that, by now, the lessons learned over two decades and 5 (6?) games haven't been tied together into a really solid whole.

Your point about the subversion at the end of the game is true. However, I don't find it to be saying that the rituals were justified, (much less morally correct) only that they were perceived as necessary by the people at the time. I am a Japanese fan, and I can tell you that some of the themes and plot points were lost in translation, having played both versions of the game. This affects the mood of the story quite a bit, particularly with regards to the first game. There is also the target audience to consider, that being people who are intimately familiar with Japanese culture and folklore. Kirie's choice, as far as I can tell, is meant to illustrate her defiance toward the rituals. Rather than her actualization coming from doing what she was supposed to do, it comes from finding a solution to the problem without reverting to the barbarism of the rituals. She believes it is her duty to keep the Hell Gate closed, not to complete the ritual, to clarify. It may be a small distinction, but it changes her motivations significantly. On another note, something that you did not seem to mention about Shibata-san's words on capturing that certain feeling of knowing without seeing was that it applies to the main story as well! I cannot agree with the idea that this story isn't about anything, because it's about THAT more than anything else. The themes that you focus on primarily in this video are secondary to that feeling, which you are meant to experience through the many hours you spend with Miku. It may be less straightforward to experience and understand it, but it is nonetheless the bulk of the story. I agree that Miku's exploration acts as a framework for plot points and background, but that is far from all it is. It also exists so that you may experience the horror of the dark exploration, uncovering forbidden truths, and being alone and afraid in a dangerous place. Furthermore, the brilliance of this approach, as you lightly touched on, is in its presentation. To elaborate on that point, I find that the From Software-esque storytelling method allows every player to maximize their enjoyment of the story by allowing them to be as involved or uninvolved in its particulars as they wish. Similarly here, you can go through the entire game poring over the social implications of the themes, or you may be far more invested in Miku and Kirie's fear and motivations, or you could altogether eschew these points from your playstyle and simply focus on the gameplay alone. That is a brilliant feature that I rarely see discussed about these games. I do not think that your interpretation is wrong, only that you may want to consider this one and others too. They aren't mutually exclusive, but supplementary. P.S. The original Japanese title is actually just "Zero," not Project Zero. Project Zero is the name of the series in Europe and Oceania.

I don't know if the game is necessarily saying that the rituals are "good" per se, but rather that they're necessary. A big part of this of course comes from Japanese sensibilities about duty and responsibility, but I think it plays into a recurring theme that has endured throughout human history; that the comfort we enjoy in the present was often purchased at the cost of suffering in the past. Our ancestors had to face down fearsome predators, brave harsh environments, endure horrifying plagues, and war with their neighbors for thousands, if not millions of years for us to reach the point where we are today, and whether it's intentional or not, I think the game is acknowledging that idea to some extent.

I've never played this one, but it sounds like a fantastically creepy game!

Just to comment, it's actually just called ZERO in Japan. Project Zero references the team and the ip, much like Project Soul oversees Soulcalibur. Project Zero is the European translated name, which obviously is at least closer to the original title than Fatal Frame. I imagine that one of the reasons it was altered in localization was due to copyright and trademark issues over using just a common word.

Hope there will be a Fatal Frame 2 video

Hell yeah

Could you please do control?

I want that tie, and I don't even wear ties

Spooky month? *Watches on November 1st.*

Totally unrelated to anything, but is that your handwriting on the blackboard behind you? It's so interesting that you write lowercase "a" 2 different ways (assuming it's you who wrote it).

I might just be an idiot, but I was sure that Takamine just went to the mansion bc he was hoping to find a cool story for a book he was trying to write and sell.

Halloween night 2022 🎃🎃🎃

I played the first two and I loved them. I didn't want to play 3 to not "waste it" hahaha, and years kept going by. I should play it one of these days. I think it was a big mistake to make 4 exclusive to japan and to the WII. it was a Playstation series!!. it should have been on PS3!! (or even ps2, I've seen it and I don't think the ps2 can't do it). edit: it's been years since I played it, but I remember thinking "maybe the demon thing is a fantasy of a sick cult, a sick family that did those horrible ritual murders because they were insane".

There is a typo in the title. The word analysis is spelled incorrectly.

Your voice sounds wildly similar to "The Tabletop Teacher" youtube channel.

😌👍

The wrap-up is misguided, coming from a western mindset regarding sentiments that are fairly different in other cultures. Outside this misstep, a quality breakdown.

I mean, there are people being exploited everyday in real life so we can get cheap clothes, chocolate, expensive parts for our smartphones etc. It's a pretty real thing, tbh.

it said 10 seconds ago

Doggy doggy what now? Resident Evil is an iconic cheesy B-movie title. Way better than the generic "Biohazard"

Here's a comment

I don't know.......I think Resident Evil feels a bit less generic than Biohazard

Algorithm, hear me

"A FRAME-ing device to -" booooooooo

Dang wii u hate