XENOSAGA
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life
- John's Book of Revelation, 20:13-15
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them
and they were judged every man according to their works.
The lake of fire is the second death.
was cast into the lake of fire.
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Part 1: Introduction [Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht] (Chapter titles are taken from the DS version, but the coverage focuses mainly on the PS2 version.)
Chapter 00: Prologue
In order to fully understand the Xenosaga trilogy, there are some things that should be established first. Because people will go into any work of art with different experiences, attitudes and expectations, I find that to truly understand something it is often necessary to listen to its creator and his or her intent for making it. It can make a world of difference in how one chooses to approach the work. Luckily, the creators of Xenogears and Xenosaga have made several interviews and written quite a lot of supplementary material that will make it easier to follow their train of thought. I won't cite all of it during this coverage, but I will list off a few of my favorite quotes right away:
"It [Xenosaga] might look like anime, but if you look at the scenario, camerawork, and the clips you'll clearly notice that
inspiration is borrowed from various existing movies."
"When I was younger [making Xenogears and Xenosaga], my sole aim was to express myself. If I enjoyed
it, and could give the players a product that reflected my own taste, it was enough if it appealed to those players who understood
what I was doing."
"If a novel is plot-driven, the reader will probably remember the main event and be hazy about the characters. (can anyone name one character from Jurassic Park?) If it is character-driven the characters will remain in the mind long after the last page is read, but the reader may not recall exactly what the book was about. (does anyone really remember what Catcher in the Rye was about?) In a character-driven mystery, the plot develops from the emotions of the characters involved. The murder and catching the criminal will take precedence over the deep-rooted motive. Motives of a character-driven mystery usually center around dark emotions such as hate, revenge, guilty, jealousy or fear rather than the desire for a bag of diamonds or a suitcase full of money.
There is no reason a book has to be strictly plot or character-driven. Some books, perhaps the best books, are a well-balanced
blend of both."
Nietzsche
"We tend to depict human characters as a strong will in a fragile flesh and blood."
The characters in both Xenogears and Xenosaga were in fact written using more or less textbook psychology as the
basis, as the many references to psychoanalysts should tell you, but the strongest influence appears to be the Enneagram
of Personality (referred to in the Xenosaga -Official Design Materials-); a dynamic psychospiritual typology of human
personality which describes sophisticated body-mind archetypes, principally developed by Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo, partly
based on earlier teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff. To improve on it, Naranjo did in fact discover connections between Ichazo's
protoanalysis (Enneagram work), and theories by all the aforementioned psychoanalysts and more, especially Karen's "theory
of neurosis." While the Enneagram of Personality is not a typology that is commonly taught or researched in academic psychology,
it is in many ways superior to those materials taught when properly understood and not dismissed as something akin to an
astrology classification. Understood properly, Enneagram of Personality constitutes a tool to reach the roots of Ego's
conditionings and deformities. Not all Enneagram author's are good at conveying this, especially not all the amateurs on the net,
so one needs to learn this material from the source if they wish to truly grasp it.
Science and Ideology
Plot Holes: Of course, this analysis/coverage will also be somewhat subjective and in no way 'complete'. These games offer so much food for thought - in addition to their intricate storyline - that it is impossible for one person to cover everything. Thus I have narrowed it down, although I may add to it in the future. There are spoilers so do not read on if you have not played all of the games and do not wish to be spoiled. ---A.C.
The ruins are presumably made from the same Over-technology as the other Artifacts of God, but this one was sealed by an
anti-Wilhelm force 2000 years earlier (i.e. at the Time of the Messiah). This expedition was naturally initiated by Wilhelm
who must've given the diminutive silver Zohar "key" to Dr. Masuda as well as documents revealing where to dig. This plate
is later seen in Wilhelm's office.
The rain that follows serves as a symbolic "omen" foreshadowing another "great flood" that will lay ruin to the whole Earth;
this time it's not a flood of water but a disappearance phenomenon that will slowly cover the Earth - forcing humankind
into space. It may also have been a hint that Zohar was responsible for the creation of life or that it was responsible for
the "biblical flood," which gives it that divine aura of importance.
Practice
The World / Setting: The world of Xenosaga is masterfully detailed while not being overdetailed with extraneousness, but detailed just enough to completely complement the story. The origin of this civilization, their planets, government and their histories, the timeline of events, etc, in Xenosaga have been invented carefully. Xenosaga is essentially literary or cinematic, with the story being the main appeal. Thus there is no place where the supporting elements of game play overshade the main element. As has been said for Xenogears, it is not that those supports are done poorly, only that they know their place in this game, unlike many games where the visual element steals primacy, or where primacy fights back and forth between game and story. This is also where I think these works differ fundamentally from Monado (Xenoblade) where the world of two giant gods (and game play) steal primacy from the story. This problem is also often cited as being the flaw in some areas of Tolkien's books. In addition to being worlds composed of timeless universals, Xenogears and Xenosaga keeps the story and characters the goal and not the world.
The world of Xenosaga has been compared to 2001, Star Trek, Blade Runner, the remake of
Battlestar Galactica and its spin-off Caprica (even though the last two came along after Xenosaga).
I think all of these are pretty good comparisons to the setting. Also, the 4-dimensional universe that is the stage of Xenogears and Xenosaga is but an element of a universe that includes a higher dimension. These are sometimes given the names "Lower" and "Upper" domains respectively to describe how they relate. But although the existing role and function differ in each due to their difference in structure, the lower domain is indispensable for the upper, and the upper domain is necessary for the lower. This is because they form a single universe with both parts included. The two domains possess an intimate link as if they are melded together without being detached worlds, yet, despite that, they are existences that whiff past each other and cannot be seen. Moreover, it can be thought that many lower domains exist.
This bit shows how Mary's consciousness inside KOS-MOS starts to manifest.
The introduction of KOS-MOS and practice inside the Encephalon simulation serves several purposes.
From a game perspective it allows the player a chance at battle early for practice, similar to the mountain path between
Lahan Village and Citan's house in Xenogears. Some feel that KOS-MOS' introduction here ruins the impact and mystery
her awakening has later once the Gnosis shows up, which is true from an action-driven writer's point of view, but from the
perspective of a more character-driven writer like Tetsuya Takahashi it is necessary to introduce KOS-MOS earlier and as
soon as possible to have her say "Good morning Shion," since the last words KOS-MOS will speak at the story arc's end is
"Good night," which was no doubt already in Takahashi's mind at this point since character-driven writers see the story
as a whole and will often sacrifice action or suspence (by undramatically showing us KOS-MOS right way) in favor of
Character Emotional Development and character arcs. If Takahashi had waited to introduce KOS-MOS until it was time for
action, then it would've been out of place to have KOS-MOS say "Good morning" while slowly moving toward Allen in that
intimidating manner while the lights are out. I think hiding KOS-MOS' face for the entirety of the Encephalon portion with
the visor was a good compromise.
The technobable here really makes the technology and its users feel real. Takahashi is not nicknamed
the "science and ideology" game director for nothing. Take for example: "Body formation complete. Commencing Penfield
mapping." or "I see a small break in the MT field, route K12. It looks like...the bi-directional link in the V4
field is lagged, too. Hold on a minute... I'll fix it now."
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A map of the brain which shows the distinct functional
The in-game reference is to the digitized procedure which
Also, regarding the allusions and references; Takahashi has sometimes been charged with having "gratuitious" or unjustified excessive referencing. I do not agree with this charge, since I think most references are alluding to concepts that are relevant to examining and understanding the unsaid layers and guiding motifs behind the writing. A lot of the references serve as symbolic foreshadowing and leitmotifs. In addition to this, having the player get curious about these names and looking them up is a good way to invite young people into reading more and acquire knowledge outside of the world of escapist fantasy worlds.
Hero character analysis: "Besides, my family's always asking, "How did you get assigned to the First Division?" "There must've been a mistake in the paperwork..." Who knows, maybe their right." "Wait a minute, you've been reading those weird old books again, haven't you? I swear, you're so obsessed with those precious books of yours!" "I don't understand any of this."
In the set-up we already get a clue as to how Shion is capable of providing Realian psych support on top of developing
KOS-MOS; "Oh, I'm just making the most of what my mentor taught me." In other words, Shion's mind is attuned to
this type of science thanks to the mentoring of Kevin, the genius who came up with KOS-MOS' basic theory, and who is
later revealed to have been a student of the brilliant Joachim Mizrahi. Shion, due to past trauma, is not a "nerd" as
much as she is a self-centered searcher on a quest for "life" away from death, and has difficulty being satisfied. Her
dialogue with Jin reveals much of her attitude, like refusal to take him in if Jin should ever need support or care.
Furthermore, because of her fear of death, pain, and her past, she avoids things like memorials because she doesn't
want to spend any time in the past. This is also why she refuses to remember what happened on Old Miltia. Another thing that should be adressed here is the commonly observed symptom of gamers and anime fans who seems to only be able to appreciate works by identifying themselves with and investing their emotions into the characters; suffering from what Evangelion's director Hideaki Anno referred to as "self-imposed autism" of anime and fantasy fans (which was his greatest frustration). These type of gamers take a so-called "Otaku narcissistic pleasure" in cool or attractive things that they wish to merge with or lose themselves in, and thus too many neurotic or dislikable traits, regardless of how realistic or relevant they may be, brings about the displeasure of these fans who usually won't stand for a story where the main characters are unhappy. Therefore Takahashi's choice of using actual psychology to explore the neurosis and problems facing individuals and society brought about a deviation from the usual attractive anime-, game- or fantasy-like things in these works, which consequently alienated gamers who feel they deserve only pleasure from gaming, and who often take the narcissistic or pretentiously callous stance of putting these works or the characters down because it doesn't appeal to their liking. But ultimately their criticism only reveals their narcissistic, hedonistic, and sometimes "over-serious" attitude. It's not criticism that has any substance, and their demands that what is pleasurable should be championed over games like Xenogears and Xenosaga is ultimately projecting exaggerated stature onto something that usually don't deserve it, which is ultimately pretentious rather than clever. Another complaint is Shion's glasses, and why in the future anyone would need them. However, as revealed in the DS game Xenosaga I-II as well as Xenosaga III's database: Shion has had a congenital, unique sense since early childhood that has allowed her to see into imaginary space. The holographic glasses she wears were a present from Kevin during her time at Vector and they serve not to correct her vision, but to control this ability.
However, as this sense of hers is not active all the time, and as she "has gotten used to it," she removes the
glasses when they present an inconvenience to her daily life. What perhaps confuses many are the minor details that seemingly suggests that Shion should be a smart and intelligent young woman, such as she graduated from Bormeo University, and the fact that she works on a top-secret government project despite being only 22 years old. (The database even underlines the fact that Allen is two years older than she, yet is her Junior in the hierarchy.) But these things can also be attributed to Wilhelm and Kevin helping her rise through the ranks. They would've gotten her onboard the KOS-MOS project one way or the other. Furthermore, it doesn't make her a genius to have achieved much at a young age. Ennea-type 7 are very active people who are very talent-rich while also having the elements of an airhead and being reckless at times. For example, most pornstars by far are classified as ennea-type 7, and yet this adventurous type can also be found amongst astronauts. There's no doubt Takahashi intentionally wrote Shion as a ditz, albeit a more complex and talent-rich one, but a person with a scattered mind, as exemplified best in the scene where she can't figure out that one Realian is in love with Allen, even though it's obvious to other characters. It is actually not uncommon for Japanese protagonists to be "simple and stupid." The Japanese seems to have a particular fondness for this type of hero. It seems Tetsuya Takahashi remains rooted in this cultural quirk, though he adds the element of real psychology to add a new level of depth to this type of character. The childlike naivety in Takahashi's main protagonists also seems to represent an ideal way of living that Takahashi himself idealizes, though they don't appear to be self-portraits. But I think there's still some part of himself put into these characters.
Raid
Support character analysis:
KOS-MOS Thematically, KOS-MOS with her cold and calculated efficiency can be seen as the ultimate representation of this dystopian civilization's spiritual problem. chaos will later respond to Matthews comment that KOS-MOS isn't human with "You think so, huh? She appears to be just like any other human to me." The same could be said of KOS-MOS' sexualized appearance, even though I doubt it was intentional, in that it can be seen as a representation of a sexualized consumerist society within space age industrialism, something we are already facing in our everyday lives. Anyway, it seems the real in-game reason for KOS-MOS' sexualized appearance is due to some quirk of Shion's, who, according to NPC dialoge, is excessively devoted to "KOS-MOS' aesthetic sensitivity system" rather than her function as a weapon. The explanation for this behavior is due to Shion wanting to shake off memories of the incident when the Archetype went out of control. It would actually not be out of character for an ennea-type 7 to want to dress up herself and others in wild, interesting, entertaining, and sexy ways. I will also touch on the Realians from Xenosaga. The word realia comes from medieval Latin, in which it originally meant "the real things", i.e. material things, as opposed to abstract ones. Today it means "translation." That's what Realians are, copies or translations of human beings into obedient artificial human servants. The ideological position mankind has come to regard the reality from is a Nietzscheian point of view, and so the Human/Realian relationship can be seen as an allegory for the Master/Slave dynamic that Nietzsche often talks about in his writings, and I believe this was intentional. The new calendar designation in Xenosaga's future that is abbreviated "T.C." means Transcend Christ, which perfectly encompasses a Nietzscheian attitude.
The ripple effect on the Zohar relates to the motif and imagery of waves in the story, such as the white ash-colored beach and the spreading of ripples that will impact and possibly change the future. The Zohar is often the catalyst for such change. The imagery of humans as "waves" or water is to be a main theme in the story. You also get a close up on Shion's pendant that will serve as an important plot device at the end of the story while also being related to both Shion and Kevin's character arcs.
Separation
A storm is coming
Inciting Incident Shion begins her long relationship with the android KOS-MOS from this point up until the end. What the rest of the story will be about is defined here. This is the bridge between Act I and Act II, meaning everything that came before this incident was a set-up for it, and everything that comes after is a response to it. Even though KOS-MOS was already in the story during the set-up, what happens here makes her darker and more deadly, thus forcing Shion to take action. Because something important to Shion is now out of her control. This is classic story architecture in full glory. But before we move on to Act II, I want to examine a few details here.
"Listen! The Gnosis are insignificant! They are nothing compared to what'll happen if IT awakes!"
Virgil and Realians
"The only certain thing is that Virgil ate Realian tissue of his own will. On the Woglinde, the words
"they were delicious" that he spoke to Shion and his expression at the time both show that he is affirming the
action himself." A lot of people disregard the ODM after Xenosaga got a new scenario writer, and since the Xenosaga III Perfect Guide doesn't mention anything about Virgil eating Realian tissue they will be quick to point out the "likelihood of a retcon" - that they wanted to make Virgil more sympathetic. But I do not believe such a retcon occured. The database entries states that a DME addict must continue to consume Realian tissue to stave off the withdrawal symptoms, and that there's no cure. And, as I've already said, Virgil must have taken apart Realians anyway since he knew about the control code. While the "eating Realian tissue" idea may sound silly, it cannot be retconned away completely from the world of Xenosaga since people other than Virgil must have gotten it before to even have it labeled so that Shion can recognize it. It's the fact that Virgil originally got it due to a transplant that makes him more sympathetic. The lines about taking Realians apart and Virgil saying "They were quite delicious" are still in the DS version. Ever since we saw Febronia before Virgil died and they brought him back as a Testament it was obvious they were gonna give the character more depth, so I don't buy for a second that they had to make "retcons" in order to make him "less antagonistic." I think people are getting too carried away by the fact that the story changed scenario writers. It does not mean that everything was retconned after Episode I. For the most part, I will examine the retcons and what the original scenario might have been in other articles. This article is meant to give you a lucid explanation for what's consistently presented and revealed in the guides and the games as they turned out.
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The story begin by kicking things off in a compelling way by posing questions that compel answers. What you first see after
firing up your "New Game" is a visceral and emotionally resonant opening that makes a promise of an intense and
rewarding experience ahead.
"A brand-new network is being created within the KOS-MOS mainframe. I've never seen a Net grow so fast!
Portions of the Encephalon map are evolving!"
In both Xenogears' and Xenosaga's set-up there is a sense of impending change. In fact, it isn't just the
Inciting Incident that is foreshadowed, major events of the story to come are also foreshadowed and, like some of the
best foreshadowing in literature or cinema, it is not always recognized as foreshadowing when it occurs. A simple
thing like Andrew's nervousness while giving Shion a hard time about the lack of field data for KOS-MOS, unable to keep
his cool because he harbours a secret fear of KOS-MOS after having seen her go berserk 2 years ago, is foreshadowing of
his involvement. But only in retrospect can you tell these things.
We also have foreshadowing in the form of Nephilim appearing often and in one scene looking out into
space (anticipating the appearance of the Gnosis), Lieutenant Virgil's DME addiction, the dialogue about Old Miltia,
etc. But most importantly the dream/vision Shion has of Rennes-Le-Château on Lost Jerusalem, with the silhouette of
chaos making an appearance in addition to Nephilim and the Original Zohar. Like the musicbox scene in Xenogears
this scene also foreshadows the entire story of the hero; such as her being "the Maiden," as well as her link to
Zohar (and also U-DO behind "the door" or window that is Zohar). Although it's likely she already had a link to U-DO
at this point, as U-DO chooses to make contact, some fans believe the link was established in the scene where Shion
reaches for the Zohar Emulator and touches it. However, I don't believe she actually touched the Emulator, even though
she touched the Original Zohar in her dream. While the Emulators can link with U-DO, according to the ODM, they
were actually meant to emulate their corresponding Vessel of Anima in order to ignite the Original Zohar for such
purposes.
