Little Busters! - Mio Nishizono Route & Character Discussion

[Tidulimar]

Finished it 3 days ago, took me 2 days to read the posts so far. The activity from just when the bookclub started is such a significant amount in relation to the rest of the thread, given that it exists for years. This is super awesome.

Getting to know Mio more during this route was amazing. She is a very good character and unless you actively decide to spend time with her, you don’t really get to know her - realistic given her being very introverted.
She just expended in so many dimensions. Showing all of her emotions, enthusiasm with her love for books and BL…she is so much more than it seems on first glance. She probably is not and will not my favourite character, but at least she feels like a real character to me now. I prefer her without glasses by the way - that may be exposure bias, but I think she is cuter without.

Midori was interesting. I really disliked her at first. In a way, while I noticed a few lines that hinted at her actually caring about Mio, she still was a total villian for my experience. I hated her for that. But over time, I got more and more confirmation that I did not imagine her good intentions underneath. In the end, I liked her. Maybe a little more than Mio. She is kind, she is selfconfident, she is outgoing. There is nothing wrong with being more of an introvert, but in fiction I prefer extreverted characters, and as such, Midori clicks better with me than Mio.

The route itself however - reading so much praise all over the topic, I have to be one of the few people who have to admit that I did not like it that much. Sure I did not dislike it (Rin1)(how I am saying it kind of reminds me how Riki was thinking to himself when consdering accepting Rin’s proposal to date her), but it will take no top spots. First off, the supernatural side of it weirded me out, especially since it is pretty strong in the route.

Key always relies on anime magic to explain some of the routes, but they’re always lore-abiding and make sense according to the story and universe they take place in. But this one still doesn’t make sense to me.

So overall, this route seems to be the token “Throw common sense out the window”-route.

I agree a lot with @Rin here. It’s Key, something supernatural has to happen, but so far, it does not seem to be lore-abiding and does not make sense so far. Given, I don’t have a full picture yet, with 3 routes read. Maybe it makes more sense after refrain. For now, it does not.
The pacing was bad at times as well. Especially after Mio left. It felt like the route did not really progress for a while. There were a few important scenes there and I guess it was necessary to have it that long, but it was not very fun. (in hindsight I have to admid that I was quite tired on both days I was tackling the route - which might have played into how the pacing felt to me)
Finally, while it is great how much the route used symbolism - at times it just felt like it was repeating the same symbolisms over and over and over again. That may just because of my issues with the pacing.
So the symbolism is a good and a bad point at the same time for me - it felt a bit much, but the using a lot of different symbolism is a good thing.
Also, everything else about the writing is just great. As I said, I like both characters, and the conversations the characters have are really good. The characters’ motivations were understandable. The whole date was great. The tanka “training” aswell. The romance in the end was handled great - super cute.
Unlike most of you, I also did not relate to Mio as well. If not dragged down by social anxiety, I am a more extroverted guy. Not being able to relate to Mio is not a big minus for the route, but no plus either.
For a tl;dr I have to repeat myself: I enjoyed the route, but it’s not going to by on my favourite lists.

In the end, parts I especially liked about the route are Riki’s determination after Mio disappeared all the way until the climax of the route to neither forget her nor let her leave; as well as the romance that happened after that and how it was portrayed, and this part:

There was one thing I liked about Midori and that was her mindf**k about the glasses. That actually made me stop and think about it: “Wait, did she wear glasses?” That was a very enjoyable part of her portion of Mio’s route.

I went like…wait, did she? I don’t remember she did, but… I am not sure! - saves, looks at gallery - no she did not! So, at it’s core, this totally got me as well. And I love it for that.

A lot of the themes and symbolism during this route may be foreshadowing the secret of the world, and at this point, a lot of them would fit right into the coma theory. Honestly, not only is it way to much to list it all, but at this point it’s just more and more driving the theory home. Especially the whole stuff about memories, different viewpoints and about “what is reality”.

In the end, I want to talk about a interpretation I have for some of the supernatural stuff going on. It’s probably very stupid. I was thinking about this topic when I read this:

Now having been introduced to Midori, the most obvious idea to me for now is that of Jung’s shadow archetype - for very literal reasons.

What if what we see is only a single person, but her personality changing? That Midori being around IS just another personality of Mio, it’s the same body just behaving as if it was a differnt person. And most scenes that don’t make all kind of sense are not literal, but rather an allegory of what is really going on with her personality shifting?
Given, that thought has one flaw: the others saying Mio was always like this. That does not fit into this. But I think it’s an interesting thought.

[Zosonte]

What if what we see is only a single person, but her personality changing? That Midori being around IS just another personality of Mio, it’s the same body just behaving as if it was a differnt person.

That’s an interesting theory. Perhaps Riki is playing the unreliable narrator, and the scene at the beach wall is him hallucinating that this new, outgoing personality is a different person altogether. As for everyone saying Mio was always like this, perhaps the Mio Riki got to know, the quiet girl holding a parasol all the time, is merely a personality she shows to him, because she likes him and isn’t sure how to show it outside of playing the bookworm.

[Natsume]

Perhaps Riki is playing the unreliable narrator,

Saying that her reclusive personality was a front for Riki wouldn’t make sense in the context of the common route since it’s commonly called out to the fact that Mio is a silent girl both from the Little Busters and the school as a whole. Going by that, the assumption that Riki is currently an unreliable narrator doesn’t feel like it can stand too much on its own since by then you’d be saying the entirety of the cast can’t be trusted in how they perceive Mio.

[Kanon]

This isn’t the god damn When they Cry series guys, it’s not written to be a mystery to figure out, it’s written for emotional impact and enjoying the characters as people.

[Naoki_Saten]

I wish this instant when our lips meet
would ne’er end,
the sea’s tumult fail,
the sun freeze on its journey,
the birds high above stop dead.

Let’s take a closer look at the romance in this route, as well as Riki’s and Mio’s relationship in general.

Their “first” encounter is already plenty romantic. Riki sends a ball flying and against all odds, it finds its way to Mio in an otherwise deserted courtyard, creating an opportunity to truly get to know each-other. Their “first” contact was not by vision, but by touch, for Riki was not aware of her presence, and stumbled upon her by chance. It’s a double miracle of sorts.

Mio is a silent beauty, a hidden flower, one that can only be found in a special place, at special times. Of course, she’s also in Riki’s class, which is why he already knows about her, but he couldn’t learn much about her in there. Her nature can only be truly observed in the shade of the Zelkowa tree. No, “observe” is the wrong term here. Mere observations, second-hand knowledge or shallow small-talk are most likely to lead you to wrong conclusions. You can only learn about Mio by spending a lot of time with her.

Riki was so caught up in his encounter with Mio that he had completely forgotten what he came for - to fetch the baseball. She simply creates a very special atmosphere around her. Like her own, closed world, as Riki calls it at the end of the scene.

She was hit by a passing ball. It’s normally a very minor thing, but Riki takes it completely seriously. He is sorry and he feels obliged to confess to his crime and to make up for the damage he caused. Well, Mio does make him feel a bit guilty, even though she doesn’t push the matter beyond a bit of comedic teasing. Nonetheless, his reaction must have already seem unusual to Mio, who is used to be treated like a pebble on the roadside. Riki is very considerate by nature, but he is especially careful around Mio, who seems extremely fragile to him.

Everything about their encounters seems somehow special. On a different day, Riki finds himself enjoying her bread crusts a lot.

The two of them spend some quality time together, but Mio draws a very clear line: She will only answer personal questions if the one asking is serious about wanting to know more about her. (Yeah, I talk about this moment a lot.) It looks a bit weird and forceful, asking “Do you want to get to know me?” when it’s only the third time you’ve had a proper conversation with someone. It surprises Riki, who can’t answer it properly, since he only visited because he felt like it. But Mio is already about to get serious. It shows that she sees potential in Riki. “Naoe-san. I’m sure that every beginning is always something very trivial. One day, will you try asking me this question one more time?”

At this point, the relationship between them is at a neutral point. Mio would be fine with both carrying on and stopping right here. An opportunity presents itself the next day, so Riki decides to make his move. He reveals his own version of Mio’s book, his sanctuary: The Little Busters. The source of his happiness, despite not having a family. He is fully intent on saving Mio (and he’s convinced she needs saving) like the Little Busters saved him. He wants to become Mio’s Kyousuke. Riki is trying to get closer, but choosing the wrong path instead of the one Mio offered him. Mio declines and Riki panics for a bit, in a bad way, asking personal questions only to be stopped again.

He later panics in a good way, just from not seeing Mio in her usual spot in the courtyard. He is genuinely worried, and rightfully so. When he found Mio, she pretended like nothing happened, but Riki noticed the sadness in her eyes, because he once had the same look. When Mio loses her precious book, it’s time for Riki to make to make the right choice. Expecting good intentions means choosing the real Mio, while expecting bad intentions also means choosing Riki’s impression of Mio, his self-projection.

Riki gets to be Mio’s hero, earning her trust and moving their relationship past the neutral point.

It’s hard to tell when their relationship shifts from a platonic to a romantic one. It develops and grows naturally over time. Their meetings under the Zelkowa tree continue. Mio talks about her hobbies, which Riki takes interest in because he wants to know more about her. In one of such talks, Mio even reveals her true desire that she herself is not aware of by explaining the importance of the relationship between a detective and his “Watson” at length. Of course it’s important to her, because she desires a strong, fulfilling relationship. On another day, Mio also allows Riki to sit and read a book in her spot, which Riki had considered sacred. She also allows him to hold her parasol during an emergency.

As time passes, some romantic reactions can be observed.
Mio ships Kyousuke x Riki, but chases Masato away when he tries doing the same. When she thinks Riki and Kyousuke are about to kiss, she runs away in panic, without realizing why it troubles her so. Incidentally, by that time, everyone is already shipping them, while the two of them are still unaware of their own feelings.

Or are they? Right at the beginning of the route, Mio comes close to confessing.

But it seems like her mind gets clouded over with negative thoughts and she decides to chase away a white pidgeon instead. The white bird represents Midori, whose arrival would also separate Mio and Riki. For a brief moment, Mio’s feelings for Riki were more important to her than her wish. So at that point, she must have already been in love.

The scene at the river bank is the most romantic one to that point. The two of them talk about love. Mio asks if there’s a girl Riki likes and displays hints of jealousy towards Rin. Riki, in turn, felt jealous of Midori, whom Mio talked about as a precious person without revealing her name. And then it’s his turn to almost confess:

He didn’t know what he was about to say. So, while Mio is already aware of her feelings, Riki is still being dense. They talk about the idea of flying away on a paper airplane. Riki says he’d choose Hawaii, and Mio, after a bit of teasing, chooses the same. The significance of this talk only becomes clear to Riki much later on, when he finds the tanka Mio created based on the events of that day as an entry to the contest:

On these pure white wings,
lifted gently by the wind,
beside you I glide,
toward that land of summer,
‘tween the twain blues’ soft embrace.

In the hypothetical situation of being able to travel anywhere in the world, Mio chose to go to the same place as Riki. It’s a public confession, since submitting it for the contest means it’ll be displayed for everyone to see. But at the same time, it’s a personal message, because nobody but Riki would understand it. That’s Mio’s way of expressing her feelings.

And then there’s the date that Mio insisted would not be one but it totally was. But it’s understandable. Mio was convinced that Rikis feelings were still of pity, not love and she was planning on disappearing anyway. On the beach, Riki is being kinda lame. Instead of confessing, he first inquires if Mio likes him. And only at that point does he seem to realize his own feelings. But at that point, it was already too late…
I suppose if he had realized it earlier, if he had confessed earlier, he might also have gotten an opportunity of proving that his feelings are genuine…

Fast forward to the resolution of this route’s conflict. It’s a happy ending. Mio decided not to disappear and Riki wakes up in her arms. So he confesses again right away.
Mio’s reply is immediate, albeit initially misunderstood. Rather than offering mere words, she silently offers her lips instead.

[Phlebas]

That was a lovely read!

[Bread]

Mio’s route is one of the single most well crafted pieces of fiction I’ve ever gotten to experience. It is laced in a level of nuance that one can only truly appreciate on the second playthrough, a quality that I think has given Mio’s character a bad rap. Things like the real tragedy of the date in town, the fact that Mio was planning out her last day before self terminating herself and how she confronts that finality, are not something that can be fully appreciated unless the context of her situation is known.
What particularly makes Mio a worthwhile character is how unique she in in the context of the narrative. She is at once the character most similar to Riki as well as most self deprecating. While the various character routes all contain a level of darkness, Kanata and Haruka being the shining example of this, Mio takes this a level further in her desires to self terminate. While calling it “suicide” or suicidal thoughts is not quite the specific idea felt, that kind of darkness is constantly hovering over Mio in her pursuits to become alone.

These sorts of things are, however, merely what make Mio a refreshing character, so to say. What makes her and her route such a worthy part of the story is what it has to say about connections–the primary theme of Little Busters–as well as the psychology of Riki Naoe.
At its core the route is a discussion of the hedgehog’s dilemma, classic psychological instrument employed by Schopenhauer and the like. That is to say, Mio’s route analyzes the conflicting ideas and desires inherent in wanting closeness but knowing that misfortune will come form it. This is something made clear from Mio’s first interactions in the common route in which she talks to Riki about how she hates the birds she feeds every day because they always leave her. Even so she can’t help but to continue to feed them every day to try and obtain that closeness. Now, if you could, extrapolate this to Mio’s social interactions as a whole. Mio is scared of interaction because of her crippling lack of self worth born form her childhood days. Even as she interacts with the Little Busters, as she forms those friendships, she does so with the innate knowledge that she intends to vanish from their lives. She knows the pain of separation is inevitable, yet she still spoils herself with friendship. The lone exception to this trend is of course in Riki and with that comes the second part of why Mio has the best route.

Mio is a sort of parallel to Riki in many ways, particularly that of his childhood but also his current self. More so than any member of the Little Busters as well as any heroine with perhaps the exception of Kanata, Mio is also the most isolated. Riki describes a sort of implacable need to be there for Mio and show her what friendship can do for someone while in the common route precisely because it is in Mio that Riki most sees himself. The weak version of himself from a child, well, the weaker version of himself. At his core Riki is a very simple character. Not that he is not complex, but that all of his beliefs and actions are very clearly traced and defined. While Mio sees connection as a painful sort of escape, a means to an end given her desire for solitude, Riki sees connection almost as Salvation, something that becomes more and more clear the further you go into the novel. Riki wants to be the hand that reaches out to the isolated, precisely because he himself knows how liberating that warmth can be. In this way his mentality in this route is not simply, “I want to help this person,” as it is in most of the other routes, but rather, “I know how badly this must hurt for you.”

It is, of course, ultimately this mentality that wins the day. Midori goes on living in place of Mio for those two weeks because she believes that Mio has no salvation, that the only way for her loved one to find peace is for her to have that complete and utter isolation that she had dreamed. In Mio’s eyes, connection was only something that could bring pain, when one could even receive it at all. Riki’s determination to hold onto Mio, however, shows Midori that Mio did, in fact, have a hope in this world, that through all of the pain that comes with interacting with others it is worth it for the things we can take out.

As Midori says at the routes climax, one can only build an identity through their interactions with other people. Mio’s route is a story about hope. It is, as the game puts is, about believing that humanity has good intentions. Mio’s route stresses that the bonds we share are what make us complete, that even though we hurt and experience painful and lonely things, it is only through the people that we know and interact with that we can find our peace, that no matter what those bonds are important.

Mio and her story are simple, beautiful, and uplifting, and honestly are some of the most worthwhile moments Little Busters has to offer.

[Naoki_Saten]

Mio is scared of interaction because of her crippling lack of self worth born form her childhood days.

I’m afraid I have to disagree with this part. I don’t remember seeing any actual self-deprecation in Mio’s behavior. She refers to herself as a “boring person” once, but that’s probably because her interests are not mainstream and would only bore those who are not interested. She is quick to apologize after a long monologue about books because her ettiquette is top-notch and she realizes it’s a bit rude to hijack a conversation like that. She is also aware of her nickname and that she’s considered a pebble on the roadside, but her wish is to become even more perfectly isolated than said pebble.

Mio handles social interaction pretty well. She quickly catches on to social cues, she has no trouble holding a conversation and she never shows signs of being uncomfortable with whoever she’s talking with or the desire to cut a normal conversation short. Also, someone with a crippling lack of self worth wouldn’t be able to dish out sharp retorts and sick burns like she does. She even chases away that huge hunk Masato without uttering a single insult (I’m not referring to the geroinu part on the field. That was Kurugaya’s suggestion). You need confidence for those things.

Midori goes on living in place of Mio for those two weeks because she believes that Mio has no salvation, that the only way for her loved one to find peace is for her to have that complete and utter isolation that she had dreamed.

Again, I believe that’s not how it is. Midori knows Mio best, even better than Mio herself. Midori knows what Mio’s true wish is - not the perfect isolation, but a fulfilling relationship. She’s questioning Mio’s motives right after their reunion on the beach. She says she can’t deny loving Riki if she asks for a bit more time before disappearing. After all, if disappearing were more important, why would Mio hesitate?

No, Midori knows exactly what to do from the get-go. If Riki fails and forgets Mio after kissing Midori, she will say she’s disappointed about how easy it was. She knows she needs Riki to save Mio. That’s why she puts him to a test. That’s why she keeps confronting him - to make sure his love is real and to keep reminding him of Mio, whom he would otherwise forget. I have elaborated on this in one of my previous posts here.

[HeliosAlpha]

Mio’s true wish is - not the perfect isolation, but a fulfilling relationship.

Yes and no, or I guess both. Mio’s wish, even in the end, is described as her wanting 孤独[Isolation], but the writing plays with the definition and way of achieving said isolation. The isolation Mio seeks can be defined as [A place where she will remain her unstained self for all time]. The best method for achieving this that Mio thought of was to remove herself from all people that might affect her. However, Midori explains in the end that one is only truly themself when together with someone precious. By that rule, the good end and only the good end is where Mio gets her wish of [isolation].

[Bread]

I think the scene on the beach provides Midori with a hope for Mio, but that Midori is still adhering to Mio’s deprecating beliefs. Everything you say is correct in asserting that Midori has a stronger grasp on Mio and her psyche than Mio does herself largely due to Midori’s clearer state of mind. However, even knowing that the best end for Mio would be connection, that which she had always wanted since their childhood days, my deduction was that Midori is not sure that Mio is able to achieve that. In this way, Mio obviously desires companionship but has resigned herself to solitude. Her actions reflect a desire to give into that solitude and stop trying. Mio may not be cognizant of her desire for companionship and naturally Midori is, as you say, aware of her true desires. That being said the question in Midori’s mind is one of possibility. The change I was describing, then, is Riki providing evidence that there is hope for Mio to find that which she had given up on, that in fact Mio already had what she wanted if only she stopped denying herself.

As for the point regarding Mio’s social ability, I was not asserting that Mio is in any way frightened of interaction, but in the vain of Rin is unable due to inexperience to smoothly interact. I cite her early interactions with Riki in which he is unable to parse her joking from her serious speech and whatnot. This is something that clearly develops through her interactions with others. Mio even asks Kurugaya about how to better interact as a gag in the common route. When I say she has no self worth I do not refer to her social currency, but rather how she has given up on the hope of meaningful interaction, how she believes the birds will always fly away from her–hence the hedgehog’s dilemma.

Good talking with you, please probe me more if you disagree.

[Naoki_Saten]

That being said the question in Midori’s mind is one of possibility. The change I was describing, then, is Riki providing evidence that there is hope for Mio to find that which she had given up on, that in fact Mio already had what she wanted if only she stopped denying herself.

This part is tricky to prove or disprove because Midori masks her intentions and faces Riki as a villain, while in the end, Riki is challenged to trust in her good intentions (that is, make an effort to truly understand her) despite lacking proof thereof. However, I do think there are some vague hints.

For example, Riki points out several times that Midori keeps reminding him of Mio. The more time passes, the harder it is for Riki to retain his memories of Mio. But Midori keeps confronting Riki of her own accord. She even goes out of her way to warn him when he’s approaching the time limit - that’s when Riki moves out and stumbles upon Mio’s personally composed Tanka (and love confession), which acts as another anchor to keep his memories in place. Another proof of memories fading over time is the bad ending for believing Midori’s bad intentions. Riki is running around places in search of Mio and at the end of the day, he simply forgets. Reuniting with Midori then overwrites his memories.

Also, if Midori’s initial intention was to fulfill Mio’s wish and only changed when Riki proved her wrong, then the best course of action for her would be to “take down” Riki as soon as possible, since he’s the greatest threat. Rin said at some point that the moment she met Midori, (fake) memories of her started rushing into her head. For that reason, Riki believes that Kyousuke, who may not have encountered Midori would also not be affected by the memory manipulation and could thus help him. The memory manipulation started right after the beach scene - which happened on a sunday. Riki has an awful feeling, but can’t say what it is. It’s his missing memories of Mio. He spends at least two days doing things he normally does with Mio while unable to shake off the odd feeling. Then on the third day (or maybe later, it’s not explicitly stated), he finds Mio’s book and remembers everything. THEN Riki runs into the classroom and kicks up a fuss about Mio and only then does Midori appear. Here’s what I think: If Midori had shown herself to Riki before he regained his memories about Mio, he might have had his memory filled with Midori instead, just like everyone else. So if Midori really wanted to “take down” Riki, why did she wait for at least three days before meeting him?

When I say she has no self worth I do not refer to her social currency, but rather how she has given up on the hope of meaningful interaction, how she believes the birds will always fly away from her–hence the hedgehog’s dilemma.

If you mean to say that Mio’s wish of total isolation stems from the feeling of loneliness and the hopelessness of the prospect of ever changing that, I concur. As I said previously,

Mio absolutely does desire company. But she never got the company she wished for. So she gave up on it and decided to put herself in a state where she wouldn’t be given any false hope.

However, you can’t call that a “crippling lack of self worth”. She doesn’t hate herself for being unable to connect to others. She laments the fact that nobody seems to truly understand her. And as I said, understanding is the main topic of this route. Even Midori couldn’t interpret the shapes of clouds like Mio did. There was that one doctor who showed interest in Midori - which means he wanted to understand Mio’s inner world, something only she could see - but it turns out he was a dirty liar who almost succeeded at killing her sister and changing that world permanently.

But in the end, that lack of understanding stopped troubling Mio, for she and Riki have concluded that it’s fine to not fully understand someone right away and that what matters is to put effort into slowly getting there. That the small mysteries they discover about each-other are pleasant to discover and to explore.

Again, many people here insist that Mio has a negative view of herself, but I disagree. It seems to me that this impression stems more from the tropes she’s associated with, or the interpretation of her disappearance as suicide, rather than her actual behavior.

[HeliosAlpha]

It took a damn long time to figure out what to talk about, but I decided to take a look at the ED, Amenochi Hare, and how symbols are shared between it and the route. Kashida wrote the lyrics for the song, and it was apparently his first time doing so; he said that it might’ve been harder than writing the route itself.

雨のち晴れ[Clear WeatherSunshine After the Rain]
Translation(If my comments don’t match the translation, it’s because I haven’t read it.)

Stanza 1

道ばたに咲く赤い花びらが雨に染まっていくの 今日も
すれ違う子ら 浅い水たまりを撥ね 家路走る
ひとしずく落ちてくるたび
ひとしずく心あふれる
あなたが教えてくれた 雨音の数え方を

We begin with a nod to Mio’s lack of presence, but in the form of a red flower instead of a pebble. We also have rain falling which saddens the narrator and causes them to remember someone.

Stanza 2

左手に持つ図書室で借りた本が 濡れないように歩く
悲しくて空仰いでみたなら あなたのあの言葉

Pretty much just a continuing to build the sadness of the narrator and relating it to the rain and the other person. The key phrase is how the narrator has been told something important.

Stanza 3 (Not included in the short version)

寄り道をして高い校舎の屋上 けぶる景色を見てた
色褪せた街 赤に緑傘の色だけが映える
雨だれがしたたるたび
雨だれに心ふるえる
あなたが記してくれた傷跡のなぞり方を

Kind of a nod to Komari with the roof. The city is colorless and hazy. Of course because of the rain, but there was also the time when Riki had a “sonder” moment in town. The red and green that come up here pretty curious because they are almost never used elsewhere. I have an idea that it could be a nod to the sisters themselves, but it’s a loose reading. The green used is a homophone with Midori’s name, and the red harkens back to the flower in the first line of the song. What could it mean to trace one’s scar? I guess to familiarize and accept it.

Stanza 4 (Not included in the short version)

遠くには川 霞む橋渡る電車揺れてもここは静か
届かないこと分かったときには あなたのあの言葉

Again with the words. We can conclude they are something the narrator uses as support at their saddest moments.

Stanza 5

人たちはこの空 飛ぶことは叶わないけど その代わり
いま流す涙は天に昇りまた 雨となり還る

People flying obviously matches Mio’s wish to become a bird, but the part of tears becoming rain doesn’t seem very relevant. Without context, this seems to most likely to be the words the narrator had been given by her SO. If we instead use the route to fill that blank, the words would instead likely be how people are always isolated and only themselves when with others.

Stanza 6

西風が吹く雲が流れて 木陰にツグミの顔が覗く
立ち止まる ほら淡い影ひとつわたしの傍 のびる
そしてここに光が差す

The direction of west is as stated before in the topic is connected with Mio’s family name and sunsets. This is also the turning point of the song.

Stanza 7

灰色 雲間が割れて金の幕 降りる
飛び立つ鳥たち 追いかけ虹が架かる
少女が走ればその先 待つ人がいる
両手を伸ばすと最後のしずく落ちる

The gray world gets blown away and replaced by all the colors of the rainbow. The birds can be taken two ways. Either they are leaving like Midori goes away at the end, or they are envoys of the world without rain. The girl mentioned doesn’t have to be the narrator, but that’s how I’ve always read it since the route is very much about lovers reuniting. The final drop obviously means the rain has stopped, but it also means the narrator’s heart will stop “overflowing.” Also because raindrops are tears, we can also say no more tears.

Stanza 8 (Not included in the short version)

こぼれた涙は乾き 微笑みが戻る
橋の向こうから 茜に空が染まる
明日は広げた傘に陽の匂い集め
誰かが流した涙を空に還す

This doesn’t really say anything new like the other extra stanzas. This is the only time where they confirm that it’s not just sunlight but a sunset that’s lighting up the world. That’s also why the shadow grows longer in Stanza 6. Still don’t get the tears. I guess it’s about overcoming the sadness that made you cry, but they’re someone else’s tears. Mio’s route has nothing to do with helping other people in general: it’s a straight story about individuals.

So between the route and song the symbols I want to talk about are colors as well as clouds/clear weather.

Now for colors, I don’t feel like talking about blue and white, but instead I want to talk about the colors of a sunset. Below is an extract from the end of the date that I’ll be using to highlight what I’m talking about. Other than being one of my favorite scenes with a heavy emphasis on color, this also semi-relates to what I said about the red flower and umbrella in the song. This passage mentions 3 colors: red, grey and orange; it mentions all of them twice, but it doesn’t repeat the same color words. Attention was put into which exact color word was used, so I think there’s value in looking at those connections. For example, the song used 赤い for the flower and umbrella(s) but 茜 is used for the many sunsets. On that note, I don’t think I ever saw any variations of blue and white: they’re always 青 and 白.

Date Extract

On the Japanese side, I have underlined all color words. On the English side, I’ve just marked lines that basically mean the same thing because this passage is like the most repetitive thing I’ve ever read (not in a bad way).

We’ll come back to the date later, but I just need to introduce the second symbol of clouds/clear weather. The title of the ED as well as the route refer clear weather through the verb 晴れる[hareru]. It translates as “to clear away,” but it’s almost exclusively used to refer to weather. Now for how it’s used in Mio’s route, it comes up a couple of times just casually about the everyday weather, but it also comes up when Riki’s feeling groggy and his mind isn’t clear. Below I have an extract from the very end on the 28th where the narration very ominously refers to the sunny days that can’t last forever. This very much relates to Amenochi Hare since it also equates happy times with sun and sad times with rain. Basically, Midori is a dark cloud that rains on Riki’s parade. Then when the cloud goes away, we get Sunshine After the Rain (Gonna assume I just blew the minds of everyone reading).

28th Extract

Now to go back to the date for one final thing on repetition. I might have been a bit too generous in what is really repeating other lines, but I still think it’s very extreme in this part. If we removed all repeating lines, the passage would be about a third as long (and boring as shit to read), but you’d still get the meaning of what happens. Why I like this repetition so much is because it clearly establishes that Riki’s mind is getting clouded and slow like he describes it many times afterwards. That scene is the turning point of the story and it’s such a cool transition. It’s not explosive and violent but instead slow and disorienting, way more so then what comes afterwards.

Despite all of this, I just have to add that Amenochi Hare is one of the most narratively weak songs Key’s ever made. (Everyone should listen to Love Song fucking now)

[Bread]

It seems that for the most part we agree on the general themes of the narrative as well as how most of the elements come together with the exception of our interpretation of two plot points: Midori’s relationship to Riki and Mio’s goals and Mio’s perception of herself.

Concerning the first, I stand by the idea that Midori’s goal shifted at some point during the route through her interaction with Riki. Midori absolutely believes that Mio has reached the point that her isolation is the only way she can be happy, but chooses to place faith in Riki as a shot at salvation. On the beach when Midori is introduced she says to Riki:

“You better set her free”

As a result of that conflicting desire for Mio to reach companionship but not knowing if it is possible. She definitely believes, at least until Riki shows his determination, that Mio is most likely to find happiness in isolation, saying as well later on:

“You need to forget her. It’s the only way for everyone to be happy. Of course, Mio isn’t an exception.”

Riki’s strong will, though, goes to assure her that Mio can find the understanding she had always wanted, as affirmed by the end of their conversation there as well as Midori’s later observation of Riki at the beach. She still followed Mio’s ideas, but it is this confliction and this desire to believe that delays her efforts and is why she does not simply do everything in her power to make Riki forget, as you suggested. Even though Midori believes in Mio’s decision, she still holds onto the idea that Mio can be happy and supports Riki from that point on.
As for the later point about whether or not Mio has a negative self image and problems with self worth I definitely think that is integral to her character. Her desire is retributive and a form of penance. When Riki returns to the beach she asks of him to still forget about her but also:

“Please don’t forget my sin.”

Before she vanishes and accepts her loneliness. This is of course not even factoring in the obvious symbol of Mio asking Riki to close the coffin on her, which clearly equates, at the very least in part, her actions to self termination.
In her flashback she says, at the moment of remembering Midori existed after reading the tanka and losing her shadow:

“It must have been my punishment.”

Riki looks at Mio as she once again recites the poem after that and accounts how surely the emotions she feels when doing so are:

“Atonement. Sin. Loneliness.”

Mio’s actions can not simply be categorized as a desire to solidify her identity. The fact that she sees this as a punishment that she willingly inflicts upon herself is integral to the core of her character. Mio’s search for identity, the true and utter solidification of the self, is obviously a large aspect of what causes her to do the things she does, but all of it stems from that guilt. And if seeking punishment, believing that your life has been defined by your sins, does not equate to a lack of self worth, than I do not know what does. Remember that in her final conversation with Midori she tells her:

“I should have been the one to disappear.”

In this she is not saying, I should have been the one to hold an absolute sense of identity given isolation being the only means of self actualization, she is saying that Midori was the better person, that it should have been her who got to live out her life. Mio definitely lacks a sense of value in her own actions. She is a failure who needs to pay for her sins. She says so herself. And it’s part of what makes her character so unique and compelling.

Either way I’m happy you care to think so much about best girl.

[machelmore]

I think it makes sense to say that Mio didn’t exactly have the best sense of self-worth, though the reason’s a bit long.
Mio’s search for isolation is kind of a double-edged sword, and I think that she wasn’t fully convicted in it either. A lot of the time characters with low self-worth seek to punish themselves. Mio isolating herself was at worst a selfish desire or at best a “selfish” punishment. A true punishment would be something she genuinely didn’t desire, so it seems to me that she’s conflicted in this and not sure if her isolation is justified to herself, or Midori for that matter. It seems that she wasn’t fully convicted in her search for isolation, which is why she appeared in front of Riki when he went back to the beach.
Riki however, was absolutely convicted in getting Mio back, doing whatever he could to that end.
We know that Midori only had “good intentions”, but good intentions to whom? If she had nothing but the best of intentions towards Riki the whole time, wouldn’t she have given in a lot earlier, if not immediately?
This says to me that she wanted to go along with what Mio wanted, and cooperated with her. That is until Riki demonstrated a much stronger conviction to his cause than Mio did.
I think the contradiction in doing something selfish as a punishment to herself was why Mio’s conviction wasn’t as strong as Riki’s, and Midori, who wanted nothing more than the ideal outcome for everyone involved (possibly with the exception of herself) ended up agreeing with Riki after seeing the strength of his conviction that getting Mio back would be the best outcome.

Worst girl, best route.

[Pepe]

So I just finished reading this route for the second time, and if I had to put my experience in one word, it would simply be: enlightening. After my first readthrough, I felt what many probably also felt during their first readthrough: confusion, emptiness, and many other words I regret saying before. However, after reading this a second time, I realized something: one very, very crucial thing which, after realizing, made everything about this route click. So I came on here, planning to share this realization, and hoping it would help others realize the meaning of this route… When somebody already beat me to the punch! Bravo, @Naoki_Saten

Heureka! That’s it! Some doctor dude messed with her brain and made her precioius little sister disappear! Mio lost a part of herself due to the influence of someone else. That’s why she wanted to become immutable. She trusted that doctor, thinking he could be friends with Midori, but he erased her instead. If you view it this way, It’s a fucked up situation where her own parents basically hired a guy to (almost) kill her sister, and she helped him do it!

Yes, this is exactly it! This is the same realization I came to earlier today. I never understood Mio until today the same way that you never did. And by sheer coincidence, we both realized the same thing, and everything just clicked. So instead of sharing my realization, I’m going to help further prove this, and probably connect it to all the other mysteries of the route.

---

One of the biggest proof of this subtle plot point is the meaning of the blue and the white: and this I believe to be the same meaning that Riki himself realized. Paraphrasing from the novel, Riki describes the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea as simply “a combination of different layers of reflaction”; it is an object that, in small quantities can never exist, but when compiled into a whole, shine brightly enough for us to believe it exists. But in reality: it doesn’t. There is no “blue” in the sky nor “blue” in the sea. But Riki does point out one more thing:

This blue also makes up us human beings: our identity. Now, going back to the main points of the route, what is it exactly that was shown to us that compromises our identity? Our memories. These memories are our blue. These memories which, by themselves, mean nothing, but when taken as a whole can entirely define a human being and their identity. Us human beings are defined by our memories, which do not exist except in our heads. These memories are the blue which give us our color.

But Mio has a problem with this blue: they are volatile. They can be changed at any moment, which has been proven by her excursion with our very kind doctor here. I don’t blame him, after all; any person close enough to Mio would be worried about her well-being should they find her talking with an imaginary being. But that is exactly what Midori is: within Mio’s blue sky (memories) exists a cloud which only she can interpret as “Midori”.

And this is why she wants to disappear; not because she wants to be alone, nor because she no longer trusts people… But because she simply does not want her blue to be tainted any more than it already has. She wants to exist as a solitary white bird, never touched by the blue that can be shaped by other people. Some may call it rejection, and it probably is. By being that bird, she not only bids farewell to her friends and family, but to Midori herself, as she denies being taintable by her own memories.

And that is why it is such an important thing to realize this. It really gets you into Mio’s head. This central motivation not only answers Mio’s odd behavior, but as well as Riki’s and Midori’s behavior.

For Riki’s case, I think this might be the more obvious one. He becomes aware and accepts the fact that two people will never understand each other. You will never see the blue that composes another person, and they will never see your blue, either. But you can coexist. You can learn to understand each other. At the end of the day, I think this is the central message of this route. You can remain yourself, untainted by the blue of the rest of the world, as long as you have someone, be it friends, family, or a life partner, who can ride alongside you, support your memories and ideas, and be your blue. At the same time, you can be their blue, reassuring them that what they do is what makes them, them.

For Midori’s case, it might be a more complicated matter. Midori herself is described as a “cloud” in Mio’s “blue”. She is an idea, after all. An idea that represents something that only Mio can recognize as a being called Midori. And the reason why she wanted isolation in the first place is so that she can keep this cloud in the same way that she wants it to, without her perception being changed by silly things like memories. But Midori is able to convince Mio that, even if Mio’s blue changes, Midori will always be there.

In essence, this is Mio convincing herself about the fact, isn’t it? Convincing herself, through the help of Riki supporting her, that she doesn’t need to lose Midori just by allowing herself to be subject to the changes in her memories. Even if, worse comes to worse, Mio forgets about Midori, Riki would be there to support her. To remind her of the blue she lost. And vice versa, really. I think this ties in to what being “lonely” really is. Being lonely doesn’t mean not having anybody to hang out with. Being lonely means not having someone to share your blue with: your memories, and your ideals. But sharing this takes openness, on both your side and whoever else you may want to share it with.

So, what is my takeaway at the end of all this? Let others see your blue; let them know your thoughts, your memories, and your ideas. May it be through art, discussion, or even just a message on an ephemeral community that sounds oddly similar to a fictional town you read in a piece of interactive fiction. And who knows, maybe some would see the beauty of your own blue, and you could see the beauty in their blue. And we would all end up as seagulls, floating together, touched by both the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea.

[MagusVerborum]

It seems like you lot have a good handle on what’s going on, so I’ll just throw my two cents in of what i think is going on in this route.

As I’ve covered before, memory is incredibly important, and is central to this chapter of LB. Mio ‘remembers’ meeting Midori, even though she is clearly an imaginary friend (I don’t think she is a dual personality in such a dramatic sense some have put forward) who then is wiped from Mio’s mind by the drugs her parents give to her. I had speculated in the common route that she had some kind of abusive relationship that led to her isolation, and this is exactly what caused it. She even goes to the lengths of mentioning that the thing that her mother asked of Mio before Midori resurfaced was if she remembered her old friend, and then smiled when Mio showed confusion. This is not a healthy relationship and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what Mio wants, even with ‘good intentions’.

Identity is also a huge deal in this story, I believe that Mio and Midori merging at the end is representative of Mio accepting her memories and becoming ‘whole’ again, something I think ties into the greater narrative. I think that in this retelling of Riki’s memories we aren’t seeing everything as he truly remembers it, and just like how Rin became more assertive after completing Rin1 I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some changed to Mio’s character as well, with her becoming a bit friendlier and happier next time round. That said:

I’m going to seal away my further analysis behind a details box (no spoilers outside of Mio and Rin1) so if you want to read my crazy analyses you’re more than welcome to, if not just keep scrolling! easy as pie~

Greater Theory Details

The more I examine the character’s actions, the more convinced I am that almost all of the characters other than Riki know what’s going on. In Mio’s second bad end (you should really read both of them if you haven’t already) Mio (yes Mio) says:

This is a pretty extreme level of self-awareness, the sort of thing we see also from Kyousuke earlier in the route, and have seen from the three more mature members of the cast, Kyousuke, Kengo, and Kurugaya throughout the common route. (Kyousuke is omnipresent, Kengo is suspiciously absent from everything the club does and is in council with Kyousuke, and Kurugaya is like the smartest person there to the point that she doesn’t even need to attend math class but gets high grades, this is probably indicative of her awareness of the timeloop but I digress.

“But wait” I hear you say. “Isn’t this separate from the common route and all weird and magic? And besides, that’s Midori, she’s an anomaly to begin with”

To which I reply:

Mio offers to Riki the amount of books you give to someone just before you die and/or are swallowed up by the plot. Just as the sea and sky frame the white bird, Mio and Midori frame Riki in this chapter. (feel free to quote me on that) They are both the Blue to Riki’s white, one being, and most importantly they share the same memories which make up the identity of ‘Nishizono’. I believe Midori’s illustration of air’s meaning changing depending on how the light refracts off of it is a similar concept to how Mio and Midori can share a body and memories but have a different personality.

I also noticed Kud’s awareness of Mio’s shadow symbolism, and initially assigned it to Kud but quickly realized that Kud was talking about Mio, and in a later scene brings up ‘shadow tag’ again with Riki. So I ahve a list of at least five characters who seem to be aware of Riki’s memory-looping.

This brings me to the white bird, commonly associated in Western cultures with freedom in the case of a dove, but with a description as vague as ‘a white bird’ and the references to Tanka i believe that this is a reference to death.

Within Kojiki, there is indeed a story about the white bird. It is about the death of Yamato Takeru, a Japanese prince who went on many journeys and according to the book died and was turned into a white bird upon his death

“Thereupon [the dead prince], turning into a white dotterel eight fathoms [long], and soaring up to Heaven, flew off towards the shore” - Dotterel being an unspecified bird, swan and heron have been suggested as a translation but really we don’t know.

Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/kj/kj097.htm

Now, we aren’t stopping here, another Japanese text indicates Yamato died with a final song:

Japanese:

Otome no
toko-no-be ni
waga okishi
tsurugi no tachi
sono tachi wa ya

English:

The sabre-sword
which I placed
at the maiden’s bed-side,
alas!
that sword!

Source: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=4XdzBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=manyoshu+white+bird&source=bl&ots=K9HwTiiJOA&sig=6d2XMfPuDt9biIuReltcTbDJZ_Y&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNo7Dy9NHXAhXGiLwKHYhWB6MQ6AEIPjAJ#v=onepage&q=manyoshu%20white%20bird&f=false

Speculation exists as to whether Yamato is lamenting the loss of his sword or his love in this ‘death poem’ but for this story I think love is more appropriate, especially seeing how Mio plans out their final day together before she disappears.

Now, I’m begging to feel like this has a double meaning, one being that Mio desires to die and leave the world, that she is too tragic to exist and she wants to have on last day with Riki before she commits suicide. This is supported by the closing of the casket in the second beach scene and the ‘killing’ of Mio from everyone’s memories. This is where I got a bit confused, as by the end of the route Riki is referred to as the white to Mio’s blue, which meeeeaaaannnssss:

Hmm, well, I’m not exactly sure what it means, it makes me think Riki may have committed suicide or otherwise been killed prior to this novel taking place, the white bird could also be symbolic of Riki accepting death after achieving happiness with Mio, but then our loop theory wouldn’t make a lot of sense. I think it’s more likely symbolic of Riki having already died and now he is coming to terms with his situation. An obvious candidate for a suicide-location is the roof of the school building where Komari hangs out, and it would explain why Riki draws attention to all the abandoned desks and chairs on his way up there on his second visit (symbolic of old students who have left the school possibly through death trying to prevent the newer students from accessing it). It would also be pretty damn tragic if the safe place for the happiest character of the show was also the site of a suicide.

post-Mio spoilers about rooftops: As soon as I say this I get the scene with Koshiki I’M DONE table flipping intensifies

I don’t know if I want to fully commit to a suicide theory but there’s certainly an indication here that Riki is deceased, though that isn’t a huge leap in logic from a coma. In this case rather than a hospital room it’s the ghosts and or memories of his friends trying to help him pass on. I definitely have my eye on that infinite darkness. Thanks for listening!

EDIT: one last thing, White birds are also significant in Shintoism, birds in general are messengers of the spirits and white birds are commonly associated with the souls of the dead. And fun fact the mausoleum that Yamato was buried in was named shiratori misasagi (白鳥陵, white bird grave), the site for the mausoleum was dictated by the white bird’s landing place after his death, very similar to how Midori (representing Mio’s soul) point sRiki to the beach where he will find her.

Duper duper edit: If you have any comments, questions, whatever about my thoughts or the intricacies of Japanese mythology I’ve laid out within the above box^ Please please please do not hesitate to message me either here or on Discord if you’re shy. I love talking about this stuff!

[Naoki_Saten]

Nishizono Midori - most challenging adversary and greatest ally

The easiest way to describe Midori is by picturing her as Mio’s opposite.

Mio is a hidden flower you can only find in special places. She will draw you in with her entire being that transforms the very space she resides in. You have to spend a lot of time with her to slowly earn her trust.

Midori is, as @EisenKoubu put it, a seductress. She will come find you and dare you to resist her charms. She will turn your world on its head and put you to the test to see if you’re worthy.

Mio will take you along on a journey and show you the world the way she sees it.

Midori will challenge you and make you question your own thoughts.

Right from the get go, Midori made her position clear. She is taking over Mio’s position. If Riki doesn’t like that, he has to resist her. She won’t allow him to sit back and wallow in his sadness. She keeps confronting him, time and time again. She challenges what he believes in, forcing him to defend himself. If everyone but him recognizes Midori as Mio, isn’t he the strange one? He knows better because he remembers Mio, but are those memories of his as reliable as he thinks? She insists his memories are not enough and that his feelings are “weak and vague”. Well, what action does Riki take in reply to that? He tries to learn more about Mio. He reads through her favorite book, pays attention to the words she has marked and tries to find out why they were so important to her. Later, Midori takes away the book and Riki ends up finding Mio’s poem, her confession. In doing these things, Midori brings Riki closer to Mio, helps him understand her more. But she won’t let Riki simply believe that his love for Mio is genuine. She makes him prove it. She puts both his feelings and his personality to the test. She deliberately presents herself as a villain, but if Riki takes it at face value, he’ll fail her test. Riki is supposed to make an effort to understand both Midori and Mio. Believing in Midori’s bad intentions also means victimizing Mio and pitying her. He must realize that disappearing is truly Mio’s wish, not just something she’s forced into by Midori. He is supposed to connect to Mio instead of pursuing his personal image of her. That is the difference between true love and shallow sympathy.

Of all of Midori’s tests, I believe her last one to be the most cruel. As she’s encouraging Riki to go after Mio, not allowing him to succumb to despair, giving him that last push, she also forces him to make a definite choice. Saving Mio means erasing Midori. Now that he’s found out that Midori is a good person and his ally, he’s forced to deliberately ‘kill’ her.

When Riki chases after Mio, he understands her. He understands her struggle, the wish she is mistaken about and her true wish (or as @HeliosAlpha put it, her one wish). “Where you are now isn’t where you’ve been longing to be. I am going to make you realize- -that the place you have wished to reach is inside my heart”

Right at the end, it was Midori who connected Riki and Mio (again) as the latter was about to fly away. Riki could not touch the bird, but he could touch her shadow. Yes, Mio was casting a shadow again, because Midori gave it back to her. And then, when Riki was done proving his feelings, it was Midori’s turn to clear Mio’s remaining doubts.

She even takes on one additional task and pulls Riki out of the water.

[Echo]

I’m not sure if I am late, but I decided to try to make a key point
What do you believe about Midori’s existence? Is she a figure of imagination, a real person, or an alternate form of Mio?

[Naoki_Saten]

I’d like to suggest one, too:

At which point do you think did Midori fall in love with Riki and why? Or why not?