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Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia/Article and Interview/Yukari Yakumo
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Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia | Article: Reimu Hakurei | > |
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八雲紫氏(左)と博麗霊夢氏(右) | Yukari Yakumo (left) and Reimu Hakurei (right) | |
境界を司る妖怪は沈黙 | No word from the youkai in charge of the boundary | |
幻想郷は外の世界と隔絶することによって、豊かな社会を築いていることは周知の事実だ。外の世界との自由な往来は、それを崩壊させることに繋がるであろう。今回はそれから掘り下げて、現在の危機、そして起こりうる恐ろしい未来について考察する。 | It is commonly accepted that Gensokyo has been able to build an affluent society by isolating itself from the Outside World. Free travel to and from the Outside World may lead to the collapse of the status quo. Here, we delve deeper into the current crisis and consider the terrifying future that may be coming. | |
文明開化と呼ばれた時代、夜は明るく照らされ、人間から闇の恐怖を奪っていった。妖怪の活動源は人間の恐怖である。つまり妖怪の力が失われていくことを怖れた者達が、自ら存在理由を変革させて作ったのが幻想郷である。その変革させた新しい存在理由とは、外の人間に忘れられること、なのだ。今や人間に怖れられる妖怪というのはポーズに過ぎず、外の世界で忘れられていけばいくほど、妖怪達は存在を誇示出来て、強さにも繋がっていくという、非常に画期的なシステムである。 | During the period known as the Westernization of Japan, the illumination of the night took away humanity's fear of the dark. Human fear is the basis of all youkai activity, so those concerned about youkai's diminishing power created Gensokyo, in the process changing their very reason for being. Their new reason is to be forgotten by outside humans. Now, being a youkai humans would fear is nothing more than a bragging right. Instead, the more forgotten they are in the Outside World, the clearer their existence here, which is also tied to their strength. Truly, it's a revolutionary system. | |
つまり外の世界との自由な交流は、現在の妖怪達の存在否定、ひいては幻想郷その物の崩壊危機なのは、その成り立ちからして明確である。この様な危機事態が明白になっているのにもかかわらず、妖怪達の対応は微妙だ。 | In other words, free exchange with the Outside World would to deny the existence of the modern youkai. And the way the system is set up, would also clearly lead to the collapse of Gensokyo itself. In spite of such an obvious crisis situation, the youkai response has been ambivalent. | |
その理由は簡単に推測できる。幻想郷からみて外はかなり進んだ世界で、文化も技術も何一つ敵わないだろう。もしその力を僅かにでも自分だけの物に出来たらどうだろうか。あっという間にこの幻想郷で覇権を握ることが出来るかも知れない。つまり、外の世界は妖怪達にとっても魅力的すぎる世界なのである。自分だけ交流権を持っているとしたら誰が自分から手放すのだろうか。つまり、外来人、宇佐見菫子氏の自由往来は、誰かの手によって意図的に行われて、意図的に保護されている物であることは疑いようのない事実である。 | It is easy to guess why. From Gensokyo's perspective, the Outside World is considerably more advanced; neither our culture nor technology may be a match for theirs. By monopolizing even a fraction of that power, one may be able to gain supremacy over Gensokyo in the blink of an eye. As such, the Outside World is attractive to youkai, some would say too much so. No one would willingly give it up if they had the exclusive right to control exchange. Therefore, without a doubt, someone is intentionally enabling free travel of the outsider, Ms. Sumireko Usami, and intentionally protecting her. | |
不思議な事に、今の幻想郷のシステムを作ったうちの一人、八雲紫氏は口を閉ざしたままだ。もしかして、まだ気が付いていないだけかも知れないと思って取材を申し込んだのだが、その件については「ノーコメント」ということは、既に知っているという意味と取って構わないかと聞いたところ、「深読みしすぎよ、女子高生の一人や二人、放って置いても問題ないから。むしろ彼女は、外の世界と幻想郷の境界を強固にする役割を果たしてくれるわ」とはぐらかされてしまった。 | What is even more curious is that one of the creators of the current system in Gensokyo, Ms. Yukari Yakumo, has been mysteriously silent on the issue. Thinking that she might simply have been unaware of the matter, I requested an interview, but her response was simply "No comment." When asked if I could take that response to mean she was already aware, she evaded the question by saying "You're reading too much into it. Even if we let one or two high school girls be, it won't cause a problem. In fact, she's fulfilling her role of strengthening the boundary between the Outside World and Gensokyo." | |
八雲紫氏の言葉からは、外来人を仕方が無く容認しているという言い方に聞こえるが、本当のところはどうだろうか。そもそも幻想郷と外の世界を行き来出来る妖怪は限られている。中でも、自由に行き来しても問題視されない妖怪は、知られている中ではそれこそ八雲氏くらいである。他人を別世界に移動させる力を持っているのも同様に、一部の妖怪だけだ。つまり、この外来人は八雲氏の手によって幻想郷へやってきている、と考えるのが相応である。 | While the words of Ms. Yukari Yakumo could be taken as a resigned acceptance of the outsider, is that really all it is? In the first place, there are hardly any youkai with the power to freely come and go through the barrier. Among them, the only one who can do so without it being seen as a problem is, to my knowledge, Ms. Yakumo herself. Similarly, she is among the few youkai with the power to move others to different worlds. In other words, it is reasonable to conjecture that Ms. Yakumo herself is responsible for the outsider's appearances in Gensokyo. | |
もし、八雲氏が意図的に外来人を取り込んでいるとしたら、目的は何だろうか。幻想郷を構築した妖怪の手で、腐敗した幻想郷の再構築という所が無難だろう。幻想郷には、妖怪達による永遠の楽園の構築という大目標がある。これを成し遂げるために、一番大きく掲げている理念に、「妖怪の真の自由」がある。「妖怪は何者にも縛られず、何者も縛らない、縛るのは食料だけ」という訳だ。種族間での支配、被支配は基本的にはタブーであるのだが、現状は理想とはほど遠い。陰では前々から存在していた妖怪達の種族間覇権争いが表面化してきているのは明らかだ。この腐敗した幻想郷を壊滅するべく、気が付かないうちに結界を弱めていっているのではないだろうか。 | But if we assume that Ms. Yakumo is the one bringing in the outsider intentionally, what could her motive be? A safe guess might be that as one of the youkai who created Gensokyo, she intends to deal with the rot that has occurred by rebuilding it. Gensokyo was made with the high-minded goal of being an eternal paradise for youkai. In order to accomplish this, the most powerful idea that is waved around is the ideal of "true freedom for youkai". "Youkai will be bound by nothing, and bind nothing. All that will be bound is food." However, while it is taboo to have anything like ruling classes and working classes among different species, the present state of affairs is still rather far from that ideal. It is clear that the behind-the-scenes struggle for supremacy among the different youkai species is starting to come to a head. Could it be possible that, without anyone realizing, the barrier had intentionally been weakened with the purpose of destroying this rotten Gensokyo? | |
外の世界からの外来人に限らず、最近は月の民、地底人、魔界人、地獄の輩など異界の来訪者も多い。こちらは博麗大結界とは別の閉鎖度が下がって来ているのは事実のように思える。これに対しても八雲氏は「幻想郷は決して閉鎖空間ではない。全てを受け入れるものなのよ」とお茶を濁している。 | It's not just the one from the Outside World. Gensokyo has recently seen many visitors from many Otherworlds, including the moon, the Underworld, Makai, and even Hell. I believe this has been possible as a result of the weakening of some exclusionary force other than the Great Hakurei Barrier. In response to this, Ms. Yakumo again dodges the question: "Gensokyo is by no means a closed space. We are accepting of everyone." | |
博麗神社はノアの方舟!? | The Hakurei Shrine is Noah's Ark!? | |
八雲氏の陰謀に沿って幻想郷の改革が行われた場合、得をするのは誰だろうか。まずは本人。それと、予めその事を知らされている人物だろう。八雲氏と近しい存在といえば、博麗神社周辺の人間、妖怪達(通称、神社宴会連合)だ。八雲氏は、自分にとって都合の良い神社宴会連合だけを残して、この幻想郷を解体しようと考えているのではないか。残った妖怪達を、再び修羅の世界にたたき落とそうと考えているのではなかろうか。 | So who would benefit most from Gensokyo being reformed in accordance with Ms. Yakumo's plot? First, herself. Second, it would be those who had prior knowledge of her scheme. The beings closest to Miss Yakumo would be the humans and youkai associated with the Hakurei Shrine (commonly known as the Shrine Banquet Alliance). Is it unimaginable that Miss Yakumo is planning on preserving only those convenient for her, the Shrine Banquet Alliance, and dismantling the rest of Gensokyo? Is it so far-fetched that she is planning to strike down the remaining youkai, leaving this world as a scene of carnage? | |
そう考えるといろいろと辻褄が合う。外来人が目撃されるときに一緒に見られる人物は全て八雲氏と距離の近い、神社宴会連合だ。博麗神社には、バランス良く様々な種類の人間、妖怪達が近づいている。博麗神社だけを残して幻想郷を解体しても、妖怪は壊滅することなく新天地を目指せるかもしれない。博麗神社はノアの方舟だったのだ。 | Once you start thinking this way, various things suddenly fall into place. Those seen with the outsider have all been close with Ms. Yakumo, members of the Shrine Banquet Alliance. The Hakurei Shrine has a good balance of different kinds of humans and youkai that frequent it. It is possible that they aiming to make new world where youkai needn't be annihilated, even if all of Gensokyo but the shrine is demolished in the process. The Hakurei Shrine would become Noah's Ark. | |
都合の良い選ばれた幻想郷の民だけで、新しい幻想郷を築く。確かに、完成された妖怪社会を築く為にはこれも一つの方法かも知れない。ただ、それは誰もが自分は選ばれた民であると思っている場合のみ成立する幻想である。やはり正義の記者として、妖怪の為、幻想郷の為にも、外来人を使った幻想郷再構築計画、博麗神社ノアの方舟計画を糾弾し続けたいと思う。 | With only the residents of Gensokyo that were conveniently chosen, she will build a new Gensokyo. Certainly, this could be one way of building a perfected youkai society. However, if she intends to do this with only the people she's chosen, then that will remain nothing but a fantasy. As a reporter of justice, for the sake of youkai, and for the sake of Gensokyo, I would like to continue to denounce the Gensokyo Reformation Plan and the Hakurei Shrine Noah's Ark Plan brought about by the outsider. | |
最後にその事実に付いて、八雲氏を追求した。「ノアの方舟ー? 貴方、現実の裏を考えすぎて頭の中が陰謀論マニアになってない? 博麗神社にバラエティ豊かな妖怪が集まっているのは、霊夢の性格でしょうね。貴方が気にしている外来人の話だけど、本当にあれは私の仕業ではないわ。その事を一番知っているのは、そうねぇ。本人じゃないかしら。今度、直接話を聞いてみたら?」 八雲氏のはぐらかしは最後まで続いた。 | Finally, I sought out Ms. Yakumo for a response to these facts. "Noah's Ark? Haven't you just become a conspiracy theorist after thinking too hard about what's behind the truth? The reason the Hakurei Shrine attracts a variety of youkai would be Reimu's personality, I'd say. As for the outsider you're so worried about, that honestly has nothing to do with me. The one who would know most about that would be, well, the outsider herself, I suppose. Why not try asking her directly sometime?" Ms. Yakumo continued to be evasive to the end. |
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