ZUN's Eldritch Horror Archetype: EXPLAINED - 2hu Analysis

Today's 2hus

Touhou 11: Subterranean Animism is ZUN's most notorious game of all time. It features the hardest bullet-hell gameplay, an incredible sense of atmosphere, and some of the highest musical highs in the series.

Today, we are doing a deep dive into the land down under to visit the guardian sisters of the Palace of the Earth Spirits---Satori and Koishi Komeiji.

Design

Even though ZUN's fans are way better artists then he could hope to be, no one creates cooler designs than he can. Briefly chuckle at ZUN's inability to draw hands and then we'll move on...

Satori Komeiji

Koishi Komeiji

Their designs pull from many unusual sources that might not be readily apparent. First of all, the most prominent design element are the tendrils surrounding their body with a third eye over their heart. If you look closely, Satori's extra eye is open while Koishi's is closed. We will discuss the implications of this later on.

It may not be super apparent at first, but the Komeiji sisters are heavily influenced by Frida Kahlo's self portraits. Take a look at this one:

The evocative thorn necklace is an iconic symbol of rebellion against cultural norms that perfectly fits the theming of Touhou 11, which is full of characters that have been banished to the forgotten streets of former hell, the lonely palace of the earth spirits, and the inhospitable hell of blazing fires.

In addition, Satori's name is a clear reference to a ape-like youkai called a "Satori". Here's a picture:

Wow, looks just like her...

Satori, just like the youkai that shares her name, is able to to read peoples mind which is a power that makes her very unpopular on the surface of Gensokyo, so she takes refuge in her animal haven at the Palace of the Earth spirits deep underground. All of her friends are animals and she is actively hostile towards humans.

During her battle, she uses your own spell cards (attack patterns), from previous games, against you in order to psych you out. This shows how ZUN used her mind reading ability during gameplay.

Satori's open third eye is the source of this power, so what about her sister whose eye is closed?

...

Koishi is an enigma. By closing her third eye, she has turned off her conscious mind which makes her completely immune to her sister's power (because she doesn't have a mind to read). In addition, if one were to attempt to look at her, she would not appear to be there unless she willed it. You would also forget you ever saw her once you looked away because you can only perceive her with your unconscious mind.

The implications of this power is rather interesting.

She is known to become friends with children and animals because their minds are underdeveloped, so they can see her perfectly fine. In this way, she explains imaginary friends. Perhaps your childhood imaginary friend was simply a Satori who closed their third eye...

Because you can't really see her unless she wants you to, there's no reasonable way to fight her which illustrates how dangerous she has the potential to be.

Koishi's spell cards are all references to psychology and fears. As is typical of an extra stage boss, her patterns are ridiculously difficult, but some of the most clever in the game.

Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye

For ZUN's original, click here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjpVUq7S0qY

For my arrangement, click here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUWrYEBJXcs

Satori's theme, Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye, uses mode mixture a la Luigi's Mansion and half-step modulations in order to produce an eerie sound.

If you look at the first line of both the A and B sections, "Do" in the bass is held out almost the entire time. This parodies eerie organ music which is made more obvious with the vibrato synth that sounds like it is hooked up to a Leslie speaker on an electric organ.

Also, the chords V42/V-iiø42-i over a tonic pedal always provides a comically sinister sound that perfectly exemplifies Satori's hatred of surface dwellers. It is also the Luigi's Mansion progression which SiIvagunner actually parodied here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02wieoY1Dhk

The modulation after the first B section provides a shocking burst of energy that spirals into a manic boiling point with the addition of the roaring ZUNpets in the key of C minor.

The modulation back to B minor is equally surprising as he doesn't prepare it at all. He simply cuts out and then starts back in B minor which is a very unnerving effect.

If you like this piece, there is a fantastic jazz arrangement of Satori's theme by the doujin circle Shibayan Records called "Close to your Mind" that I highly recommend. You can find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1GEBjYwCqg

Hartmann's Youkai Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wEHo_uUgZ0

Skoishi's theme, Hartmann's Youkai Girl, is a characteristically manic piece with incredible rhythmic and harmonic nuance. Virtually every aspect of the piece contributes well to her character and illustrates her eldritch nature.

This progression is wacko as it borrows chords from very distant keys. A few highlights are the minor bvii chord in measure 2, the major chord built on the natural 7th scale degree in measure 4, and of course the minor bii chord in measure 12. All of these chords are modally dark and breathe a large amount of evilness into the progression. A truly poisonous progression that stands only to perplex and break the listener down.

If that wasn't enough, the meter of the first section is a quick 3+4 that destroys any sense of rhythmic stability. It is clear that ZUN is trying to catch you off guard in a spectacular way. This meter just screams "mentally unstable" and "not okay".

Calling back to the half step modulations from Satori's theme, Koishi's heart-throbbing B-section is a series of ambiguous half-step motions in the bass with an alternating pattern of Root+Fifth and Root+bFifth. This section functions as a build up. The meter of this section is a forceful 4/4 to contrast the 3+4/8 of beginning section.

The last section is a breath of fresh air as the titular ZUN progression (VI-VII-i) is stated, in all its glory, in 4/4. After the darkness and chaos that is the first two sections, this athletic and melodic part in minor sounds bright and energetic. The simplicity of the harmony contrasts the other sections of the piece and adds a layer of comfort that lasts for a whole 32 measures (before returning to bloody murder).

There is a rumor that the A section of this piece has the same progression when played backward. This is sort of true, and I will explain how:

And here's a link to the piece backwards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpHGyRZkgRs

With that covered, that is everything for today. Thank you for taking this journey through the world of Gensokyo to discover two of the most iconic themes in Touhou. If anything, I hope this gave you an appreciation for ZUN's works. He is just one single guy making games that he loves, so it is always great to see them get more attention.

Good evening,

Evan Davis

Special Thanks to the Touhou Wiki and Wikipedia for images.

All chord charts and diagrams created and owned by me. If you would like to use any of my figures, contact me at evandavispiano@gmail.com for permission.