Tengai Makyou II: Manjimaru was the second game in the "Far East of the Eden" saga, this time set in the kingdom of Jipang, and arguably the most famous entry in the series. it begins with Manjimaru, a 12-year old young hoodlum, going with some of his local friends to watch the throne ascension of the Tycoon as the new Emperor of Jipang, where seven warriors of light once fought a great evil and sealed it with seven mythical swords carrying their souls. However, the Tycoon was told by some Treacherous Advisor that removing those seals would grant him eternal life. As a result, the Root Clan arose again from the ashes and a giant Demoniac Orchid (the first one, with six more to go before the Evil Lord Yomi larva the three Evil Doctors from the Root Clan plot to revive throughout the game) appeared, utterly destroying the town.
Manjimaru's mother was then kidnapped by the three Shinigami Brothers to attract him and thus dispose of the last descendant of the heroic Fire Clan. After saving his mother from being burned alive, the young boy realizes his own destiny and sets out on one of the longest RPG adventures ever made... meeting a colorful cast, like the Jerk with a Heart of Gold buffoon Kabuki, the giant Gokuraku who was doomed to a thousand-years lumber from daring to drink from a longeviety water, and Kinu the kind young girl who's so afraid from her own powers that she adamantly refuses to fight for the most part of the game, only casting support spells in combat.
It was released in 1992 for the PC-Engine Turbo-CD exclusively in Japan (though an American localization as Far East of Eden II was considered, though passed over likely because of the failure of the platform in the US, and the gargantuan amount of text to localize). The game was re-released later for the PSP (as a modified emulated version), the DS (as an enhanced port), and receiving a budget 3D remake for the PS2 and the GameCube.
To this day, no fan-translations exist for this game, and the only Western appearances of protagonists from this game would be Far East of Eden: Kabuki Klash (a Neo-Geo fighter) and Saturn Bomberman. In Japan though, Manjimaru is also a playable character in the Platform Fighter DreamMix TV World Fighters, with a stage based on the Dark Orchid in the first Doomed Hometown... and in typical Konami fashion, as a pachinko slot machine skin.
Tengai Makyou II: Manjimaru contains examples of:
- Artificial Limbs: Duke Pepe comes back multiple times to revenge his wife Madam Barbara of the Saijin Castle after the party killed her. He has to resort to this trop during each showdown to "fix" his increasingly damaged body...
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Kinu's dog, Shiro, is controlled by Nikusuke to turn against the party... However, they manage to make him snap out it.
- Bowdlerise: Almost every single re-release was affected by this to maintain an acceptable CERO rating (such a concern wasn't present when the 1992 original was released):
- The manji symbols were edited out from almost every re-release/port of Manjimaru (which is quite frankly stupid, given it's in the title).
- Frothy Mugs of Water comes into full play whenever there's sake that young Manjimaru can drink (except a village where Manto steals all of the sake, where the script is left unchanged).
- A certain particularly gory ice cave showdown
(end-game spoilers!) was heavily toned down and shortened in the DS/PSP ports to edit out Fubuki losing her arm, and her face's right half, with graphic detail. The GC/PS2 remake did away with almost all of the blood and the strangling scene altogether. - Queen Benten's nipples were visible through her clothing only in the original TG-CD version.
- Surprisingly, the PC Engine Mini version of the game (released in March 2020) is uncensored. This marks the first time since 1992 that the game was re-released in its original, uncensored form.
- Dead Person Impersonation: Kinu's mother was abducted by the Evil Root Clan, but Fubuki Omae made sure to make her join her husband to the afterlife, so that she impersonates her and then successfully freeze the unsuspecting party when they come to her rescue. Needless to say, Kinu wasn't happy.
- Disappeared Dad: Manjimaru's. He gets better in the ending.
- Forced Transformation: Nikusuke, the lord of Darkness Castle, transforms the entire party to pigs. Luckily, he forgot about Kabuki...
- Gory Discretion Shot: This game is pretty dark. Some parts however were shown in their full gory glory.
- Heroic Sacrifice: The three Ninja Maiden sisters, as they help the party escaping a dungeon the Rot Clan made collapse so that the heroes are buried alive. The youngest one Taking the Bullet when a deadly arrow trap activates when the party is passing, the middle sister blewing herself up when enemies overwhelm them during their escape, and the eldest one, whose death is the only one not shown onscreen, has the entrance collapse right as she is passing last under it..
- Human-Demon Hybrid: Kinu was the product of a human mother (whom she inherited the physical appearance) and an oni father (where her dark powers came from).
- Shapeshifter: Princess Hamaguri tries to impersonate Kabuki and Manjimaru's mother.
- Villainous Princess: Princess Hamaguri, master of Genmu Castle, is a member of the Root Clan who tries to deceive and kill the heroes when they arrive.
