Saya no Uta

I see many mixed opinions about this game. Or visual novel, whatever. Doe anyone here think it should be MS Ted?

rat semen

what.

how could any context justify this

It was how the scientists learned of Saya's genetic-material extraction method. There was no accompanying sex scene, thankfully.

Actually, as far as Eldritch Abomination go, Saya was fairly nice. Very nice actually. Even when alone, she killed only in self-defense and later, was willing to suppress her nature for the sake of the protagonist. I am fairly certain that if the protagonist asked her to not kill any living human being, she would obey. A pity that, when the protagonist finally realized what Saya was, he was too Ax-Crazy, to think anything else than "Yay, human flesh looks tasty"

I don't like this character interpretation, Saya was definitely malvolent.

She is a sadist; she commented on how adorable Yoh is when she is in pain. She Eats Babies, there was a throwaway line about how an infant went missing whie she was lurking in the hospital.

To be honest, I don't really get this part: The scientists diary said that at first, Saya was an emotionless figure, and she assumed her personality, behavior, and even her gender identity based on earthly influences.

If that's true, why is she still an Eldritch Abomination? It was a main plot point that she learned love from romance novels, so she wanted to feel it, instead of just getting human semen, and starting an invasion.

But if that's the case, why didn't she learn the other parts of being human, from these novels, and other sources? For example, that the Eats Babies trope is sort of evil, and that evil is... not good?

There was no need to "suppress her nature", because supposedly, she didn't have a nature until she chose one.

I've read plenty of romance novels, and none have had much to say on the subject of eating people.

Maybe she should have read It instead.

@Eternal September: I think you misunderstood. The emphasis was on nicer than other Eldritch Abomination, and not on nice. As in: Eldritch Abomination that horribly kills you is nicer than Eldritch Abomination that horribly kills you and then captures your soul for eternity of torture.

Even in the beginning she is incredibly dangerous and lacking anything even similar to Moral Compass. And later, after that ridiculous rape scene and when protagonist decides that human steak is the best steak she becomes actively malvolent. But she is still capable of positive emotions, genuinely cares and loves the protagonist and (while he was still sane) is even willing and capable to suppress the more....questionable aspects of her nature. Which is more than can be said about the most examples of Eldritch Abomination.

And about her nature... It was explicitly stated that the drive to mate with dominant species to get their genetic information (and possibly triggering some reactions that allow blooming) and then "bloom" and convert them to her own species is hardcoded into Saya and is more or less her whole purpose. Its just that thanks to the romance novels, she got the notion that "mating" for humans means the whole "romance, finding the true love, kisses at sunset, marriage, etc.." and not just "sex".

Edit: That being said, I kinda wonder what would happen if the novel from which she would get idea about Romance, was Twilight...

edited 29th Jan '11 11:05:03 AM by Drakovicz

That rape scene was...ugh. Granted, it's there to show what happens to people who get Saya'd (wholesome and loving father -> psychopath who murders his own children and rapes a random loli), but STILL.

What are Saya's ears....horns....head protusions? I remember reading somewhere that the resembled some sort of invertabrae appendage, but can't find it.

Finished a few days ago. Overall pretty impressed. An interesting concept, some nice art and music, all the endings have something to recommend to them, and with a wonderful moral ambiguity at the center of it.

Honestly though, one of my main thoughts upon finishing was that the game would benefit from a cleaned-up official release. This isn't due to squeamishness, but due to the ero scenes, as is not infrequently the case, being minefields of narm and character derailment. The only such scene with a tangible role in the story Saya's rape driving her over the edge and making her more dependent on Fuminori while becoming more hateful towards humanity was loaded with mind busting fridge logic. Even more annoying, Fuminori's rape-tastic treatment of Yoh clashes badly with his later claims of seeing her as a person, which in turn disrupts for me what was the most interesting points raised by the story: to what extent is our capability for empathy, and thus kindness, based purely upon our senses?

edited 6th Feb '11 5:26:15 PM by KillerRabbit

I'm still wondering just what the point of the H-Scenes was.

Sex Sells; a lot of VNs have pointless sex scenes.

Unfortunately. It's a shame, really.

Just finished reading it. It was really good, but I wish it didn't have all the gratuitous sex scenes. I mean, really. I'm trying to read a really good story. If I want porn, I can go find porn.

I found it interesting that I found Fuminori more evil than Saya. I mean, Saya's an abomination that needs to be destroyed for humanity's safety, but she seems to possess morals, and is far nicer than her species is apparently supposed to be. Fuminori, though, is a Complete Monster in two of three routes, and some of the narration gave me the impression that he was a bit of a Jerkass even before the accident.

For that reason, I'd say the insane asylum ending is the most positive one, since humanity survives, everyone lives and Fuminori never jumps off the slippery slope.

edited 24th Feb '11 1:04:41 PM by INUH

On the other side of the "I wish this didn't have sex scenes/This story would be so much better without them" argument, those of us who do enjoy sex scenes would prefer to keep the few means that we have of getting great stories along with them.

I haven't actually read this VN, so I don't know if they would be up my alley or not, but my point stands in a general sense for similar visual novels.

edited 25th Feb '11 10:42:21 PM by Meeble

I imagine it would be better if the sex scenes were actually decently connected to the story instead of being Coitus Ensues.

edited 26th Feb '11 4:10:18 AM by Edmania

Well, yes, but we don't have a lot of options most of the time.

Actually, I rarely get this feeling. For example in this case, Saya needing to fall in love, and get semen, were botm ajor plot points, and the rape scenes were properly used for shock value.

But the only shock they caused, were to shock the player's suspension of disbelief.

I don't really think tying sex to the plot really makes things better automatically. I mean, in Tsukihime it's definitely part of the plot. Parts of Fate Stay Night don't work without it either.

I wouldn't really say the sex in Fate Stay Night was decently connected. It just came up as a form of mana transfer without much foreshadowing. Unless i'm forgetting something.

With that said those sex scenes are only worth watching for narm anyway.

edited 26th Feb '11 4:36:40 PM by Edmania

I meant Sakura. The other two routes don't count because as the anime and movie show, there's ways to get around the sex thing without really changing anything.

Dolphin vs dragon, who wins?

Oooh...

Heh, nice. I was expecting it to turn out different, but I'm not sure how.

Personally i DID find it to be a sweet love story and i was sad at the bloom ending because Saya died. Then again I'm not the best choice if you are looking for a sane opinion.

Oh for the semen power I don't think Saya was using the semen to mutate things as much as she was experimenting with the DNA to learn what makes us tick and therefore what she can do to change us.

For the rape scene you have to remember that every time saya took on anyone previously she had the 2 advantages, first of all she always surprised them, and secondly, SHE LOOKED LIKE AN ELDRITCH ABOMINATION!!!. looking at something that doesnt look like it could possibly exist tends to evoke the "panic and run" response more than the "fight it because it is smaller and logically weaker than i am" response. with the neighbor she had neither of those advantages.