Teen prodigy's DISTURBING masterpiece will make even the toughest people squirm

[@David-ly2zr]

Weird that Rina had made rules for the whole house hold and everyone actually listened. My family would have laughed in my face and flipped me off, if I demand anything like that. Lol

[@dawnmathwin6126]

It's crazy mad the respect the Japanese & Chinese show towards each other & how they look after their parents all their life. In my home it'd be the same as yours & I'd be laughed at, lol.

[@davidschmidt2081]

​@dawnmathwin6126 They have a huge respect for elders culture, though. I still think it's very out of the ordinary that this entire family listened to her.

[@GrandmaLoves2Scuba]

For real.

[@indianastones6032]

If i tried that, id be given a whole new set of rules to catch up on after ive regained consciousness and got up otf the floor!

[@piperhurtado4945]

I was thinking she could do her Master Work under a bridge if I ran that household.

[@doritoreiss8089]

I’m 10 minutes into this story and wondering why anyone would put up with that BS. I’d have had her institutionalized.

[@dermaspaceSC]

Amen. It sucks she had to ruin her entire family's lives in order to take her own life.

[@ExposeClothing]

Im starting to think they have an intellectual disability. I mean... she only needs her "soul", and surgical "spirits", the whole lot of them, they didn't even figure out while rubbing her with spirits she was cold and wasn't breathing.

[@Di_______na]

Same here

[@amberconner32]

Same here.

[@derekjones2604]

The loony bin, lol. Must be a delusional nutcase

[@harryxiro]

This story should be seen as awareness about shared psychosis. It's very rare but it can happen.

[@jilesmason7495]

Shared psychosis..lol

[@heyitsspooky6904]

@@jilesmason7495 I don't see what's funny about that

[@pakde8002]

Yes I guess you could see it that way as related by ballen. The story is way more complicated and doesn't take into account the cultural or religious aspects at all. The "work of art" was just a ballen misdirection turning it into a creepy pasta.

[@pundah7084]

@@jilesmason7495 ?

[@lordsixxx6113]

They don't believe in science. Likely a republican.@@heyitsspooky6904

[@jacobmendoza9861]

Imagine someone jokingly tells you that youre aggressive and to prove them wrong you respond by lashing out aggressively and hitting them.

[@KalashVodka175]

Mentally ill peoples aren’t known to be the most reasonable of peoples. Sometimes having more brain power than others doesn’t mean having more wisdom sadly

[@chelseaaddams5076]

That's usually how aggressive people respond, completely unaware that they are proving it

[@isitoveryet9525]

I’m shocked how many people just blindly believe these stories as fact. Most of what he said is completely speculative….& it’s crazy that he doesn’t disclose that. Very little is actually known about this case, & many have theorized that it’s a family who couldn’t cope with the death of the youngest sibling

[@isitoveryet9525]

I’m shocked how many people just blindly believe these stories as fact. Most of what he said is completely speculative….& it’s crazy that he doesn’t disclose that. Very little is actually known about this case, & many have theorized that it’s a family who couldn’t cope with the death of the youngest sibling

[@djentile7773]

I never argue! No I dont!

[@Balien_Darkblade]

This is a friendly reminder to everyone that setting boundaries with people, even family, can be a good thing.

[@jaysonthetrainmasterprofil221]

I am a bit concerned about rena because she made the rule for the whole house and I know she is doing her experiment in private and I know rena got offended by the joke but I am a bit confused when Rena added 4 locks to the front door and I do like Rena's experiment to be honest and I like doing experiments too

[@snakesghost7817]

Asians are very hyper loyal to their families. That is why they tolerated and even supported her (Rina).

[@Hauerization]

Never mix art and family. Trust me.

[@illyGalSloth]

@@jaysonthetrainmasterprofil221 What do you mean "concerned about Rena" the girl is deceased 😭

[@alicenthightower9161]

​@@jaysonthetrainmasterprofil221shes dead 😭

[@mambaforever3239]

This reminds me of that family in India that committed mass suicide because they were convinced that one of their family members were being possessed by their dad patriarch’s soul and was giving them instructions to live on in the afterlife. Crazy how none of the people in that family and in this family dared to question the absurdity of the situation they were being forced to by their family member. Shared psychosis really hits hard.

[@giovanna722]

Yes, I thought of that same family, too. Mr. Ballen featured that story once.

[@fr1zl]

You probably heard that on this channel too. Lol

[@eunoaix]

When I saw that docu serie on Netflix, I couldn’t sleep for days. It still haunts me.

[@Nahmate1337]

Typical third world brains

[@josiegipson90]

​@@eunoaixwhat's the name of the docuseries? I must've missed it.

[@doktong1876]

Her Masterpiece that she was working on was herself. She knew what she was doing and knew that if anyone found out they would try to stop her. That is why she didn't want anyone around her or her family members. She was trying to become Sokushinbutsu, essentially a living mummy, the spirits applied was to dehydrate and harden her body. Then abstaining from all foods and drinks until starvation. There have been several cases over the past centuries of Buddhist monks doing the exact same thing. Did it work? Maybe..... Was she crazy? Probably..... But what she did was definitely deliberate.

[@helenmcdonnell2585]

I came to the same conclusion

[@moniqueabundance]

Best, most informed comment here. Brava

[@Neinliva_personal]

Just the answer i was looking for thanks and im pretty sure mrballen made a vid on how the monks done that happy someone else came to the same conclusion have a wonderful evening

[@Sol-jj5ov]

Genial! Very very interesting

[@motherofsneks486]

I have looked into that process a few years ago, and after watching this video I didn't need to see the ending to know that was Rina's intentions.

[@anyaaa2801]

This whole story is soo bizarre. Like it’s fine to support your siblings and everything but you have to put your foot down. Rina was clearly mentally ill and unstable and had an anger issues.

[@Electru522]

I'm actually seeing a lot of similarities in how cults work. Essentially, Rina had created her own miniature cult through her family. If she wasn't so reclusive, it's possible that she could have had some real reach and power. Hell, if she didn't cut off her family from the Internet, and used it to her benefit....it's hard to imagine what she could have done.

[@superpanda3857]

Bcuz this is fake

[@SpicyWaffles310]

@@superpanda3857it’s not lol you can find the articles online.

[@_Urmum69_]

@@superpanda3857nope its real, actual news story “Rina Yasutake: Body in house case”

[@carlivandenis]

@@superpanda3857 Wow! If you don't have access the internet, how did you post this?

[@benjaminnapoli1834]

I actually can't believe they allowed her to completely control all their lives for that long, especially when they were both so talented. Hopefully they are doing what they love now.

[@63rambler66]

It probably didn’t happen as described.

[@benjaminnapoli1834]

@@63rambler66 yeah that possible

[@MAIMEDWOLF]

the power of manipulation

[@JoanCarlson-f1l]

Waste of time story unlike all your others which are still with me Temembet in NH your friends mom and dead dad?

[@tracylevine1874]

Kkkji ki jjjj7

[@idalisidalgo8664]

So… I don’t know who was more crazy, either the sister or the entire family that allowed this to happen instead of intervening and putting her in a mental hospital.

[@63rambler66]

It’s not clear how much of it actually happened . There is little evidence of it online other than a reclusive family that wouldn’t accept that their youngest was dead.

[@saysHotdogs]

This is folie a deux

[@secretone8606]

@@saysHotdogsmadness for 2

[@masonfrancoeur2755]

Transsexual Sex changes 101

[@ebone9332]

I'm crazy for you..

[@CrashCrispyKoot]

What I find the most fascinating is how the sister and mother grew accustomed to smell of decay. I’m sure the smell wasn’t as bad as leaving a body in the sun but the pharmacist could smell it and the sister seemingly had no clue. Amazing how the brain can almost force you to be unaware of your surroundings if it rationalizes abnormal behavior and environmental factors

[@Thedarkbunnyrabbit]

Well since the implication is Rina didn't shower it's likely the smell of the room was already overpoweringly bad. Combine that with the strong smell of rubbing alcohol and you may not notice the smell of decay. However, the smell of decay lingers much more than filth and body odor, so when they walked to the pharmacy that would still be there and very noticeable.

[@toastercatx]

After just two weeks almost anything can become your new "normal". As for the smell, when your scent receptors are exposed to the same smell 24/7 you cease to be aware of it.

[@annechoyrocks]

Nose-blind. They got used to it.

[@susansitterle3840]

I smelled a ripe dead body years ago. It was a mixture of poop and chrese. The body had turned black

[@NathanThomas-p9n]

To be fair, it's like if you don't have a dog and you go to someone's house that has a dog - no matter how much they clean it and no matter how clean and well groomed the dog is, there is always a specific smell of dog that you can pick up on and they can't because they've become accustomed to it.

[@maggiemontgomery6667]

I must have missed it on the first watch of this video- I was picturing three teenage siblings. Not people in their 50s. What happened in the first 30-40 years of their lives? Did they ever have romantic partners or social lives or live on their own? These were middle aged people going around hiding their faces and refusing to speak or make eye contact with strangers? How did the family support themselves? How did no one notice that this family was not okay for decades? I have so many questions. Also imagine a forty something year old getting so mad over a palm reading that they never speak to their sister again. Jesus Christ.

[@mapofthesoultagme7143]

I don't need to know their whole life stories or something

[@cottoncandiez8872]

She was mentally ill dude, why are you surprised that a palm reading was the thing that set her off? Everything had been setting her offb

[@fakename5308]

There is SOOOOO much ignorance in your comment that I want to reply to, but it would literally take a full essay😂 It’s embarrassingly obvious that you’re an American whose education is capped at either HS, CC, or a non-S.T.E.M. bachelors degree, and you’re too sheltered to understand the fact that all of those are less intellectually demanding and cover less information than most first-world-countries’ equivalent of middle school. Uneducated Americans like yourself are the literal epitome of confident incompetence. You think having a HS or college degree in a first-world-country means that you’re educated even though in reality you’re actually less educated than most non-American 13 year olds. Be better

[@copperphilosophy4768]

I completely agree and understand what you mean it’s mind blowing to me , like how did they live what income was coming in did anyone ever ask them if they had friends or other family?

[@jannilexing6597]

I cant believe somebody is buying into that bullshit of palm reading in the first place - let alone rage about it. It`s just surreal.

[@miltonbates6425]

This story goes to show how dangerous it is to entertain other people's delusions

[@sonyasmith5805]

They were ALL delusional to do this

[@TheAshYam]

​@@sonyasmith5805exactly his point

[@-iIIiiiiiIiiiiIIIiiIi-]

@@TheAshYam That wasn't his point. You're delusional!

[@SevenSixTwo2012]

Thanks to contemporary Democrats, Liberals and other 'progressives' , refusing to entertain other people's delusions can get you fired and/or land you in prison!

[@TheAshYam]

@lotmaakchos what i mean by that is i believe he was making a correlation between modern culture and how sometimes supporting is helping someone destroy thier life. Delusional in the fact of believing that supporting someone's bad habits is infact helping them But i could be delusional, i guess, and reading to far into it 🤷‍♂️

[@Dansrgurl]

That is such a sick, sad family. Clearly, the two girls were prodigies, but crossed that thin line into insanity. The idea that Rina controlled the family - even after death - is just sick. What a tragic story. Ugh.

[@hallooos7585]

Well many people who have high intelligence will fall into mental illness or worst into insanity which happened to the entirety of the family they became delusional, i think it's the stress of having so much in you're mind drive people who are really smart and talented into insanity which is really sad and limited their potential capabilities

[@karinjackson754]

@@hallooos7585 you also feel very lonely. Almost no one can relate to how you think

[@annehealy6234]

Not just that, although its obvious thats true, i think their beliefs/religion may have played a part. Not that religion is wrong, but delusions plus religion can damage people. The way they spoke of her spirit made me wonder.

[@MarvinJulianCabrera-zh3cg]

What religion? They had no religion lol. That was purely mysticism😂

[@ghostscript2044]

TBH I think she was a narcissist

[@pgpro8691]

She had them hiding their faces in public and locked out their own house for an art project. Wtf Man she really had some control over that family.

[@mercyme8014]

Maybe getting the whole family involved was a way of sharing the shame of her act and turning it into something spiritual…a beautiful work so they wouldn’t be feeling the stigma that she committed suicide.

[@Edvardco]

It wasn’t a mere art project, it was a master work.

[@miinfl7143]

Sounds like a family cult.

[@AlexaBellaMuerte]

Somebody should’ve slapped her a long time ago

[@airwolf3607]

Just like trumpy over his brainwashed cult sheep.

[@corgeousgeorge]

Im 12 mins in and I'm like "were these ppl independently wealthy? How the hell can they maintain a home and life and food, seems like no one has a job!"

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

Exactly, and I'm also very confused as to why they all live together at age 50 and chose to give up their jobs to do so instead of living somewhere else.

[@999b0a]

@@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten I guess it’s just a case of different cultures living different ways. I wondered the same thing as you

[@lxlu_3]

exactly what I was thinking till the end of the video.

[@gray45374]

They must have been wealthy. The living together thing is cultural.

[@redheadwithafierytemper5668]

​@999b0a Cultural thing or not why anyone would entertain all this nonsense I would have to break that cultural norm and move far,far away.

[@xvnz]

this didn't end as bad as I expected. when her brother said "it's time to do your part" and took Yoshika with him into the room I thought for sure she will be sacrificed.

[@brennanarmacost1762]

She was, from then on, everything they did was a crime. The only reason the charges were dropped, is because none of them were mentally well enough to understand what was happening. Because of this, neither this pianist, nor her brother, who is a gifted writer, will ever be able to work again. And because of all the publicity, they will never have friends outside of the home. If that's not a sacrifice, I don't know what one is. Their lives are over, now they can only reminisce about whatever happy times they might have had in the past.

[@barbaraperales8663]

Same,.. I thought the whole family would be physically sacrificed.

[@Mycenaea]

Really? I thought it was clear pretty early on that she was going to kill herself. Everything pointed at that.

[@Alpha_Werewolf59]

Same

[@darlenelaurel-davis6377]

I thought the exact same thing 😬

[@user-pb8ce6ki9z]

I’m only 8 minutes in but miss Rena would have a swift reality check in my household. No one gets to dictate everyone else’s life like that. Infuriating.

[@nunyabusiness776]

ik, and everyone says culture and i understand, but as a southeast asian, my dad would have strung me up by my entrails. utterly insane

[@Corredor1230]

I don't think the family told the actual story. I think they knew Rina was trying to mummify herself for religious reasons, and they helped her do just that. I think this is just a case of religion taken to the extreme. She was probably trying to become like those Buddhist monks that died meditating as a path to enlightenment.

[@2013Arcturus]

The mother is 100% the culprit here, Asian households are pure dictatorships, so basically this was the moms call, and the kids were obligated to follow.

[@ville666sora]

Exactly. I get Rina was likely mentally ill, but if I had tried what she did with my family they would have probably laughed in my face, and if I had continued I would have been kicked to the curb, and rightfully so.

[@Loquacious101]

@@Corredor1230what kind of religion is that 💀

[@deraykrause4517]

My family never would have put up with Rina's BS. She'd have been dragged out of that room within 8 hours of her nonsense and forced to help with chores.

[@tessxu8367]

It’s all because Rina had a lot of money!

[@shrinilt8757]

8hrs?? Max 5 min

[@FloridaZoe305]

@@shrinilt8757 lol I am thinking the same thing 😂😂😂 I have Caribbean parents 5 mins max and a severe beating would come right after 😂😂😂

[@xolomartinez6036]

The entire family was insane. I know of a young guy in Japan who basically lives in his room and never goes out of it. His parents supported his education as a kid and pushed him to study all the time, even had school on weekends. He was a really smart kid and excelled but something happened when he got older. Now, as far as I can tell he’s just a wild nut case. They (the Japanese) can do really good individually but it seems at a great cost.

[@techieplex]

She was brilliant and exceptional so the case is different here

[@BadOmen2]

I've been in recovery from a serious back injury thats left me mostly bedridden for weeks. Your videos have been primary in keeping my sanity during this time. You're a captivating storyteller. Thank you for all the great content.

[@pishedbloke]

This played out like a Japanese horror movie. So strange and borderline unbelievable but it still happened.

[@archravenineteenseventeen]

Psychological horror

[@kathyborthwick6738LakotaEmoji]

There is anime based on this story!

[@Pooky1991]

Almost sounds like a Twilight Zone episode

[@mimigud187]

@@kathyborthwick6738LakotaEmojiwhats the name?

[@silviaromeroseoane9754]

​@@kathyborthwick6738LakotaEmojiname?

[@kingcam00745]

Honestly every single one of those family members had a mental problem with Rina having the most severe mental problem yet she had total control over all of them. What a bizarre family. That’s what happens when you don’t get the proper help for for a relative having a complete mental break

[@neillscott4192]

I don't think there is help for people that far gone.

[@user-nonononon00]

@@neillscott4192 early intervention is the key. But if people are not educated enough to spot the early development of psychosis then nothing's gonna help

[@jennytalbert5547]

This was only one family, but not that unusual across all cultures. It's usually religion that kills peoples' common sense. David Koresh, Magdalena Solís, Rajneesh Movement, NXIVM are just a few examples of this. And think of how many people were under Jim Jones' spell and literally, drank the Kool Aid.

[@kingcam00745]

@@neillscott4192 maybe a very long stay in the state hospital

[@HypnoticHollywood]

​@@user-nonononon00 Rina's family didn't get her help because they all were crazy too.

[@TheDude1980]

For anyone wondering, Surgical Spirits is an ethanol-based liquid (similar to rubbing alcohol), that is primarily used to prevent bed sore's and harden the skin.

[@leebliss3622]

no it's the exact same thing as rubbing alcohol

[@emmanovita4061]

Thanks. Was wondering about that 😊

[@adiidi]

As the person above commented, it is literally just rubbing alcohol

[@PrimericanIdol]

Rubbing alcohol is Isopropanol, not ethanol.

[@GameChanger597]

Surgical Spirits aren't primarily meant to harden the skin and prevent bed sores Lol what? It's meant to clean surgical instruments and minor scrapes and cuts.

[@gregoryferrero692]

As someone with extreme OCD, refused medication their entire life, and spent 3 years in their bedroom never coming out, I kind of connected with this story. I didn’t want to stay in my room though, I was just riddled from my ocd. Now I’m married and have a 1 year old. Wild stuff.

[@sherrygillis]

Good for you! Yay!

[@Bleu_Sky]

Try the supplement NAC its helps with OCD

[@pipo4158]

How did you come out of it?

[@Bleu_Sky]

@@pipo4158 his mom asked him to take out the trash

[@leighboal1071]

@@pipo4158 I'm not sure about them specifically, but for me; Exposure therapy. It worked wonders. Avoid reassurance seeking behaviour and giving into compulsions. It's hard at first, but gets easier over time, trust me. It's a long journey, and the road to 'recovery' isn't always linear, but the time will pass anyway, might as well spend it trying to get better. Slowly expose yourself to the anxiety inducing things/situations, and limit the amount of times you engage in compulsions/reassurance seeking behaviour, etc.... slowly the urge/compulsion will fade.

[@jennxed1974]

Idk what is more disturbing? The fact that Yoshika has world knowledge and didn't see the problem, the fact that mom encouraged it, the fact that the brother was willingly clueless or that they all just went along with it. But mainly, I would think they'd notice that, oh idk, SHE DIED!

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

voluntarily closing yourself, is already dangerous. I mean, _monks_ of various religions do it, but they don't completely _close themselves_ to the world, they go to _surround themselves with like-minded monks_ who _then_ close off as group in order to explore other ways of living. what happened here was not only an instance of _closing off to the world,_ but one of doing that _in the context of a family of Japanese heritage,_ where respect is given to parents and their will, and where most likely the parent ruling over that will had agreed to this closing-off behavior. unironically a pairing of hunger with the cravings, almost quite literally, and in the worst case possible.

[@epic7224]

They must have smelt her stench, I doubt they didn't notice she died. Takahiro at least would have known rina was dead when he burst in.

[@Melissa-wx4lu]

@@epic7224 I can 100% believe they didn't smell it. Nose blindness is a real thing. That's why heavy smokers can't smell the stench on their clothes. How kids of smokers go to school reeking of cigarettes and the whole class can smell it but they don't have a clue. How animal hoarders can't smell the overflowing litter boxes, piles of dog shit, or the rotting animal corpse behind the dresser.

[@mubdimim9176]

This exactly makes me question even more if this (what the family is telling) ever even happened. I mean all of her supposed "shenanigans" were disclosed BY the family AFTER Rina's death. Who to say the story isnt something TOTALLY different?

[@kyqueenn]

Lowkey could’ve taken one Google search

[@DavidCates-hh5tx]

They were all batshit crazy. Yoshika should’ve had all three committed, sold the place and bought a piano bar.

[@monkeythemooch141]

I refuse to believe that in 10 minutes of rubbing Rina repeatedly she never noticed a lack of movement pulse or breathing, especially in someone small

[@nicholascharles9625]

​@@monkeythemooch141no to mention no body heat. Touching a cold body you think is alive would be pretty alarming

[@laurieclarkson9180]

Right! lol..The whole family was being abused!

[@Sammysung]

If the family still believed she was alive after her body was removed from the house, I can believe they thought she was alive when rubbing her body with alcohol. Very delusional. 😢

[@GabrieleSablotny-vs7di]

Absolutely

[@thatrayo]

I feel so bad for Yoshika. Giving up her career for...that person... 😕

[@EvaWarhead]

You mean her mentally ill sister, who she presumably loved despite her issues…?

[@ufopilotFPV]

Clearly the mental health issues ran through the entire family.. to get to the stage of performing at the highest level then give it all up because a reclusive relative prefers silence. That decision alone is the worst part for me, as a musician. On the bright side, seems none of them ever had to go to work, so maybe life wasn't so bad..

[@thatrayo]

@@EvaWarhead yes? It's not like giving up her career was to save her life. No, it was literally to sit home and do her bidding A career, music career at that level, just to make a mummy. How disappointing

[@sacredchi]

I see both your points so clearly. Its a lot to take in. I couldn’t imagine…

[@N_Tertainment7]

​​@@EvaWarhead in a Norma situation this girl would be sent to medical care regardless of her wishes. This whole family is crazy. And she had to give up her career to take care of this mentally ill person

[@erinurbanus1858]

Man you can see where Junji Ito gets his inspiration. An entire family drawn into the schizophrenic machinations of an insane "genius".

[@aaronsfalim1766]

My aunt faced a similar problem as Rina, often believing she was under surveillance by the government or that her neighbors were conspiring against her. She even urged my family to communicate using secret codes and took various precautions to prevent perceived misfortunes. We initially considered seeking psychiatric help for her, but this idea only exacerbated her condition, as she firmly believed she was perfectly fine. However, knowing her belief in the supernatural, including ghosts and psychics, we opted for a different approach. We took her to a specialist, presenting them as a psychic. Thankfully, after several therapy sessions, she has shown significant improvement in her condition.

[@cyruahawkins5289]

Honestly presenting them as a psychic was the smartest thing I've ever heard.

[@hondaxl250k0]

After living under the Biden administration.. I don’t think she was as crazy as you think she was. She may have been on to something

[@wrockage]

amazing, thank you for sharing your story. i pray things continue to improve for your family.

[@xenophagia]

I truly wish you and your aunt the best. However, this option that you took will not work in the long run. You guys are her only link to reality, but now you are playing into and reinforcing her delusions. You are also being conned by whoever this "therapist" is. Prepare yourself for when you will have to make the hard decision to have your aunt involuntarily committed to a hospital for awhile so she can be stabilized and get some clarity back in her life. Schizoid disorders are true hell and it will be terrifying, saddening, and agonizing to all of you who love your aunt, but still nowhere near what she experiences on a daily basis. I'm just speaking from experience, so I really hope you don't take this the wrong way. Please just do some serious research into schizoid disorders. Please start there. I sincerely hope that your aunt will soon have back the stability and clarity in her life that she deserves. Take care of each other, and stay strong.

[@chadrowe8452]

You lied to a mental person. Low blow.

[@browncorsair]

i spent this entire episode convinced that rina would kill her family, and even tho she didn’t she was clearly very emotionally abusive to her family

[@54918ss]

Yeah was thinking that she would sacrifice them all for whatever master work she intended to do, but she selfishly kept her deluded family controlled by emotionally blackmailing them for decades, using them as guinea pigs. Judging by these comments She was likely carrying out a Japanese ritual where she embalmed herself to be worshiped for eternity 😅 the whole family is mentally ill and completely lost from reality, if you ask me.

[@bigboymalloy2261]

Ya i was thinking the same thing, like the help she needed was for them to die so she could make their bodies apart of the "masterpiece"

[@jamesbryan7377]

I was thinking the exact same thing !

[@Egypt_Cat_Of_Denial]

She wasn't emotionally abusive. At all. Not even a little bit. She was mentally ill and so were her family members. She didn't have the mental capacity to have intent or manipulate anybody for it to be abuse. And on the flip side, we're talking about a group of adults who were fully capable of standing up for themselves and making their own decisions. They chose to obey and stay and revolve their lives around their sister...because they were all mentally ill. Not abuse.

[@user-uq9oe7sc5m]

@@Egypt_Cat_Of_Denial Wrong

[@aleee577]

it’s sad because i think rina actually might already need some help during her school years but people keep dismissing her outbursts as products of being a genius. if only she got a proper help back then.

[@user-nonononon00]

That is exactly what happened. Instead of looking at her as a child who is also learning her way through the world, they looked at her as some hightech human who knows everything with some bugs. It was difficult for her to differentiate between the category of things she understands and she doesn't understand. So she could never express herself either. Now in her case the gap must have been huge in the sense she understood some things better than adults while she was bad at certain things that even her years old siblings knew better (socialization or communication for example). Her parents only focused on her brighter side and dismissed her struggles as a byproduct while also catering to all her seemingly unreasonable tantrums. That's what caused what happened. These things destroy many child prodigies and breed the feeling of inadequacy in normal children as their flaws never seem to be accepted well by parents like their prodigy counterparts.

[@rollotomasislawyer3405]

If someone had given her a reality slap once in a while, maybe she would have been saved?

[@Helfirehydratrans]

It sounds like she’s paranoid, schizophrenic narcissist, with a high IQ, and the reason why she never got the help. She was always able to weasel her way out of it because of her high IQ by telling the doctors everything they want to hear. And the reason why she created these rules after the physical outburst is to keep her family in line.

[@jasminecollins897]

​@@rollotomasislawyer3405no, odds are that she needed therapy and possibly medication. People don't get into this state because of a lack of consequences. It doesn't help, but she had a severe mental illness and that would've been the case either way.

[@kennethkelly8786]

​@jasminecollins897 I agree...but lack of consequences certainly didn't help either.

[@stldiva76]

Here in the States you can have a family member like that institutionalized against their will for this behavior, and you could even potentially face charges if you didn't call the authorities here.

[@MissPerpul]

Yeah - same as in any other country 🤷‍♀️

[@fuzzykurb]

What law would be broken by not calling authorities?

[@MaryRose86]

The whole family seems mental

[@trinibeanmi5104]

Neglecting a mentally ill person​@@fuzzykurb

[@Jess04x03]

You can do this in most countries. But the family feared that Rina would be harmed outside of their home.

[@pipgarden]

I lived in Japan for many years. During that time I had an English student who was a priest at a famous temple. He told me of immortal monks who had essentially mummified themselves alive. They had undergone a regimen that included a diet of pine tree resin and other ingredients and had entered into a state of deep meditation. He talked of these monks, who were hundreds of years old, as if they were alive. It seemed to me that he believed they were indeed alive. He was a lucid and intelligent man but I think he really believed it.

[@relight6931]

I wouldn't be surprised if he really did. People can be smart, reasonable and yet have a belief about some certain thing that has no basis in reality.

[@falloutx23]

Yes I have heard of this they are stones and would put hem deep in the ground with an air hole then check if they had attained what ever it was they were going Found it Sokushinbutsu

[@dedalliance1]

I mean, Christians believe Jesus died for 3 days and then came back to life. No religion is rooted in logic or reality because if you believe it you're already believing that there is another set of reality somewhere else in the afterlife, that's the point.

[@princeargon6508]

@@relight6931 You don't know what's reality though relight.

[@RedCeltay]

​@@falloutx23if they tugged back on rope, or was it a bell. The others knew they weren't physically dead yet. Then the ones that had totally mummified, some were incased into Budda Statues. I've seen some shows about it. Very interesting to me

[@Melody-td5hd]

It really is tragic seeing these seemingly brilliant people get taken down by severe mental illness. Rina, Yoshika, and Takahiro all appeared to be highly intelligent and talented. What a damn shame.

[@garden_3130]

Genius and mental illness almost always go hand in hand.

[@susansitterle3840]

My family was mentally ill. It was difficult getting thru life

[@kelseykciuk7809]

Not intelligent enough to understand that they were killing her sister and she was also killing herself at the same time.

[@christ9359]

​@kelseykciuk7809 it's not a lack of intelligence. Mental illness makes it impossible to reason properly, even if the underlying person is extremely intelligent. Clearly they were intelligent enough to know their sister was dead, but they were suffering from severe psychosis.

[@kelseykciuk7809]

@@christ9359 probably or they themselves were suffering from a delusion.

[@thespook1482]

I work for a medical examiner’s office and my job is to remove bodies from the scene of unnatural death and helping determine the cause of death. Unfortunately this story is not unique, I have seen this multiple times. Usually, the really messed up stuff goes unreported. Mr Ballen does tell a great story and I enjoyed it.

[@JerryEricsson]

I was the Chief of Police in a small oil patch city in North Dakota. We had brought in this kid who was using illicit drugs, and interviewed him about his drug use, at the behest of his father, it was a broken family and the mother had custody, she was an ultra religious lady and her mind had slipped a few gears over the years. He told us that he was an expert of pharmaceutical's, he knew exactly how many of which drugs he could take and get the high he wanted without endangering his life. About two weeks later, one of his little sisters (she was about 6 if my memory serves) went next door and asked the neighbor to call the doctor because her brother was sleeping and they could not wake him, and he was very cold. I responded with the ambulance to the home, it was a home of a hoarder, and we walked through the small alleyways between stacks of news papers, magazine and garbage, back to the bedroom where the mother had her 2 other children holding hands as they tried to pray her eldest son, the kid who said he knew his limits back to life. When the ambulance attendant (who was in real life a Lutheran minister) and I tried to get the cart in, it would not fit, and the corps was so stiff we carried him like a backboard out of the room, at one point the alley was so narrow we had to stand it up and turn the corner then go back to the man carry. The preacher said "you know if this wasn't so gruesome, it would almost be funny! I chuckled and we carried him to the ambulance and he was transported to the funeral home, which was next door to my home.

[@commander37]

I think you should give Mr Ballen some of your stories. Im sure he and his tem will do the research needed to get the full details.

[@ChefDuJour78]

Interesting job. How did you end up doing that? Well, one thing for sure is that funeral parlors etc forever have customers.

[@sethbishop6890]

​@@ChefDuJour78yeah and the people that work there dont talk about it it's not something for light conversation

[@kimmieh8419]

@@commander37 Agreed! I love that idea! He could have a segment called 'Mr McBallen's Fam Submissions'. It could be 'Sub Submissions' or 'Fan Submissions', but I like thinking that we are all a family here. 😊

[@enderkittygaming2348]

She was ready to reconcile having reached the end of her master work.

[@nanaman]

Bros guilt overtook him and he wanted to listen to the other sister before he killed her as well. Wonder what happened to the father

[@Leesha437]

I was listening to this story peacefully with my eyes closed and when you hollered "seagull lung!!!" I about had a heart attack 💀

[@arganiaspinosa9122]

Same. I like his stories but I wish he would not yell so loud in his ads. 😨

[@MrViking69]

Agreed. I used to listen to MrBallen when I went to bed but can't anymore.

[@ADetailedHouse]

Same!! It was sooo obnoxious! Bc of how loud he was, I just fast forwarded it, instead of listening to his gibberish.

[@CharlotteBlaire]

You just made me laugh so hard! That had to be so jarring. It's good his commercials are so entertaining.

[@danielt2k8]

Me and old SSSSSSEEAAGAHLLL LLLAWHNNG.

[@ashtonfrancisco4771]

My parents would’ve told me that I have an appointment with my therapist asap.. this is insane how one family member can control everyone.

[@StarPony-dw3wv]

I agree! However, in today's world, particularly the US and Canada, if you do not affirm certain delusions you can be criminally charged.

[@hollileslie8105]

definitely. The first thing I thought was she is extremely narcissistic especially seeing how she responded to that palm reading. I have a narcissistic sibling. That is not a normal response to criticism.

[@anishnehete]

@@StarPony-dw3wv True, I get what you're saying

[@Jazzyhanz]

so you didn't watch the video did you lol? Hard to get therapy when you are a mummy!

[@TheGregsponge]

Or, this is how one insane family member can control everyone. Also, it's how Mr. Ballen can control me. This payoff was not worth the 38 minutes because it was obvious early she was dead. But, Mr. Ballen's story telling style kept me listening to the end even when I didn't want to. I'll be back for next week.

[@Rodrigo-ei4ht]

The line between genius and madness is a fine one. Honestly thought it was going to be more horrific. I half expected her to murder her family or attempt to murder them for her masterpiece. I can't believe they let themselves be sucked in by her delusion.

[@heartvannilatornado]

I too was waiting to hear how she had murdered her family and incorporated them into her “masterpiece”, potentially ending in a kelf-sill making it complete.

[@MrZiggysPalace]

I use These Spirits in order to clean up my hand-made solid .925 Sterling Silver and Solid 14kt yellow gold jewelry in my ultrasonic. I honestly didn't know all the other uses of this and definitely didn't know this chemical compound can help in ACTUAL MUMMIFICATION of a body either! WOWZA! Now this makes me rethink Ancient Egyptian Mummification practices on dead bodies or on living bodies before death to preserve fully in-tact bodies. I honestly feel and my heart goes out to this family in these regards since Rina was actually DRINKING this stuff secretly and using it as a "FRONT" in the form of her "Masterwork" to get finished. This is truly sad that Rina's "Masterwork" was her actual death. My main question is this: Did Rina's sister and her brother actually hear her voice even though she died in her bedroom after the fact, or not? If they did, then that's Truly a Paranormal Investigation that needs to be performed and get their take on this one along with their information to add this whole collective story. @MrBallen you rock, and thank you for your posts, your stories, and all the work you do to keep your stream fresh all the time. I honestly don't know how you do it yet I Love it, since I Myself am a Digital Creator and an Amateur "INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST". I love documentaries, stories, etc. in relation to all of my interests. You nail them all which is why I Am hooked on your y/t channel @MrBallen.

[@ranrajmirsen6887]

I was waiting to catch a glimpse of some truly horrific and terrifying painting that she had created, I didn't realize she herself was the masterpiece

[@DanielleKay972]

I kinda think this was renas plan all along, to die. For her death to be the masterpiece. I'm sure she knew of many other "genius tortured souls" who die for their work. And she kept saying her visionary soul this and her soul that so I think she believed she was just like them. Dying for her art, a martyr. She was batshit crazy and dead wrong, she didn't seem brilliant she seemed like a narcissistic ass. But hey, hindsight is 20/20

[@ranrajmirsen6887]

@@DanielleKay972 yeah and the fact that she did initially tell her brother to rub alcohol all over her body every day or whatever. Sounds like she knew EXACTLY what she was doing.

[@ksstar9719]

Bruh….I cannot believe that this family just let this girl straight up abuse tf out of them, ruin their careers and lives, and isolate them from the world, while still serving her hand and foot, all for a supposed “masterpiece” that they aren’t even allowed to see. She had so many warning signs of needing mental help, the weird shopping lists being one alone. I’m glad that the mother and doctor saw what was going on but she needed to be involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric facility.

[@yvonnenesler5540]

I am amazed at that family dynamic, how the whole family just let Rina call the shots and make the rules. For the siblings to put their careers on hold even though Rina wasn't selling her artwork, makes you wonder how they supported themselves and is sad that they were unable to do what they loved because she didn't like the noise or wanted them to support her. What a sad situation for the family.

[@LyndaReilly]

I would have left, gone to live far away from them.

[@tottalyNotMe]

They blamed a corpse for their actions, claiming it was giving them orders. What makes you think they are not the reason she's dead? Their story is not believable. Rina's side was never told.

[@Journeyoflove13]

It's a narcissistic family dynamic and a little extreme. Rina was the golden child.

[@justbrooklyn391]

@@LyndaReilly bro don’t ever use that emoji again 😭 wtf

[@solitairestarr5516]

They didn't just put their bloody careers on hold but almost all normal life as well. Staying home, hiding their faces, shadow existence.... no friends, no sports, no dating , no community , no future children or spouses? Absolutely crazy!

[@lesliebblack]

From the beginning of this story I was struck by how the family allowed 1 member to completely control them!! Making demands on what they could or couldn’t do, demanding they adopt the secret language. I don’t know any family who would put up with such a self absorbed family member. I think I can safely say that any family I know would quickly be suspicious of mental illness & take action for her to be evaluated & treated. I’m guessing as she essentially held her family prisoners, they had a mental breakdown & became delusional.

[@kichan]

It's the same way people end up subjecting themselves to abuse, which is kind of what it sounds like this started as. It probably started off as care and concern. I'm sure her mother would do anything to care for her. Her sister was probably riddled with guilt. Maybe even her mother and brother guilted her as well. Her brother likely felt responsible as the man of the household since their father passed. And it likely happened slowly over time. They said she first started acting as a recluse after college. And she was in her 40s when she passed, so this was probably at least 20 years. But without a doubt, that family is traumatized and manipulated.

[@UserT5959]

A slap would've been nice to her, rena, cause I've seen children who uses parents favoritism to achieve things

[@cartooncritique6625]

Doesn't help that in Asian cultures seeking help for mental illness is apparently frowned upon.

[@BEAUTYFUL18]

Me to. Like what the hell

[@yeahmhmmrightokaymhmmyeahsure]

i think the family is lying and they did something to her, how in the world do you not realize someone is dead while you've actively applied something to their body multiple times??? and like you said there is no way any family would allow 1 family member to control them for decades

[@izzatihassan1475]

A lot of people, even if it's hereditary, will only show symptoms of schizophrenia in early adulthood or late teens. Which is why we'd sometimes hear stories of people going "crazy" after getting into college.

[@Acr6gAttt-mq2hr]

Well ya, that's how mental health disorders work. They're created through a combination of early childhood trauma and genetic factors, so they tend to appear in the late teens and early adulthood.

[@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244]

Or as they become seniors and "get religion."

[@WhitneyDahlin]

He forgot to mention that in their religion, Buddhism, they believe it is possible for Buddhist monks and other holy people to self mummify. And they basically believe that these dead mummies are alive and have ascended to Nirvana to the point where they don't need to eat or drink but are still alive in a state of perfect meditation. These Buddhist monks would slowly starve themselves to end themselves. It really is a fascinating subject you should for sure look it up on your own but that's what they believed she was doing. Put in that context shows that they weren't schizophrenic. They just were believing a religious practice. If this had happened in their home country she might have been seen as a holy person. The equivalent to a Catholic saint. I'm surprised he didn't mention this in the video because it's the explanation for how this happened and what was going through their heads.

[@hardcoreherbivore4730]

Yeah, I’ve watched the transition happen a couple times. Dudes were generally normal, then while on meth they started hearing voices, and it never stopped. Both times they ended up in the psyche ward, and have battled with it since. The drug was only a trigger for a genetic loaded gun. Still, only the second worst drug I’ve encountered.

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

​​​​​​​​​​​@@WhitneyDahlin That's a very extreme belief within Buddhism and most Buddhists reject it. It's unique to Japan which is not surprising considering the role of suicide in traditional Japanese society. There is a profit motive for the temple to have a "real" sokushinbutsu mummy on display. Some scholars have concluded self-mummification is a myth arguing the mummies on display died and were preserved naturally. They were put on display and a story made up to collect more donations. Personally I think several dozen to a couple hundred monks have probably given it a go since the 7th century.

[@sowwu]

as a hispanic none of this would of flown, its insane to me how people can be raised like this.

[@MissPerpul]

What, raised around abuse? Yeah, it happens. Its called - abuse

[@aaronjackson1493]

Word. No matter what racial group though, this would NEVER fly in most households period. The family ALLOWED this happen yet had the power to stop it, so I'll never feel bad for 'em. 🤷🙄🤦

[@LilyZerep]

Same here! I'm from a Hispanic family, too, and my family would have *NEVER* put up with that shit. If I or my brother had demanded the rules , my parents would have said, "If you want these rules, you can go and get your own place,that's what you can do."

[@aaronjackson1493]

@@LilyZerep Word. Common sense, you know?

[@WitchBye]

But that is exactly what it was: INSANITY. Families can do all sorts of "crazy" and weird stuff, but to this extreme? No. This kind of family is not common, this is outright madness.

[@n.b.2164]

My mother developed paranoid schizophrenia in her late 20's. Luckily she had a loving family to take care of her. It was hard and it certainly effected us as kids. I give my father credit for always standing by her.

[@sitcomchristian6886]

That is outstanding that you all have managed to work it out. It sounds like it would have been very hard at times.

[@izebellebluereadsoutloud3715]

Your father is an angel. My friends father completely abandoned her and her mom and just started a new family, sent my friend to live with her crazy grandmother. My friend eventually developed schizophrenia also and ended up indoctrinated by the jehovahs witnesses, yet still off&on meth, married to someone similar, and also came down with lupus. Her dads a piece of shit and most people would call him normal.

[@natureloves1888]

@@izebellebluereadsoutloud3715I think people with genes that are bad should really think through about getting children but it’s not her moms fault , maybe she was on drugs or what trauma triggered her schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can activate through triggers or maybe she got blunt head trauma

[@Logicalsane]

Women instantly leave their partners in such situations...

[@Logicalsane]

​@@izebellebluereadsoutloud3715women leave their partners all the time but hypocrites like you support those women then......cut these double standards against men

[@WynneL]

Rina's sister: "You have this line on your hand, it might mean you're aggressive, heheh." Rina: *screams, yells, rants, calls everyone else idiots, beats the hell out of her sibling* Way to show 'em how wrong that statement was.

[@josephwillis1581]

Yep lmao, classic.

[@samanthafairweather9186]

Now that part was funny!! 🤣🤣

[@dankone3]

You do realize Mr Ballen is full of shit right? The family let their mentally ill sister die in her room and tried hiding the death with the surgical spirits, they played the crazy card in order to avoid responsibility. The reason they were hiding on their trips to the store is because they knew what they were doing was to hide something illegal. It's actually disgusting that this dude is spinning this narrative because Rina was the victim, why is he trying to blame her death on herself?

[@charleswolfe8896]

I wouldn't expect anything less from a crazy person.

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

It's one of those types of emotional outbursts that are not uncommon in young children but as an adult is a HUGE red flag. It's usually a sign that they're extremely manipulative/narcissistic, were never adequately disciplined growing up, or have severe emotional/mental health problems. Or a some combination of thereof. Either way, unless you're a licensed mental health specialist and are being paid these people should be avoided at all costs. It's not worth it.

[@libradawg9]

Your team is excellent. I love how you kept saying *we * at the start. You know you're not doing all this by yourself and they deserve the credit.

[@gerardroll6468]

“Teamwork makes the dream work” I believe is a saying that could describe that 👍😁

[@virginiadeel8087]

I am not 💯 but I think a family member writes for him

[@DSP_Gaming0]

no way, he puts these together. he always tells the stories to his wife though to gauge her reaction before posting his videos. @@virginiadeel8087

[@gerardroll6468]

@@virginiadeel8087… Whoever it is, they do an awesome job, whether it be an immediate family member or even a close friend ✋️😎👍

[@laurenk6741]

But you havent watched 10 mins of the story? hope you will send your feedback watching the entire content rather than be disrespecful

[@janetbriggs6560]

I love your antics prior to the stories as much as the stories themselves!

[@NickReyob-uk9os]

The fact they never noticed there wasn't a master work in her room is astounding.

[@TigerLily61811]

they rubbed spirits on her corpse for weeks and never noticed she was dead?! seriously how could you not know

[@djackson9247]

She *was* the "master work", her mummified body.

[@wobblyjelly345]

Ironically, Rina herself was the master work. I can't imagine choosing to be shut in a room like that for all those years..

[@blood9903]

I'm p sure she was the "master work"

[@wfjhDUI]

The government took it.

[@zoescott779]

Wow, Rina did a REALLY good job at creating enough fear and confusion to prevent questions. But i honestly think the brother knew, that's why he had taken over cooking and told the sister not to go in any more. This is so messed up.

[@MB-ul5me]

Rena was such a genius that she managed to take her personal diagnosis of psychosis and pass it on to the rest of her family, who were intelligent people themselves, like it was the common cold. Chilling

[@NoBSRecoverfacts]

Yes it's so terrifying!!

[@LOSTGPS]

I don't think it had anything to do with genius, they saw her "masterpiece" as a jackpot. Simple case of greed and hysteria.

[@JuanPablodelaTorre]

They were not really intelligent people. They were all just mentally ill.

[@Zhana808]

Shared psychotic disorder is a rare disorder characterized by sharing a delusion among two or more people in a close relationship. Mr. B’s actually covered a few stories about people that had it.

[@nelsonstahl8989]

Most gifted people lack some other skills. This family seems to be gifted in the arts and lacking personal skills.

[@latifahnyirenda261]

It's difficult to understand how one member of this family became the only person to make rules..and they had to obey her till to her grave...

[@comrade7324]

Ikr, what sucks is that they lost their lives and futures for Rina. What's worse is she'll never be punished for this!

[@Lime_A]

That’s why I don’t believe it, I think they made up this whole story to cover up that they ignored their mentally ill daughter and her hunger strike until she died.

[@garyclark979]

Schizophrenia usually occurs in women in their early 20s. Rina’s behavior is consistent with someone who developed this mental state. The family should have confronted her and had her institutionalized. She needed professional help and support

[@AdAstra86]

My sister started medi college and she snap out and got scizophrenia... Also her iq was higher then einstein... That what doctor diagnose.

[@fabiwilliams4644]

This whole family had mental health issues to support such behaviour

[@devonalmich7312]

That is very true. It is very clear with the symptoms. She was very paranoid.

[@IslandBuzzy]

Sad thing is shame is a driving component in many Japanese families. I was raised in a predominantly Japanese community, everything was about apologies and not making waves 🥺

[@annehealy6234]

​@@IslandBuzzyhow sad. Ive always thought it was about respect, not shame. I feel very sorry you went through that.

[@Ericss2009]

As many said, she planned to become a Sokushinbutsu. That was her "masterpiece", and her family's intervention would consist in putting surgical spirits on her after her passing. She probably confided Takahiro on her plan toward the end. Takahiro told Yoshika that Rina forgave her and they were supposed to pour the alcohol on her because that's what Rina told him to say before she passed away.

[@epic7224]

Yeap so he 100% knew she was dead and supported it because he was so mentally deluded. He prob loved her so much he thought it was the only way to "help" her.

[@zoeelisabethgayton4876]

My gosh, I just looked up sokushinbutsu. That's exactly what she was doing!

[@joeyduncan5804]

She didn't want to go through the forbidden monk ritual but do ot her own way. I guess she really had it figured out in her mind. They were supposed to put her up and worship her mummy and not have the police take her and charge the family. That's hard-core. She musta suffered tremendously to do that and I literally thought that her and her brother were just getting drunk and some incest shit. 😂 maybe she was a genius and made a work of art of herself. Commitment on the wrong kinda way.

[@Alwayzblessed36]

I had to look it up that's pretty wild😂

[@joeyduncan5804]

@Alwayzblessed36 people have wierd beliefs. She and her family thought thus was really her ticket to heaven and to being worshipped. Different strokes for different folks

[@punkzira]

Rina's response to her sister's palm reading about Rina being aggressive is to deny it aggressively is the funniest shit I've heard today.

[@kimmieh8419]

I giggled at that as well! 🤭

[@CinnBreed]

“Point proven” is all that was needed to be said lol

[@crimsonnclover3576]

Right? Lmao. :::punches her in the head::: “how dare you say I’m aggressive?!! :::kicks her in the shin::: “everyone says how sweet and calm I am! :::slaps the spit out of her::: “that should teach you from ever insinuating I’m an angry person again!” :::one last kick as she walks away mumbling about idiots who don’t understand her at all:::

[@vladimirkrajchev3565]

@punkzira already your pseudo doesn't need funnier things that itself:)

[@abc-wv4in]

This should have resulted in forced care for Rina. She obviously has severe mental or emotional problems.

[@Crona444]

MrBallen your videos have always given me some sort of comfort when I’m having rough times. Thank you so much, I’m happy to see your fan base growing! Keep it up

[@leannedaniels935]

As others have mentioned, this was definitely a case of Rena mummifying herself like the sokushibutsu monks. The isolation in her room, the noise would have interfered with her meditation state and i definitely believe the family knew exactly what she was doing and willingly helped her. But obviously they denied it and played the mental health card as it's a criminal offence to aid in suicide

[@sonyabyrd8739]

Yep. The moment he said she didn't eat and that they handed her embalming-type fluids.... It was pretty apparent she was hoping her soul would separate from her slowly dying physical form. 😩 Family 100% was involved.

[@angelbear_og]

Well, I mean, they WERE insane.

[@vawkwardbat]

Yess this is what I was thinking! I had just learnt about that a couple months ago but couldn't remember the name itself. Thank you

[@dennisfordii9737]

Denial , the ability to see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear is amazing and terrifying !!! One would think they had to have some idea of what she was up to but.....

[@notstandingwithukraine9478]

It's her decision to do such kind of suicide.. and.. different culture, different values!

[@Betelgue5e]

No teen prodigy here, just a psychotic with a midlife crisis: Rina was 49 y.o. - Yoshika 56, Takahiro 50. The whole family suffered from mental illness.

[@twitchascension]

Was gonna say - after googling she was almost 50.

[@don3com]

gradual process of Rina, as the dominant personality, imposing her psychosis (folie imposée) on the other weaker members of the family (folie à famille)

[@wadejohnston4305]

Big "mistake" on the ballen team. This makes it even sadder and more horrifying.

[@patricknicholson4623]

@@wadejohnston4305 he literally aid the ages

[@stinawatson6327]

@@wadejohnston4305 well, I doubt it was a mistake really. The story takes place when they're older, but she WAS a teen prodigy.

[@charmh.422]

As an Asian, I'm surprised that Rina being the youngest, was the one that controlled the family. Usually, it is the oldest that does since the father died a few years prior. Also Takahiro, being the only man left in the family, also could have been the one calling the shots. But no, it was the youngest. I'm even surprised that Yoshika, being the oldest, had no power over the siblings. They really were mesmerized by their sister, which is why they too should be considered as having some mental illness as well.

[@witheeeeeerx]

I'm not surprised at all by that.

[@ReemTahir]

Yeah their family dynamics don't seem to be influenced by their Asian heritage. It just sounds like some kind of family toxicity brought on by unidentified family trauma that went completely off the rails. I think that maybe Rina was the golden child in a narcissistic family system, because she was so talented. I assume everyone tip toed around her and diminished themselves, causing Rina to become spoiled and entitled. Their brother and mother seems to be huge enablers in this as well. Yoshika is a victim of this and should have left the family. Their father was not around to stop all the madness. I suspect that when Rina went to Cambridge she probably suffered from imposter syndrome and being isolated by her rich classmates. Also these are Asian immigrants living in England since the 1970s, peak racist times. So her going crazy makes sense... she comes from a crazy family with poor boundaries and lots of secrets and dishonesty. This isn't a typical family structure in any culture, let alone Asian.

[@islixxn]

below average cope@@ReemTahir

[@ReemTahir]

@@islixxn sorry I don’t understand

[@trillstar7399]

Im never surprised at how weird Asia ppl are as a whole! Everything from their tv shows to their porn is just the most cringe things imaginable!..

[@Moon-w6w]

I want these last 40 minutes of my life back. They were all nuts, and this very detailed story was way too long and got me dizzy.Still like you, Mr.

[@Jerryisntthecodgod]

Skill issue

[@king-fisher]

Agree. I scrubbed through it because he WAY too long.

[@KaibilBalam-b2q]

​@P-sv3miit's a story that can be told in 1 minute

[@ayylien3070]

I cant believe I sat through 38 minutes of this

[@HaKa-nd7wz]

​@@KaibilBalam-b2q really, he talk too much and don't come to point. But I don't know why I still listed to ballen 😂😭

[@nickymo]

This would make a great screenplay. This odd family dynamic, the tantalizing mystery of the master work, the creepiness of this malnourished crazy genius hermit lady. I’m glued to the screen already.

[@elliejuliana4731]

i was thinking that too. would be some freaky a24 shit

[@krystyna_mari]

Would actually watch it if ever they make one!

[@coursefearwell4847]

Now that you mention it, it does sound like a story I would have read in a high school textbook. Very Yellow Wallpaper-esc

[@FerousFolly]

​@@coursefearwell4847 -esque is how you spell it; not always intuitive if you haven't read it before.

[@cjwojoe]

Her master work was literally her starving herself to death and then having her family mummify her.

[@MelissaThompson432]

You know, if anybody had tried that ("I'm a delicate genius! You must obey my rules!") in my household or family, they would have been told, "yeah, good luck with that...."

[@alixandriagrace4350]

That’s what I was thinking the whole time lol no idea why they just obeyed her instead of giving her actual consequences. I def would’ve just kicked her out or sent her to get help. The non voluntary kind.

[@notsureiL]

The whole family is obviously mentally unstable.

[@Nutmeg142]

Exactly! Like go be a delicate genius in your own apartment then.

[@ctakitimu]

Yeah same, and also "Sounds like you need to move out into your own space"

[@chelseapthib36]

My momma would have broken a switch off the tree and showed that a$$ just how special they were 😂

[@chrissyobermeyer1139]

Interesting that 2 grown adults who seemed very intelligent actually did all this for their insane sister. Absolutely nuts.

[@ReenaK-np3bi]

This whole story is just not adding up for me 🤨 so many unexplained questions, nothing makes sense. Intelligent people get sucked into this without any knowledge of subject, any proof/evidence of work? They don’t ask any questions let alone even think for themselves? It sound like they was only book smart and that’s all they had. Common sense had no space in it. I mean how do intelligent people not realise a body they attend to was not responsive at alllll ???

[@nonenone9892]

@@ReenaK-np3bi Intellect has nothing to do with emotional IQ. Many make poor choices despite knowing better. People know drugs are not good, do them anyway, and so on.

[@aunpaidintern7035]

Psychosis. Years of mental abuse enabled by culture had to have something to do with their descent to madness.

[@ArianaLee7890]

That's the down side of being able to do anything for a loved one. That include the good, the bad and the absolutely unhinged

[@chrissyobermeyer1139]

@@ReenaK-np3bi totally. I was shaking my head for most of it- but in their culture, family is everything and you do take care of them. From what I understand. But they all must be a little mentally ill or unhinged that they believed in her wacky plan. And the medical spirits? What logical person would continue to buy those with no explanation?

[@speedyd72]

This is one of the most bizarre stories I’ve ever heard you tell and I’ve listened to a lot

[@PetalPalmer]

Oh my such a strange case this was. It’s so weird that they didn’t find the smell coming from Rina’s room odd or anything. Thank you for sharing, always appreciate your work!

[@michaelharris8598]

It's amazing the odors your brain can screen out given time and exposure.

[@kauaichan]

The thing that really does it for me in this story, more than shared psychosis, is our willingness to place ‘genius’ on a pedestal. More times than not true genius is accompanied by madness, time proven adage. The willingness to accommodate ‘greatness’ purely because one views it as such instead of all the obvious warning signs. To not only tolerate but ENCOURAGE her behavior, BECAUSE of the idea of greatness. Like, the family already had prestige…clearly…but it wasn’t enough, and they wanted to produce the next Da Vinci….this never should have happened.

[@SlimKeith11]

Your declarative statement that "true genius is accompanied by madness" is patiently ridiculous, you're repeating old tropes and watching too many movies, step away from the Ipad. What proof do you have that geniuses suffer from mental illness more than the average population???? No offense but are you a teenager? You write like a kid.

[@emp9413]

I don't believe it was genius itself. I think it was the status that came with genius.

[@kauaichan]

@@emp9413 But clearly they had status, BOTH went to prestigious schools and had promising careers. But Rina was ‘special’, because she was a genius. We hear all the time the strange or uncomfortable “quirks” geniuses exhibit and we all tolerate because hey, they’re like 1 in a million compared to general pop. Just like with her art process, actors go thru crazy improv and the like the get a character right…still doesn’t make some of those methods ok. The idea of allowing your child to literally starve themselves because it will SOMEHOW impact this greater than thou art piece…is just as sad as letting a starving artist starve. “Genius” is something we treat so alien to ourselves that we will literally tolerate alien or inhuman practices from them. Status and prestige are all the same in this instance, the idea of being immortalized drove them to do so, just not the remembrance they wanted.

[@JeffreyBenzodiazepines]

Except there was method to her madness

[@ANPC-pi9vu]

I think you guys are being too harsh. Mental illness is hereditary and prodigies are often very neurodivergent. It really sounds like they all had a strong sense of loyalty and duty to family, which is typical of far Eastern cultures, and were trying to support her in something that was important to her and really believed in her because of her accomplishments. Unfortunately, since they were likely all a bit off, that led to a shared delusion. I don't think they were bad or greedy people at all, it's just a sad case all around.

[@kanarokan6060]

Sometimes its baffling seeing people's inability to question things happening around them.

[@fashionbug9880]

I figure it's mostly a frog in boiling water situation. It starts with just one odd behavior and spirals into this. If you're isolated and don't have any outside perspective, it's normal to you. And if other family members are doing the same thing, why would you think anything is weird about it? Like people in abusive relationships, it doesn't start out 10/10 crazy. You trust the person, love them, and then deal with what you think are quirks, and the next thing you know you're being abused.

[@63rambler66]

Or things being told to them.

[@allfireburns]

MrBallen I am watching this while a little bit high and that ad read made me genuinely sit here for a moment wondering if I was hallucinating. Thank you.

[@johngeiger3770]

This reminds me of the story MrBallen shared about a man in England who locked himself up in the room only for his father to find out when it's too late. If someone you love and care is withdrawn and talking about bizarre plans, treat that as a medical emergency and get them to your psychiatrist, ASAP.

[@falsealaska]

I thought of that story too. The only reason I figured it wouldn't be a repeat of that situation was the fact that Rina was very quiet and there was no construction sounds.

[@jenniferjasso5947]

I thought he was retelling that story until I remembered it was a man in the story Lol

[@destructoau7526]

I was thinking of that story too but with all the medical spirits I figured it had something to do with mummification

[@johnmike121]

dude went to home Depot for his plan

[@johngeiger3770]

@@destructoau7526At first I thought she was going to murder her whole family along with herself with some kind of medical procedure then realize it was not so when she kept soaking herself with surgical spirits. Makes sense that the whole family was declared to be severely mentally ill since they never saw how bizarre it all was.

[@mrsamajiki8670]

They took "favourite child" to a whole new level

[@king-fisher]

The *WHOLE FAMILY* was *lNSANE!*

[@laracada9422]

Literally yes

[@bonzo6826]

This story was by far the most painful to sit threw, like getting all your teeth slow pulled with pain killers. So boring, monotonous, long, and stupid. I can't believe I made it through it.😢 just to much, man..God kill me now. I should have not put myself through this one. Dumb.dumb.dumb.

[@bonzo6826]

Without pain killers that is..my bad😢

[@cherylegregorio4077]

Its the "Do it for Dan" on a whole another level🤣

[@indybruggeman1293]

What is most heartbreaking about this story is that all these people seem like well-intending, good-natured and extremely gifted people, artistically and academically. Everything could've turned out so differently if all of them, but especially Rina, received the mental healthcare they really needed... Now they will all just be remembered as a weird recluse family that let their mentally ill daughter waste away...

[@dazlao2155]

anyone couldve told me that this case was a whole junji ito plot and I'd be none the wiser

[@animatedpencilstudios6704]

I think Rina was trying to perform Sokushinbutsu, or self mummification. It was a common practice among Japanese Buddhist monks and involved starving oneself. It was believe that through this practice that a monk’s soul, if pure enough, would ascend to a level of enlightenment. I think after Yoshika made the comment about the line on Rina’s hand, it drove Rina to prove she wasn’t evil and was instead pure. It would explain the palm reading book and the surgical alcohol she had her siblings buy. And why she refused to eat.

[@Danica.Powell]

I actually thought about that too! I wondered if she was trying to achieve something like that. I don't know enough about it but I think maybe you are right.

[@annamorgan6765]

wow! thats a good take!

[@mattg3135]

My thoughts exactly. That's why she wanted the house so clean I bet... prevent bugs and such from being as much of an issue.

[@jayfalcon-rw3qc]

​​@@yaobikuni1349"was" . The practice has historical roots. Not a common practice, definitely not in modern times, but it was known to happen in the past. Most known to be performed by monks rather than by common people

[@mattg3135]

@@yaobikuni1349 Nerd Alert

[@lozey8317]

I live in the UK and have used surgical spirit for years. Every time I buy some, the pharmacists tell me that I can only buy one 200-500ml bottle at a time because sometimes people with alcohol dependency will buy or steal it to drink, and it has dangerous side effects when ingested. I'm flabergasted that they bought so much of it virtually every day, and it took months for the pharmacy staff to notice or question them

[@anyaaa2801]

What is a surgical spirit? What does it do?

[@LinaPoe]

@@anyaaa2801 I guess you already googled it,but this is thing you use to kill all microbs

[@informitas0117]

​@@anyaaa2801 you dilute it and drink it. At least that's what my alcoholic neighbour say. I clean brushes with it.

[@death_denial]

​@@informitas0117are you joking

[@OllieWolly]

AND the only reason they realized anything was because of the smell of decay permeating off the two siblings. It's crazy they were able to buy so much, I guess it really didn't raise any suspicions.

[@redfogwhitefrost2583]

This dude really deserves his flowers. He's definitely one of my favorite story tellers on KZbin. His ability to paint a picture with words is immaculate.

[@mansourbinfahad]

Agree 100%

[@adrianaslund8605]

Im sure he'll appreciate some flowers.

[@cynthiakeller5954]

How much are his tickets?

[@guardianfish7718]

🌺🌹🌺🌹🌺

[@ChavonJWright]

​@@cynthiakeller5954lol $0LD.0UT 😢😂

[@JayKay704]

This man forreal has done the best promotion for a betting site ive ever seen. Bravo mr. B

[@NYCBombshell]

Sister or not, there is no way I would have tiptoed around a household member’s delusions. The whole family is a nutcase.

[@BM205]

I totally agree. As an American I can't understand the culture of these folks but I know I love my family more than anything else on this earth and I jus couldn't let this happen

[@qaassimmahmood548]

Nah man I'd be smacking some sense into my siblings if they tried something like this. Prodigy or not, ya can't force me into your shinnanigans. I don't wanna be bothered by your nonsense, would be my attitude

[@lcam9241]

​@@qaassimmahmood548😂😂😂 funny but true!

[@cintaminbunny]

​@@qaassimmahmood548right and everyone in the family was talented so I don't get why they all had to drop everything for Rena. Then they just became delusional.

[@Schmorgus]

This is a regular thing with overly talented people. They almost always lack something else in the mental department. Like logical thinking.

[@Jasarixoxox]

I really felt bad for yoshika the whole time she was thinking she was talking to her sister, but she was dead all along.

[@Wyklepheph]

Obviously her master work is just taking longer than expected, geez

[@avi4francis]

"delivered in story format" - Ballen adds these to enhance the story. Basically, he too in a way is delusional 🤣🤣😂

[@libbymcglynn5]

Going by what Ballen has said it sounds like she still believes she was talking to her

[@tjallingdalheuvel126]

When she was rubbing her with the alcohol, didn't she see and feel it was a corpse?

[@etsequentia6765]

@@Wyklepheph Obviously we're not all open-minded as you are.

[@lifeline_]

This feels like one of those situations where a bunch of smart people who don't like being questioned, find someone smarter than them and therefore decide not to question them, leaving them open to doing things that most people would see as insane. No one in the group questions it because they feel they are beyond error in their respective specialties.

[@ShigadyShigadyShwey]

Basically a bunch of masters of one thing and fools in everything else. Functionally, in society, absolute idiots.

[@TThoMusic]

Very much how like when Steven Spielberg makes a god awful movie, every critic loves it because they’re too afraid of appearing like they don’t know what they’re talking about.

[@techieplex]

True even ISRO scients here in India do pooja (rituals) in temple before the Rocket launch and no one question the logic.

[@brilliant_stories]

Someone studied psych, huh. 😂

[@MrGFloyd]

This is a normal Chinese family

[@donavancampbell6658]

Rina is a prime example of what happens to people who think they are the main character and go unchecked

[@brendanlepeska4295]

This is such a sad story. Their sister basically brainwashed them to believe in this “masterpiece” but the fact of it is I believe her own body was the “masterpiece”.

[@ccampbell7214]

Sounds so familiarly similar to what's going on in with our country and world right now ... These malevolent nefarious oligarchs are plotting and planning thier supposed masterpiece of the new world order ,hidden agenda... and we are the brainwashed family just doing nothing.. Insane in the membrain...

[@Vxyyh]

Same😢

[@sarapetion]

Omg 😱 you might be right!!! She must have known that the alcohol would mummify her. This sounds really planned out on her part. And sadly her family just went along with it.😢

[@bfreeman8786]

Spirits are dangerous, people

[@jaypaige7550]

The whole family was sick , Know normal family would had went along with that.

[@nayelibec]

I do believe and have absolutely no doubt that Rina was incredibly *book smart* and her IQ was that of a genius. That said, she clearly had a severe mental illness or multiple undiagnosed ones and her parents rather than getting her help early on just enabled her and chalked her out of pocket violent outbursts to being “genius” which only enlarged Rina’s ego and delusions more. It’s not a secret that their culture values intelligence and discipline which I admire however, they took this and turned a blind eye on their daughter that needed help not her ego stroked.

[@pixelprincess9]

Book smart and street smart is the difference between knowledge and wisdom

[@osamu_90]

I highly doubt they were simply turning a blind eye to the situation, nothing about it was normal. Sounds like a case of folie à deux (shared psychosis).

[@MrJest2]

This is not uncommon. It's like the more intellectual and abstract a person's intelligence is, the *less* their emotional intelligence ability becomes. There is a balance their mind cannot accommodate; perhaps a limitation of neural connections physically possible. History is strewn with "mad geniuses" who have fantastic intellectual insights, yet are otherwise mentally crippled.

[@dankone3]

The sad part is this - Mr Ballen for whatever reason warped the story and painted a horrible picture of her. Yes, she was reclusive, she was also depressed after the death of her father, that's the reason why she stopped eating. The family let her die and them being reclusive as well never got her any medical help. They were using the strong smell of the spirits to mask the smell of death after she died. The reason why they were hiding their faces when buying the surgical spirits was due to the fact they knew they were buying the spirits for an illegal reason. In court they presented a story of being crazy to avoid responsibility (which they succeeded at) The facts are out there, I actually knew about this case before this video and when I heard Mr Ballen's story I was like wtf? It's actually disgusting that he's trying to spin this narrative. For what? Entertainment purposes? Views? Look up articles on the case, shit there's even other KZbin videos out there with an accurate, actual factual retelling of this case.

[@Retrograde_cat]

@@MrJest2 The obviously Asperger's Mark Zuckerberg comes to mind.

[@victoriahiromi2256]

i've watched a lot of mr. ballen's videos but this one in particular haunts me. i'm japanese and have a lot of japanese family members who suffer from mental illness, and the crazy thing is that no one acknowledges mental illness in general- or if they do, they don't address it adequately enough. you guys might find this story insane, and it is, but if you put into context how japanese people really prioritize family units (which can be a good thing, but in this case resulted in a clear lack of boundaries and enmeshment) and at the same time have very poor, stigmatized views on mental illness, this result is not that surprising. thankfully i grew up in the states and majored in psych. this whole thing makes my skin crawl because it's somewhat familiar. great story telling as always though

[@victoriahiromi2256]

@444Dragoncheese unfortunately yes. i'd say japan is ahead on a lot of things like environmentalism, tech, medicine, anything that requires detail and efficiency, but are waaaay behind when it comes to social issues. women are treated like crap, same sex marriage is still not legal, bullying is rampant amongst school-kids and the adult workplace, and mental health is ignored. because it's a collectivist country, anyone who goes against the status quo there is not viewed kindly by the japanese (unless you're a foreigner, they're more lenient since you're not one of them). it's common for even close friends to not disclose that they're dealing with mental health issues to one another since it's considered shameful. it is getting better, but the progress is really slow.

[@maria-san]

​@@victoriahiromi2256damn that sucks... filipinos are all about family too but damn they won't tolerate thsi behavior lol

[@johnlombardo7816]

thanks for the perspective.. i thought it was interesting but didnt judge as I understand when someone has a gift, the family does tend to gravitate toward that persons gift in any culture, i mean look at the hollyweird families of child stars.. but yeah your take makes it make more sense as to how it could have went left as it did. thank you

[@electricsoup7481]

​@@victoriahiromi2256I agree with Japan to not support same sex "marriage", but everything else is behind and sad.

[@essayess3]

I'm not Japanese but I lived there for 3 and totally saw what you describe: Japanese people don't do mental health treatment. And there is a sufficient amount of these problems; actually my girlfriend was fairly disturbed at times. So, the problem exists and it's compounded by having no outlet for it.

[@paulagwhyte1720]

I love Mr. Ballen's nuttiness he interjects sometimes! Reminds me of me and all of my sons would say, "Mu-um, you sound crazy!" I mean, "That's the point, kids!! That's why it's funny!" "No, it's not!" They'd yell! LOL! Because I'd make myself laugh my @rse off!

[@I_Love_Rainbows510]

What really breaks my heart is that the sister felt so thrilled that the pharmacist was talking to her, and then THAT happened. It really broke my heart for her.

[@sierrajohnson717]

If he didn’t who knows how long it would have gone on for

[@frndsrmpwr1472]

As soon as you mentioned they went to the pharmacy, I knew what story this was. I think Lazy Masquerade had covered it, but it wasn't nearly as much in detail. While Rina was mentally ill and probably suffering from hallucinations or delusions, I don't think the family was mentally ill in the sense that they each developed separate mental illness on their own. Rather I think Rina's set up and her demands really made them believe her and be manipulated, similar to when a cult leader can manipulate people without them realizing it.

[@priscillagraham3723]

Yes I 100% agree with this. It's easy to see how living with someone like that can have a profound effect on your psyche

[@ezrafarrow486]

Also, others have touched on Buddhist monks mummifying themselves in a VERY similar manner, including living in silence most of the time to aide in meditation as they slowly starve themselves, and how their followers believe they are still alive but in a state of Nirvana. If they believed Rina was ‘brilliant’ enough to sacrifice their own dreams for her art, they very well could have believed her capable of self-mummifying like a monk.

[@climbhigh96]

That makes a lot of sense; the cult aren’t all mentally ill but rather have been manipulated and/or surrendered their cognitive faculties to the cult leader. I’ve heard from neuroscientists that in some cases this can be a evolutionary advantage but in others lead to someone’s doom 👍🏽

[@youta5]

@@climbhigh96And even in normal life this is often a problem, that we normally tend to believe the majority, the group, the leaders without any proof.

[@MrBojangles-er4hd]

Lazy masquerade is awesome, but he’s been doing too much “true crime” lately. Need more dark and mysterious

[@kah7012]

Reminds me of the Indian family you told us about. How one meber of a family can have such a hold over all other family members. A cultural story, a mental health story. The story of mental manipulation condoned by fear.

[@bruceleez5292]

The old Ukrainian woman?

[@lexacutable]

​@@bruceleez5292no, the Burari deaths

[@MinjaeLee-c9z]

@@lexacutable what's the name of the video? I'm not sure if I watched that one

[@lenroz]

@@MinjaeLee-c9z i think they mean this one, since it has a delusional couple kzbin.info/www/bejne/nau6qYNnbdqsg9k

[@griseldamiller174]

Does anybody have the link to the video ?

[@LemahieKd]

I used to question the reasoning behind why people accept such state of living, but as a 26 yo person into this absurd life, I spent most of my life with 2 family members who are obv ill, they make living terrible for everyone who steps a foot into our househols, and you somehow got nthn to do, I pray people with similar lives get a solution, cuz I recently got mine and God what a relief.

[@HiLectric]

What’s also sad is if you try to look up the artists Rina’s works all you find now is links to the news articles of her death. Nothing about her works or any of her family’s works or accomplishments. Everything about them is just overshadowed by the story of how Rina died.

[@MatthewSpencerKociol]

yeah where is her art? I don't see anything online. I just want to see how amazing her art was.

[@insomniacat0088]

Don't you get it that was her master work, to over shadow her family's legacy forever

[@moonstarsun5293]

@@insomniacat0088 the "masterwork" angle was made up by this channel.

[@NitwitsWorld]

@@moonstarsun5293I’m sure her art isn’t better than what Chris Chan produced 😮

[@AnaGamer19]

That's super sad

[@shanehaworth6090]

So... just a quick bit: in case anyone is wondering, "surgical spirits" is the british way of saying "rubbing alcohol." This kind of makes a lot of sense as to why Rina (Rena?) was a bit crazier down the line. The fumes of the alcohol in a tiny room would definitely cause some mental deterioration, not to mention she was being bathed in it regularly. Her isolation from the world definitely added to the mental deterioration, too. Rubbing alcohol and some toxic metals in the paints can even cause problems if she regularly stayed in a small room to do her paintings. I can't say I'm shocked that she went into a downward spiral if that's the case. If this all began with a psychological breakdown, then everything here adds up as to why she dominated the family by exploiting Japanese family culture and turning her entire family into a cult. She never stopped having a psychological breakdown and just exacerbated it by having a regular intake of alcohol through her sinuses (and therefore into her brain) and her skin (due to the regular use of rubbing alcohol, which would increase the toxicity in her body, which would add an onset of nausea, which would in effect explain her loss of appetite). I'm not 100% sure if Rina (Rena?) was even aware of what she was doing since she was basically on depressants and was suffering from some psychological problems that she never resolved. Anyway, this is just my hypothesis to explain why Rina (I'm still not sure of the spelling... I probably should've focused on it) went nuts. Could also explain the delusions and paranoia that gave rise to the cult-like atmosphere of the family. Takehiro definitely made the delusion become a mass psychosis, since he was in deep denial upon discovering his sister's corpse. ...I prattled for too long. Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[@SquiddyBonneBouche]

The last line is the best one. Worth it for that.

[@bethweeks5943]

Very interesting and informative post. Thanks

[@bernierose1114]

Thank you so much for adding this explanation I never thought of it this way as well. I believe you are quite right and perhaps the smell of that alcohol all the time from her room also made it harder for them to realize that her body was givingboff a rotten smell as time went on?? Because as it mentions the pharmacist noticed the smell on the brother and sister. I think the brother was a bit farther gone than the sister and when he discovered his dead sister the shock of it and what she had been telling him he just kinda snapped too.

[@LoneStarWomanInACajunWorld]

Thanks for explaining.

[@csrm91]

im curious as to what japanese family culture is like

[@mercedesdrake9113]

not finished with the story but this whole thing about rena having rules that her family has to follow, even tho its not her house and her family just tolerating it is beyond insane to me.

[@tawnie8550]

I was thinking same thing... I love my family but no way in hell would I stick around for that...

[@kyliedee6079]

I'm looking at the parents 👀 I have a feeling they were raised by controlling domineering parents since they were young so it was easy for 2 of the older siblings to be manipulated to give up their lives to cater for their sister's delusions. I'm sorry but a 56, 51 & 49 year old still living with their mother in a tiny house with no life on the outside is just wild to me.

[@michaelmunoz7913]

Welcome to Japan!

[@KhanMann66]

Definitely a Japan thing. If they lived in Japan Rena would definitely be a hikkikomori but for the whole family to blindly follow the sister’s crazy rules? Yeah something isn’t right.

[@ericab513]

Yeah, I was thinking she needs to go live by herself then.

[@autumn_leaves0]

Her behaviour is massive narcassist, having total control on all family members. All three of them seem so dreaded.

[@beans1998]

I have heard of this story on other true crime channels, but it was told without the narrative of a family struggle. Basically, that Rina died and they kept her corpse for months. When you tell the story from Yoshika's perspective it really make you feel like you're going crazy too. So very sad. I wish that they had reconciled sooner and got Rina some help.

[@nichola.s16]

37:09 she was the master Work. She intentionally starved herself and mummified her body to preserve herself because she thought she was perfect.

[@Cactuskev-in]

That’s kinda what I’m getting too…how dreadfully bizarre…

[@MAST]

When I heard about alcohol, the soul, and not eating, with each subsequent piece of information, I became more and more certain that she would become a mummy.

[@comonena]

I didnt until he said it 🤯

[@wrytruth]

😮

[@zeffery101]

I only guessed when he said her eyes were sunken and basically a skeleton. that her master work was mummifying herself. pretty ambitious art piece I must say.

[@GunnerTheStylist]

Me too

[@6DestructionRebirth9]

Same, because of how Buddhist monks mummify themselves. Only they don't use the preservatives

[@saffy_9967]

My experience with The royal college of music is that the establishment is absolutely full of snobs who think everyone is below them, and the admin team severely bully their staff.

[@king-fisher]

IRRELEVANT to what happened.

[@Katherine-pn7ms]

@@king-fisherI think it adds to the god savior mentality this family had, I’d say relevant

[@smvwees]

When hearing about the alcohol, i was thinking Rina would set herself ablaze and the house with it. Like the act of some evil spirit within Rina. Hadn't seen this outcome coming.

[@andreapool9220]

I literally thought the same thing 😂

[@OhCeCelia]

I was thinking fire, or she was drinking it because that's "what her soul wanted". Didn't see that coming in the end either.

[@andylewis7045]

That was my thought exactly. Somehow this outcome was worse though, so understated and tragic.

[@TyeArtisik]

Same

[@Danica.Powell]

Yeah, my first thought was even worse, I thought she was DRINKING it 😂😂😂😂 I'm like...it's not going to go very well....

[@DarthStardom]

Yea, this story has always pissed me off because Rina was just mentally freaking crazy. And when she got her palm read and was told she was crazy, she lost it and couldn’t take the accountability

[@EX7RUD1CON]

For me it’s more frustrating how her family went along and enabled all this because “genius”, it’s absolutely incredibly stupid.

[@MarcLL]

@@EX7RUD1CON I think a lot of it has to do with Japanese culture, plus mental illness (which sometimes has a hereditary component).

[@buzzii]

often times the most intelligent are crazy, or driven to insanity. I've noticed that alot with cases like this one.

[@dankone3]

If you actually knew of this story before this dumbass video then you would know she didn't have the family do ANYTHING. The mom was actually the crazy one, the sister died in the room and the siblings were masking the smell with the spirits, they were hiding for a reason (they knew what they were doing), they played the crazy card to avoid responsibility. It's fucking astonishing how this dude managed to fuck this story up so badly that he really has people believing the sister somehow orchestrated this and had her family controlled lol. No they let her die, fact check this dude's shit. Mr Ballen has been proven to purposely mislead and bullshit time and time again.

[@anyoneofus9948]

In Japan there is a law against the religious act of self-mummification, One time they came to a man's house to congratulate him for being the oldest person in Japan and found out that he had been dead for decades and his mummy was still sitting in his room!

[@SeanShimamoto]

You know this didn't take place in Japan, right?

[@anyoneofus9948]

@@SeanShimamoto It comes from the Buddhist religion.

[@eyeseeeee]

@@SeanShimamoto 😆😆

[@SeanShimamoto]

@@anyoneofus9948 What are you on about? This story was in Europe, not Asia.

[@stevenicol1]

@@SeanShimamoto these people were of Japanese descent.

[@SgtGatorade]

I tried to read more about the case but couldn’t find anything. You must be digging deep to find these narratives, I respect it!

[@SgtGatorade]

-I found stories but they were brief as fuck even years later. This probably the most detailed account.