THE SILVER CASE: Killing the Past with Kusabi Tetsugoro [redux]

[@mackerelphones]

This is a revised re-upload of a video I originally posted on 12 January 2021. I had various issues with the original, which you can read about on my website if you like: mackerelphones.com/2021/08/06/self-criticism-killing-the-past-with-kusabi-tetsugoro/ It is my hope that this remake, while mostly identical, will not be as embarrassing as the original. My Twitter: twitter.com/MackerelPhones Here's the rest of my "credits," which the video description isn't roomy enough to fit: Research: “The Silver Case HD Completes the 17 Year Localization of an Iconic Videogame Trilogy” Gareth Damien Martin 14 July 2016 killscreen.com/previously/articles/silver-case-hd-completes-17-year-localization-iconic-videogame-trilogy/ “The stray dogs of The Silver Case” Gareth Damian Martin 23 April 2017 www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-04-14-the-stray-dogs-of-the-silver-case “Suda51 on Sports, Serial Killers, and ‘The Silver Case’” Steve Haske 17 October 2016 www.inverse.com/article/22320-goichi-suda-suda51-interview-silver-case-killer-7 “Silver Case Documentary” PLAYISM kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX3KgpV6qaeGppY Minamata disease stories: “Japanese Industrial Pollution and Environmental Injustice” in Transnational Japan in the Global Environment Simon Avenell 2017 www.jstor.com/stable/j.ctt1wn0qwk.6 “W. Eugene Smith’s Warning to the World” Alexandra Genova 14 April 2019 www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/health/w-eugene-smith-minamata-warning-to-the-world/ “Aging Minamata disease victims continue to convey lessons” Takuya Okamoto 30 December 2017 english.kyodonews.net/news/2017/12/757254cd2c65-feature-aging-minamata-disease-victims-continue-to-convey-lessons.html “The History and the Present of Minamata Disease” Noriyuki Hachiya 2006 www.med.or.jp/english/pdf/2006_03/112_118.pdf Video of Sakamoto Shinobu in 2017: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pH-blGxulquEgJY “Environmental Health in Japan - A Retrospective and Prospective Review” K. Tsuchiya 1987 www.jstor.org/stable/26720344?seq=1 Minamata: The Victims and Their World Tsuchimoto Noriaki, 1971 Other research: “Chief removes Punisher emblem” Fernando Alfonso III www.kentucky.com/news/state/article134722264.html “August 30th, 1974: The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Headquarters Bombing” William Andrews 30 August 2014 throwoutyourbooks.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/east-asia-anti-japan-armed-front-mitsubishi-bombing/ (This guy doesn’t cite any sources, best I can tell, though! Times like these I wish I had studied Japanese much, much harder, so I could thoroughly look up the subject in that language.) “Police abolition and other revolutionary lessons from Rojava” Hawzhin Azeez 6 June 2020 roarmag.org/essays/police-abolition-and-other-revolutionary-lessons-from-rojava/ “Tracking the Mystery Man with the 21 Faces” Marilyn Ivy 1996 www.jstor.org/stable/1344076 “Not just ‘a few bad apples’” Alexi Jones and Wendy Sawyer 5 June 2020 www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/06/05/policekillings/ 「うるさい、静かにしろ！」　入管施設「制圧」の実態　映像入手 Kamito Asako 13 February 2022 mainichi.jp/articles/20220211/k00/00m/040/249000c “Death row inmate apologizes to victims of 1974 bombing” Kyodo News International (no author name given?) 30 August 1999 www.thefreelibrary.com/Death+row+inmate+apologizes+to+victims+of+1974+bombing.-a055895554 “Mangaaka Power Figure” The Met www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/320053 神戸・須磨の連続児童殺傷事件、大津いじめ自殺事件、川崎 Ogawa Ichi 14 April 2019 mainichi.jp/articles/20190409/mog/00m/040/008000c “Japan Holds Anti-Racism Rally” Thisanka Siripala 8 June 2020 thediplomat.com/2020/06/japan-holds-anti-racism-rally-protesting-homegrown-police-brutality-in-solidarity-with-black-lives-matter/ “Sentenced to Serving the Good Life in Norway” William Lee Adams 12 July 2010 content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2000920,00.html “Section 1. The History of the Police” in Policing: A Text/Reader Carol A. Archbold October 2012 www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/50819_ch_1.pdf “Power Figure (Kongo peoples)” Khan Academy www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/africa-apah/central-africa-apah/a/nkisi-nkondi 14-Year-Old Arrested in Japan for Brutal Slaying of a Child Nicholas D. Kristof 29 June 1997 www.nytimes.com/1997/06/29/world/14-year-old-arrested-in-japan-for-the-brutal-slaying-of-a-child.html 少年A「ショックレスハンマーと狂気の部屋」 Matsui Kiyoko August 1 2019 president.jp/articles/-/29519.html “History of Urban Police” Eric H. Monkkonen 1992 www.jstor.com/stable/1147625 “Kobe murderer writes ambiguously of regret and pleasure from 1997 child killings” Osaki Tomohiro 10 June 2015 www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/06/10/national/crime-legal/kobe-murderer-writes-ambiguously-regret-pleasure-1997-child-killings/ “The History of Policing in the United States” Gary Potte 2013 plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/history-policing-united-states-part-1 “How a massacre of Algerians in Paris was covered up” Ahmed Rouaba 17 October 2021 www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58927939 “The Price of Coal, Part 1,” 30 September 2016 “The Price of Coal, Part 2,” 31 October 2016 Ron Soodalter www.kentuckymonthly.com/culture/history/the-price-of-coal/ www.kentuckymonthly.com/culture/history/the-price-of-coal_1/ “Protestors hit Tokyo and Osaka streets” Ryusei Takahashi and Eric Johnston 7 June 2020 www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/06/07/national/protests-rallies-race-police-brutality-tokyo-japan/ “The Long Path to Reparations for the Survivors of Chicago Police Torture” G. Flint Taylor 2016 scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1136&context=njlsp Japanese Police State Louise Tipton 1990 www.bloomsbury.com/us/japanese-police-state-9781780939742/ “Accused Torturer Jon Burge Died Last Week” Micah Uetricht 2018 theintercept.com/2018/09/25/jon-burge-chicago-police-torture/ “「思想犯」にされた日々 95歳と96歳　治安維持法を語る” 13 September 2017 news.yahoo.co.jp/feature/741

[@claymoregwen1276]

do you still intend on doing the other videos on the silver case and other kill the past games?

[@L33PL4Y]

@@claymoregwen1276 Since he stated he does in the video and has said nothing to contradict that statement, the answer is yes.

[@ketrub]

fun fact, in the european version of FSR instead of saying "he was batting for the other team, if you know what i mean" tokio says "This guy, he was gay."

[@AS_SO]

This is the best analysis on The Silver Case, and probably on Suda's work as a whole, I've seen yet. Most videos tend to focus on the more absurdist aspect of Suda's work, ignoring the amount of detail and care that went into building these games' narratives and characters. Kusabi is an amazing character, and analysing his development throught the story to showcase the game's still relevant themes was genius. Thank you for making this fantastic video!

[@theElliotBrown]

As a citizen of Russia, I absolutely resonate with the topic that was touched upon in the video. A police state and power in the hands of a limited group of people leads to disasters and the destruction of people's lives. This is one of the best videos I've seen on The Silver Case. Thank you for it!

[@HORSEMANFOREVER]

This is a fantastic video! I especially enjoyed the research that went into the historical aspects that influenced the story elements - it's the kind of thing that is really easy to miss if you don't actually live in Japan, and understanding some of the inspirations for the story really puts a lot of it in a new perspective.

[@beauoddball1435]

This is Still one of my favorite videos ever on The Silver Case. Thanks for the video I look forward to the article and the next video.

[@noo-dll]

i remembered this video a few months ago and went to rewatch, only to see it was gone. glad to see you uploaded it again, i've read your blogpost and appreciate how insightful it is -- you addressed most issues i remember i had with it. really solid analysis, great work! excited to see what you do next

[@L33PL4Y]

Your works that focus on Suda-51's work are my favorite things you do. Please continue with more. It's criminal how little his games (other than Killer7 and No More Heroes) are talked about.

[@mackerelphones]

I still have that other Silver Case vid planned, no worries And also a few other ideas. If only having an idea was all it took to execute it though, eh

[@L33PL4Y]

@@mackerelphones I feel you. I also read your self-critique essay and was very impressed by your intense care for the quality of your work and your willingness and ability to catch and correct your wrongness. I'm very glad that you didn't simply delete the video, but fixed it and uploaded an improved version. To not have your commentary on Suda's games would be a sad detriment to the space of creative analysis. The world is better with your work in it.

[@Deep_wolf]

Very good talking topic. Bringing historical events that influenced the story was also very interesting.

[@Cameron_David_]

Amazing work! Easily the best silver case vid out there.

[@samwill7259]

I figured Suda51 would be a bit more...I dunno, manic? than he seemed in the interview footage. Considering the kind of games he makes he seems to just be a regular if slightly enthusiastic dude with an enthralling appreciation of the classics and a deep need to make things no one else has ever seen before.

[@FlowersSunRain]

I'd have to disagree with what you said about sexist undertones, I wouldn't really say they're undertones and I wouldn't say that the game is painting them in a good light either, generally the 3 younger members of the HCU are seen to be as the most competent of the unit. I'm not saying that it's a great example but I would definitely say that the way hachisuka is treated isn't supposed to be viewed as understandable or okay. I've not got long into the video but I wanted to bring this up in case I forgot

[@shodanzinha]

Yeah, I feel the same. I'm a woman, in love with this game, and before I had even played it I was very surprised to see the sexism presented the way it was and...making sense, not inhibiting my appreciation unlike many many many(more like every-other) games. I was expecting something crude or lowbrow as the outlandish example he presented in No Mo Heroes and was left instead with a sense of "Ah, makes sense really, the game is obviously making clear these men sound ludicrous and shitty, and the few female characters present are amazing"(least to me. I could easily say my most favourite character other than Sumio is Ayame).

[@hulukuma]

I agree. As a east-asian woman.

[@RisottosWife]

By the way, according to Suda in a few interviews in 2013 and 2014, he didn't have a hand in Killer is Dead's dating sim shit; his vision of Gigolo Mode was a lot different and not fan-servicey sexualized shit, but he was pressured into it by the producers Yoshimi Yasuda and Hideyuki Shin. I think when people look at the examples of distasteful things in a Suda51 game, they always tie it back to Grasshopper and Suda himself, but they never really research beyond that point or understand the different power dynamics at play, and I want to clear up that I do not have a big issue with sexual content in video games; this is a mature-rated game after all, but I feel like it does deviate from the main focus of Killer is Dead and is unnecessarily implemented in a way that makes it seem like pandering to a different audience. I suggest people watch Ghenry Perez's video on Killer is Dead; he talks about the development history and clears up some of the murky shit that happens in GH games.

[@Deep_wolf]

I doubt that Ryo is a Shelter kid. He's a high-schooler, when all the Shelter kids in their late 20s. Timeline doesn't add up, unless you wanna retcon old game. I think it's more of having that criminal power erupted from Mithra confrontation. But that's a different topic altogether.

[@Mouzhappy]

would love to see a video on the 25th ward

[@saltlord_]

Excellent video. Though I have only played the Kill The Past games at the start of this year, this series is on my mind all the time, so I was quite interested in hearing the perspective of another person on one of its - in my opinion - best characters. Has the written essay you mentioned been published to your website yet?

[@kloa4219]

33:22 Alot of VNs covered this subject, full metal muramasa, Higuarashi, etc

[@kloa4219]

Moonlight Syndrome was an edgier spin off of Twilight Syndrome where the cast was killed off. This story will make no sense unless if you play that game.

[@SciontheDark]

To be as fair as possible, they didn't like the Gigolo mode either

[@glyde_sides]

oh nice, a reupload. gonna watch this again

[@rngwrldngnr]

Re-upload?

[@mackerelphones]

Yeeep

[@hulukuma]

It should be Chizuru killed Morikawa. The implications are clear enough in the game. Chizuru appeared behind Morikawa and killed him, Tetsu took out his gun to protect Morikawa but it's too late.

[@valserra6672]

Is there a reason why the No More Heroes series sits at a maybe in terms of having to do with KLP?

[@mackerelphones]

Mainly because when I originally heard of KTP I never saw No More Heroes included, even though now most fans probably would include them since Uehara and the 25th Ward etc. turn up in the newest ones

[@valserra6672]

@@mackerelphones yea im trying to do a presentation on the NMH series and right now im stuck before 3 because I can explain some things but others I wanna confirm fully before making any statements. Great vid btw

[@thepit7868]

When it comes to older games like this you have to realize the time period it was made and have that mindset going in, you'll enjoy the game more. I was worried they were going to censor the more colorful language this game has and thank the stars they didn't change anything. I personally find it insulting to change the "problematic" dialog of any media, the writer obviously wanted a characters personality to be portrayed a certain way and removes or even ruins the personality of a character.

[@CAVEDATA]

Great

[@blumiu2426]

Introduction to the video didn't age so well. Police have only become more authoritarian arm of politicians, government and elites, but context sure is important to the reason behind the riots overshadowing the protests. I don't need an argument on the matter given my...intimate knowledge of the race involved, one can say, what took place where innocent people lost their lives (cops and civilians), attacked or businesses destroyed had nothing to do with what came to light was Floyd overdosing. Black Lives Matter organization was a scam and socialist front using the disenfranchised as usual. That was social maneuvering of wealthy figures using activists groups to push agendas. Tale as old as time, only the brand in America is new to it. I like games that dig deep into things and explore the different angles, and if not, you can at least see the different angles personally and can debate it. Imagine a game that went that deep into making commentary to show the grand narrative at play. Deus Ex did this to one of the best degrees I can think of immediately in gaming. I think more so the vibe of this plays a big part in being immersed as well as the art, being the artist, personally.