Touhou Suichouka ~ Lotus Eater-tachi no Suisei - Ch. 60 - Sake is the Best Medicine (Part 2)

[MangaDex]

 

[Snerkus]

suikas thinking what we're all thinking..... friends to enemies yuri

 

[ampnaman]

Well, that storyline ended fast. Since it was mist, I thought Suika was being mischievous. Heck, even a final boss Unzan arc would have been hilarious.

 

[Teruyo]

Well, at least the solution to Marisa's dilemma is to get her blackout drunk.

And the Comet Blazing Star - Butt Shove edition.

 

[SpiritedBreak2]

The status quo strikes again... sigh

 

[DLRevan]

Even if its a fan work, Lost Word reflects what longtime fans have always picked up about what could potentially happen to Marisa. It has been implied in every single Zun work that everyone plays along with Marisa's fantasies but her actual friends don't ever wish for her to cross to the other side.

The number of bullets Marisa keeps dodging when she plays so close to fire is pretty amazing when you think about it.

 

[bobdave19]

The fanon has played with the idea for a long time, but isn’t this the first time the canon is outright acknowledging how close Marisa is to becoming a youkai, and implying that Reimu would have to exterminate her, should that happens?

Prior to this chapter, we knew about how Marisa can become a youkai through the magician track, but it looks like there may be even easier options.

 

[VINT64]

Suzunaan ending had the similar theme, with Kosuzu almost becoming yokai, and Yukari pulling some weird plan in order to not let that happen. ZUN is repeating himself. Though I didn't know that in order to stop astral-projecting and transforming to yokai one should be gotten drunk unconscious.
Marisa's rocket butt attack

 

[AEnigmatrices]

Ah, yes. The Tequila Sunset method.

 

[mkoookm]

This is weird right. Marisa turning into a youkai without fulfilling any of the steps a magician needs to do to reject their humanity. Or is zun going to reveal that it is 'forbidden magic' that turns you into a youkai and immortality is just the most common culprit.

 

[bookwurm]

We almost got ourselves a love colored poisonous mushroom youkai.

 

[Koana78]

The status quo strikes again... sigh

I wouldn't quite call this status quo since this chapter did indicate that marisa is becoming less human.

 

[Faztri]

Marisa's youkaifiying?!

Seihou timeline is near!!
~Cue Silk Road Alice

 

[Thorn14]

I always like when they play up the fact Marisa is constantly teetering on the edge of becoming a Youkai. Even if its a "status quo" ending it is nice they acknowledge it.

 

[Prime32]

This is weird right. Marisa turning into a youkai without fulfilling any of the steps a magician needs to do to reject their humanity. Or is zun going to reveal that it is 'forbidden magic' that turns you into a youkai and immortality is just the most common culprit.

There are a ton of ways to become a youkai which don't have anything to do with being a magician; Marisa has already expressed interest in a bunch of them, but never followed through. Sometimes she claimed there was some downside of the method which she didn't like, but really Marisa is a person with commitment issues in general (and forever losing your humanity is a pretty big commitment).

Her turning into a youkai naturally, but a half-baked one lesser than any of the options she had available, would be like karma for her indecisiveness.

 

[Monos89]

Miyoi casually getting Marisa shit faced so Reimu doesn't have to exterminate her

 

[DLRevan]

This is weird right. Marisa turning into a youkai without fulfilling any of the steps a magician needs to do to reject their humanity. Or is zun going to reveal that it is 'forbidden magic' that turns you into a youkai and immortality is just the most common culprit.

It's implied that becoming a Magician the 'proper' way is the safest. It's impossible to become one now in the outside world (or so implied), but within Gensokyo or other 'non-existent' locations it still is. However, even with that, with regards to GSK, Marisa is always running the risk of cascading into becoming some type of sorcery-related youkai. by accident rather than by very, very long term design. This could destabilize the status quo in GSK, and Marisa would likely not be driven by her own will, but by her new nature.

That would make her a target for extermination. While the recurring concept of new ensembles was conceived by Zun more for gameplay reasons, that being each game having a couple of bosses who worked for one big boss, within the lore it also provides for a handful of 'rational' leader youkai, who can help and have a vested interest in maintaining the power balance within GSK rather than wreck it, having absolute power over a couple lesser youkai, so they are also under control. Marisa if she fell within Reimu's lifetime wouldn't easily fall into these categories.

The proper way is something that 1: Marisa is unlikely to actually achieve, at least on her own. Magicians are superlative individuals who can crack the secret of immortality within their lifetimes. Marisa is a resourceful and cunning girl, but she really isn't that type, no matter how much she trains or reads. She isn't a unparallaled genius and she lacks a lot of discipline. And 2. Even if she does do it, it'll be a problem for a later generation of shrine maiden than Reimu, and it's more likely that she'll be a relatively stable presence like Alice anyway.

So Reimu's only real concern is if she turns around now. Which is why Zun keeps re-visting this little plot thread.

 

[rotateurowl]

The whole thing of Marisa turning Youkai has been around for a while, but i don't think ZUN will ever go all in on that.

In Forbidden Scrollery it is shown that Reimu is merciless with humans that turn youkai.

But, as far as we know (and i remember), the humans closest to become youkai are Marisa (cause magical bullshitery) and Kosuzu (cause of the exposure to youkai books).

At least we got Miyoi taking care of Marisa, and Yukari taking care of Kosuzu.

 

[Valahuir]

The fanon has played with the idea for a long time, but isn’t this the first time the canon is outright acknowledging how close Marisa is to becoming a youkai, and implying that Reimu would have to exterminate her, should that happens?

Prior to this chapter, we knew about how Marisa can become a youkai through the magician track, but it looks like there may be even easier options.

First time it's been noted to be this close, second time it's been noted that Reimu's got her eye on her and will eliminate her if she does.

I think it was Forbidden Scrollery it first came up.

 

[hurfdurf0]

Reimu has exterminated exactly one youkai ever (RIP fortune teller guy), and it was because his existence as a human from the village that turned into a youkai was a threat to Gensoukyou's continued existence. This is notable because it has to do with what Reimu's job actually is (maintaining the barrier and current balance) vs what her job is generally perceived as. It's probably never going to happen to begin with because ZUN doesn't usually commit to big changes in the world, but if Marisa did turn into a youkai she and Reimu would probably still get along more or less fine. Marisa already lives apart from the human village and has about as much interaction with the villagers as the actual youkai that are constantly hanging around it do (Mamizou, Aya, Reisen, etc). See also: Sumireko technically being a youkai after the events of Violet Detector, but still hanging around Reimu like usual.