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| notes = One of the few characters who cannot be killed. | | notes = One of the few characters who cannot be killed. | ||
|effect reaction = None}} | |effect reaction = None}} | ||
==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
The characters known as '''Jellyfish''' (クラゲ, Kurage) are [[List of characters|NPCs]] that can be found in the [[Dense Woods]], and also make an appearance during the final scene of the game. | The characters known as '''Jellyfish''' (クラゲ, Kurage) are [[List of characters|NPCs]] that can be found in the [[Dense Woods]], and also make an appearance during the [[The Ending|final scene]] of the game. | ||
They are red and maroon in color and resemble jellyfish or weeping flower buds. | They are red and maroon in color and resemble jellyfish or weeping flower buds. They have no humanoid characteristics other than the two squat legs visible from below their petal-like frills. | ||
[[File:Jellyfish.gif|frame|left]] | [[File:Jellyfish.gif|frame|left]] | ||
When interacted with, the | When interacted with, the frills shuffle from side to side and produce a series of bell chimes. This can trigger paraphysical events such as teleportation. | ||
Jellyfish do not move or animate when idle, and show no response to any of [[Madotsuki|Madotsuki's]] effects, including even the [[Effects#Knife_.2F_Kitchen_Knife.EF.BC.88.E3.81.BB.E3.81.86.E3.81.A1.E3.82.87.E3.81.86.EF.BC.89|Knife]] and the [[Effects#Cat_.EF.BC.88.E3.81.AD.E3.81.93.EF.BC.89t|Cat]], which is | Jellyfish do not move or animate when idle, and show no response to any of [[Madotsuki|Madotsuki's]] effects, including even the [[Effects#Knife_.2F_Kitchen_Knife.EF.BC.88.E3.81.BB.E3.81.86.E3.81.A1.E3.82.87.E3.81.86.EF.BC.89|Knife]] and the [[Effects#Cat_.EF.BC.88.E3.81.AD.E3.81.93.EF.BC.89t|Cat]], which is highly unusual for standard NPCs. | ||
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
*On the credits screen at the end of the game, they can be made to chime with the number keys. The lower Jellyfish reacts to the (1) key and makes a low sound, and the upper Jellyfish reacts to the (3) key and makes a higher-pitched sound. | *On the credits screen at the end of the game, they can be made to chime with the number keys. The lower Jellyfish reacts to the (1) key and makes a low sound, and the upper Jellyfish reacts to the (3) key and makes a higher-pitched sound. | ||
**These same chimes can also be heard in the background music for [[Snow World]] and the [[The Neon Tile Path|Neon Tile Path]], as they share the same music. | |||
==Interpretation== | ==Interpretation== | ||
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Jellyfish are strange characters that provoke a lot of questions. Their lack of expression and strange behavior make them very mysterious characters. | Jellyfish are strange characters that provoke a lot of questions. Their lack of expression and strange behavior make them very mysterious characters. | ||
Most notably, despite being surreal creatures exclusive to Madotsuki's dreams, they appear in the real world after she jumps from her balcony. This may indicate that what was apparently the 'real world' was nothing more than another layer of Madotsuki's dreams (which could be supported by the fact that her [[Vending Machine#Yen|yen]] is carried over), or may suggest that they were supernatural entities that always existed outside of Madotsuki's dreams and guided the events of the game from the beginning. The fact that they appear in the ending as well as on the way to [[Shitai-san]] is usually brought up as evidence that they are reapers of some kind, and are thus sometimes called "death gods" (死神, "Shinigami") in the fanbase. Alternatively, their appearance may just be a symbol that Madotsuki will never escape her dreams, even in death. | Most notably, despite being surreal creatures exclusive to Madotsuki's dreams, they appear in the real world after she jumps from her balcony. This may indicate that what was apparently the 'real world' was nothing more than another layer of Madotsuki's dreams (which could be supported by the fact that her [[Vending Machine#Yen|yen]] is carried over, though this may just be a remnant from RPG Maker 2003), or may suggest that they were supernatural entities that always existed outside of Madotsuki's dreams and guided the events of the game from the beginning. The fact that they appear in the ending as well as on the way to [[Shitai-san]] is usually brought up as evidence that they are reapers of some kind, and are thus sometimes called "death gods" (死神, "Shinigami") in the fanbase. Alternatively, their appearance may just be a symbol that Madotsuki will never escape her dreams, even in death. | ||
They are also the only NPC character (other than [[Uboa]], [[Pain Blob]], and the [[Toriningen]]) to be immune to the Knife effect. Interestingly, Uboa is the only other character that has no reaction at all to the Knife. This could imply that they represent a very powerful force in Madotsuki's psyche on par with these other major characters, yet unlike Uboa and the Toriningen, Jellyfish show no obvious signs of hostility. This trait may also tie in to the theory of them being supernatural or deific figures. Further evidence to support this is the sound they make when interacted with, a chiming bell. In the Japanese ''Shinto'' religion, bells are often placed on shrines and are a part of the ceremonial ritual associated with praying to the Gods. | They are also the only standard NPC character (other than [[Uboa]], [[Pain Blob]], and the [[Toriningen]]) to be immune to the Knife effect. Interestingly, Uboa is the only other character that has no reaction at all to the Knife. This could imply that they represent a very powerful force in Madotsuki's psyche on par with these other major characters, yet unlike Uboa and the Toriningen, Jellyfish show no obvious signs of hostility. This trait may also tie in to the theory of them being supernatural or deific figures. Further evidence to support this is the sound they make when interacted with, a chiming bell. In the Japanese ''Shinto'' religion, bells are often placed on shrines and are a part of the ceremonial ritual associated with praying to the Gods. | ||
[[File:Lotus-flower.jpg|thumb|left|A lotus flower. The Jellyfish may be interpreted as lotus buds or upside-down flowers.]] | [[File:Lotus-flower.jpg|thumb|left|A lotus flower. The Jellyfish may be interpreted as lotus buds or upside-down flowers.]] | ||
Revision as of 16:50, 23 August 2022
Overview
The characters known as Jellyfish (クラゲ, Kurage) are NPCs that can be found in the Dense Woods, and also make an appearance during the final scene of the game.
They are red and maroon in color and resemble jellyfish or weeping flower buds. They have no humanoid characteristics other than the two squat legs visible from below their petal-like frills.
When interacted with, the frills shuffle from side to side and produce a series of bell chimes. This can trigger paraphysical events such as teleportation.
Jellyfish do not move or animate when idle, and show no response to any of Madotsuki's effects, including even the Knife and the Cat, which is highly unusual for standard NPCs.
Trivia
- On the credits screen at the end of the game, they can be made to chime with the number keys. The lower Jellyfish reacts to the (1) key and makes a low sound, and the upper Jellyfish reacts to the (3) key and makes a higher-pitched sound.
- These same chimes can also be heard in the background music for Snow World and the Neon Tile Path, as they share the same music.
Interpretation
Jellyfish are strange characters that provoke a lot of questions. Their lack of expression and strange behavior make them very mysterious characters.
Most notably, despite being surreal creatures exclusive to Madotsuki's dreams, they appear in the real world after she jumps from her balcony. This may indicate that what was apparently the 'real world' was nothing more than another layer of Madotsuki's dreams (which could be supported by the fact that her yen is carried over, though this may just be a remnant from RPG Maker 2003), or may suggest that they were supernatural entities that always existed outside of Madotsuki's dreams and guided the events of the game from the beginning. The fact that they appear in the ending as well as on the way to Shitai-san is usually brought up as evidence that they are reapers of some kind, and are thus sometimes called "death gods" (死神, "Shinigami") in the fanbase. Alternatively, their appearance may just be a symbol that Madotsuki will never escape her dreams, even in death.
They are also the only standard NPC character (other than Uboa, Pain Blob, and the Toriningen) to be immune to the Knife effect. Interestingly, Uboa is the only other character that has no reaction at all to the Knife. This could imply that they represent a very powerful force in Madotsuki's psyche on par with these other major characters, yet unlike Uboa and the Toriningen, Jellyfish show no obvious signs of hostility. This trait may also tie in to the theory of them being supernatural or deific figures. Further evidence to support this is the sound they make when interacted with, a chiming bell. In the Japanese Shinto religion, bells are often placed on shrines and are a part of the ceremonial ritual associated with praying to the Gods.
It has been suggested that Jellyfish are actually modeled after the lotus flower, specifically the nelumbo nucifera species, which are also known as the sacred lotus and are a common flower symbol in general. In Japanese culture (including Buddhist symbolism), the lotus flower represents purity, divinity, and spiritual awakening. The lotus flower was also used to represent the path from death to the afterlife in ancient Egypt. This symbolism may be a metaphor for Madotsuki's suicide being a transcendence from her disturbed life into a state of 'nirvana' and peace, or her 'awakening' from the dream into the true real world.
Gallery
A Jellyfish in the Dense Woods
The Jellyfish that transports the player to the Teleport Maze
Two Jellyfish in the ending
A Jellyfish in the manga
