Perusing The Catalog - Osana Reimu / Other Works

[Reitisen]

So today I want to discuss how much fan content from the written categories yawl have experienced and share them so others can look to perhaps reading them.

I will be sharing some content that I have read myself from other series in the Touhou sphere, so maybe expect more posts like these in the future.

I'll be mainly reviewing Osana Reimu for the main topic today as it seems to be somewhat forgotten by most of the western fanbase. So expect a looooooong post.

Osana Reimu / Reireimu by @JoyfulDayo

Cute little Reimu!

This piece of fan content is often overshadowed by KKHTA which seems to garner more attention from the western side today, though some memes are seen from this work.

I would say that the general themes are Slice of life, Tragedy, and psychological concepts.

The plot and character of the story delves into the backstory of Reimu, Reimu's mom (RMO) , and Rumia through a non-canon perspective.

So basically this series delves into the early life of Reimu [Little Reimu [LR] + RMO [Sendai by fans] and their encounter with a version of Rumia who I'm going to call Original Rumia. [OR] (based on the context) 

If you are going to read this series, prepare some tissues and a dose of insulin.

Spoiler here if you want to read this series yourself  (I highly recommend doing this instead of reading the plot as the whole) / There is also a YouTube video if you're too lazy to click on pages [Just search up the series name] (I'll be going through what happens throughout the Osana Reimu Plot (First part)) Reireimu is the second part which I might do later)

Spoiler

Alright you good?

RMO is basically masked for most of the story.

Okay so jumping right in after the introduction, RMO tries to exorcise OR due to her status and reputation for being a well-known genocidal man eater, but stops when she notices how OR seems to be self deprecating due to her youkai nature, confining her to a tree nearby the shrine.

This is where little Reimu is introduced. She is shown to be somewhat annoying to Rumia, but slowly warms up to Rumia's rude nature to which point they share food between the two of them. (something that Rumia probably hasn't experienced due to her nature as a man eating youkai)

At this point a jump in time is experienced, though it is presumably a short time probably 1-4 months. Given the fact that Reimu's Mother seems to be okay with releasing Rumia who decided to stay with them.

Cut scene to a slice of life scene where RMO is sleeping, Rumia and Yukari are talking, and lil Reimu and lil Marisa are under the table.

Yukari (being the youkai sage she is) talks to Rumia about enjoying what she has now, (a foreshadowing to what happens in the future) and if she has eaten anyone since then. This question is disregarded as Rumia thinks that she has forgone her nature as the man eating youkai and found what makes her live. (Staying with the Hakureis) 

Slice of life scenes ensue. Rumia wants lil Reimu to grow up to not be the stereotypical Reimu due to her mother not teaching her lady-like behavior. Moving the settings to the sun-flower fields.

Some misunderstandings later and Yuuka is introduced, not as the plant maniac, but somebody who is actually sensible even if her plants are being plucked by lil Reimu. Sasuga Yuuka-san. She explains that she appreciates people living and their way of life, imparting onto Rumia this information and telling her to find her on path in life. Flower crown moment ~  Happy scene ensues with Rumia realizing she is happy now.

Alright now we delve into the backstory of Reimu's mom! The setting is with lil Reimu and RMO in presumably the village during a festival day. little hijinks from lil Reimu doing what she does. RMO notices people whispering about her, and her reaction seems to be one of discontent, this is later explored in a future scene, but her and lil Reimu go back to the shrine.

Rumia greets them and scenes proceed. Rumia notices how Reimu lost her ribbon causing Reimu to cry when she notices her favorite ribbon is gone :(. Rumia decides to give her her own ribbon :). Leading to lil Reimu sleeping in Rumia's arms. Reimu's mom notices how Rumia seems to be much more happier in general and comments on that. This leads to Rumia questioning why RMO wears masks all the time, especially around her own child, leading to RMO saying "it's fine this way" leading to a belief of her hiding her true emotions to anyone.

[ At this point on I'm going to be replacing RMO with Sendai for easier reading ]

At this point, Sendai exposes her thoughts to Rumia about her own feelings in the world as the Hakurei Maiden. *Cue Flashback Scene*.

Get your tissues ready, real tear jerker.

Sendai exposes as to how Hakurei Maidens jobs are to naturally defeat youkai and exterminate them, this leads to her being the bearer of protecting humans, but as humans are, they judge her for being way too strong compared to an average human and begin to despise and fear her power. This has lead her to immense ostracization from humans and youkai alike, eventually leading to her donning a mask to hide away from the stares.

Sendai fears that Reimu will eventually face the same situation as her and go down the same path being shunned while doing her duty as the Hakurei Maiden.

Sendai brushes the story off, obviously troubled, but doesn't want to dwell anymore on this topic.

Rumia is troubled by this information, owing to her own history and how Sendai has helped her from her slump.

(Dear god I'm going to cry again)

Rumia shouts out towards Sendai, telling her that she doesn't need to cover her emotions as she is grateful to her for allowing her to change her life, something which breaks Sendai, especially since she heard it from a youkai instead of a human.

This leads to Sendai shedding her mask for the first time in her life, as Reimu seems to notice her real face for the first time, allowing her to express her love to Reimu.

Heart warming scenes indeed. :)

Alright now time to ruin it all! Turn back now or face depression.

Okay? Okay.

After that heartwarming scene, Reimu is playing around quite jubilantly and trips as a result, scraping her hands leading to Sendai and Rumia being worried a little. Reimu shows her hands to Rumia who takes a closer look at the wounds.

This leads to Rumia having a sort of instinctual response as she sees and smells the blood of a human, the natural diet of a Youkai.

Rumia is horrified to notice this instinct flair up, excusing herself into the forest.

Here comes Yukari, reminding Rumia about what she said earlier "Happiness disappears in a flash" and warns her to not interact with the Hakureis.

Her explanation as to why she shouldn't is backed up by Rumia feeling the pangs of hunger, even though she already ate a lot of "food" in her mind, her body demands humans for nutrition.

Yukari wants her to stay sane by eating some humans in certain circumstances, as her not eating will make her end up eating everyone in a berserker hunger.

So unless Rumia wants to see the Hakurei's again and continue her life, she must choose to eat humans as a part of her nature.

Rumia couldn't accept this fact. Interacting with the Hakurei's has left her troubled from eating humans at all, something which she has done freely has left her scared of her old man-eater self.

Yukari notices and says she has one week to come to terms of her predicament.

Days and nights pass. Rumia holds onto her sanity as the hunger continues to eat away at her.

Rumia wakes up in the same place, the same spot. She hears Reimu calling out to her, obviously worried about her. Her body urges her to eat the human, remembering the blood from Reimu's hands. She breaks, but instead bites her arm to stave off her instincts. Still holding on to her sanity.

Sendai calls out to Reimu, telling her to come back home, this leaves Reimu saddened as Rumia isn't back.

Sendai tells Reimu that Rumia will come back home. . .

(oh god, oh fuck I'm crying)

The time has arrived. The week is coming to the end. Yukari has arrived.

Rumia, shaken, battered, starving. has decided.

She won't eat humans.

Yukari couldn't accept this. Someone she knows is rejecting her own existence as the man-eating youkai, deciding to starve instead of eating a couple of humans.

She berates her, desperately trying to get her to accept reality.

Rumia just can't, she wants her new life back, she wants to be happy with the Hakurei's without the thought of eating humans.

At this point, Sendai steps in, wearing her exterminator clothes and a mask once again, complaining of Rumia's stubbornness through the stern look of the fox mask.

to her side stands little Rumia. Sendai explains that Rumia must be the one that eats humans in order to maintain the balance of darkness, her true nature as the man-eating youkai. This Rumia will stand as a replacement that will eat without thought.

This means that Rumia must be replaced in order to continue this cycle.

Sendai blasts Rumia with her powers, leaving her on the ground. Sendai calls out to Yukari to move back as her powers are useless, though Yukari seems to hesitate, but relents telling Sendai to not push herself too far. She leaves with little Rumia through a gap.

At this moment Rumia has seemingly broken, her life filled with happiness was taken away by a supposed betrayal by her close friend.

At this point her darkness consumes her. Her emotions shift to disbelief at the betrayal.

She asks in hopes that everything they have done wasn't a lie.

Sendai seems to be in silence for a moment and says "Yes" to it being all a lie.

At this point, Rumia loses it, and the fight starts.

Rumia strikes first, Sendai dodges. Rumia's strikes hit a tree, eating away at it and collapsing it.

Flurries of strikes are sent towards Sendai. She retaliates with an amulet and proceeds to advance towards Rumia.

Rumia dodges this amulet but gets grappled and pinned to a tree.

Sendai seems to egg her on, telling Rumia that they only let her be close to them in order to create a perfect mindless clone.

Rumia proceeds to send a spike of darkness through Sendai's arm, releasing her from the tree.

Rumia then proceeds to grapple and pin Sendai down, reaching out towards her mask while strangling her.

But it seems like Rumia couldn't force herself to kill someone who has changed her life and exposed herself to her.

Sendai seems to think for a moment, staring at her, before proceeding to explode an amulet to release herself from the grapple.

Sendai then proceeds to berate Rumia, once the most prolific in killing and eating humans, unable to kill even one human, this is then followed up with a axe kick down onto Rumia.

This doesn't kill Rumia, which leaves Rumia a chance to aim and kill Sendai by stabbing her throat, but still she can't kill her, misdirecting it to slash open the mask.

This only puts a gash on the mask and Sendai notices as to how Rumia can't kill. An amulet stuck onto the shoe begins to explode next to Rumia.

A flurry of strikes from Sendai proceeds to pulverize Rumia which is finished off with a dream seal.

Though the darkness which covers Rumia proves to be effective at dealing damage to Sendai, making her bleed.

At this point, Rumia is battered and beaten.

In a moment in her head, she can't seem to change herself to accept reality.

Even if what is being told is all fake to her. 

She still believes that everything is real to her, the happiness and moments shared will forever stay with her.

Sendai seems to have decided now.

Orbs float around her spinning faster and faster, covering her and turning herself dark and red, her spell card Dream Genesis (very reminiscent of Reimu's spell card in the fighting games)

Rumia can only shield herself in darkness as a last resort as Sendai launches herself at her.

The strike from Sendai misses launching Rumia back.

At this moment Rumia has broken, her life full of loneliness comes back to her.

Sendai Launches again, intending to kill.

Rumia can only see Reimu as she closes in on to her final moments.

This is where it ends.

A dash and a sputter.

The final scene shows Sendai missing and Rumia piercing her chest with a hand of darkness.

At this moment Rumia seems to have not noticed why she has dealt to death blow.

Sendai's blood sputters out of her mask.

Yukari can only watch as the little Rumia clone dissipates into paper, a fake all along. This was not what she wanted.

Sendai Grasps Rumia's back, this is what she wanted all along. She explains all of it was a ruse to save Rumia in the end.

Sendai found her happiness with the two of them, her death coming from her own loneliness in life, this is her way of giving Rumia and Reimu her thanks for giving her the happiness.

Rumia in grief, can only stay in shock of what has occurred.

Sendai with her dying breath, prepares an amulet and seals Rumia, only saying "to take care of Reimu".

Epilogue 

Yukari arrives moments later, to Rumia (Sealed) in a puddle of blood, seemingly already have consumed Sendai.

Rumia now sealed, has forgotten what has occurred. Now regressed into a child with all the darkness she could ever have so she could never starve.

Yukari isn't pleased at all. Sendai was somebody she nurtured and cared about. She contemplates ending the now regressed Rumia, but the thought of Sendai being happy can only remain in her brain. Making her hesitate and back off.

Yukari can only send the now regressed youkai with parting vows to do whatever she pleases.

(God it has been a journey hasn't it)

The scene shifts to little Reimu sitting all alone at the shrine with Yukari sitting right next to her.

She now has no one to come back home. (Fuck this hurts)

Yukari can only hold little Reimu as she cries.

The one last thing Yukari can do is manipulate her memories. A small child shouldn't bear the pain of losing her mom and a close member of the family.

 

It is now Autumn in Gensokyo. It is presumed that Yukari has taken care of little Reimu since then.

Rumia and Reimu seem to have crossed paths again.

Yukari can only introduce her again as Rumia, saying the final parting words of the story.

"She's A Precious Friend" "Of Someone I Loved"

The End

Alright if you read the entire plot or watched/read the story, I thank you for taking part of the day for a piece of Touhou content that is very dear to me :) even if a lot of people don't talk about it as much today.

I'll probably upload part two of the series some time later.

If you have any other works that you would like to share feel free to do so.