[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Following the recommendations of one of his viewers, Neo puts Miotsukushi Omote on hold in order to first play Miotsukushi Ura in it's entirety before promptly switching back to Omote, the reason being that this specific flow was originally how these two arcs were originally told, back before they were split into two separate arcs.

When Neo starts Ura, Neo watches as several of the first batch of key players on the external conspiracy outside of Hinamizawa, on the heroes' side, start to unwittingly move onto their respective places on the chess board of fate, first starting with Akasaka and Miyuki, followed by Ooshi and Tomoe Minai, which are THEN followed by a full head of long, green hair belonging to none other than Natsumi Kimiyoshi, as well as Natsumi's friends Tamako, Chisato, and her possible future boy toy Akira.

All the players seen so far in this beginning episode for Ura are for the heroes, so Neo can't help but wonder when he'll start seeing the players for the OPPOSING team in the game of fate will start to move into place on the chessboard of fate...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord Server to do all these things as well as have access to other cool features! If you like what you see there, you can ask to become an official member of the server - I'm always happy to expand this channel's community!

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Finishing off Nanami's route, Neo decides to move on to Yua, and eventually he finds himself on said route. In it, Neo eventually finds himself being held hostage in his own home by Yua herself after she, upon having her suspicions of Takumi thoroughly dismissed by Detective Ban, decides to act upon some information that Suwa goes out of his way to impart on her and try to find conclusive evidence of Takumi's guilt in the New Gen Murders.

Yua is convinced that "Shogun" is an alternate personality of Takumi's that does all the killings, and so upon tying Takumi up proceeds to try and draw Shogun out. Takumi, however, adamantly denies Yua's allegations, but Yua refuses to budge. This ends up creating a stalemate between the two, and Yua shows no intention of stopping until she gets the "proof" she wants...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord

[BLIND LIVESTREAM]

Neo, per his own efforts, manages to get himself expelled from the Dojima Clan in order to try to divert attention away from the group while he promises to hunt down the hitman who killed the debter in the vacant lot the Dojima Clan is desperate to try to acquire and thus prove both his and his father figure, Kazama, of being innocent of the crime. However, the head of the Dojima Clan, Sohei Dojima, tells him that Kazama must still be held accountable for the situation the debter's murder has put the rest of the clan in before being told to let the rest of the clan take care of the matter, thus putting even more pressure on Neo to find the hitman before anything can happen to Kazama.

Wandering the streets after the fiasco over at Dojima HQ had ended, Neo finds himself approached by a man known as Tetsu Tachibana, who as Neo comes to find out is a real estate mogul running the Tachibana Real Estate Agency that's recently been making waves throughout the city quickly acquiring various businesses and properties under quick and mysterious circumstances. After allowing him to get himself patched up at his residence, Tachibana makes his objective with Neo/Kiryu clear: he wants Kiryu to help him acquire the same vacant lot that the Dojima Clan and the other Yakuza clans are after. Neo/Kiryu, understandably, are distrustful of the man, and make that fact clear before parting ways, although Tachibana didn't seemed bothered by this and told Kiryu to contact him should he reconsider his offer.

Neo/Kiryu then discuss all the recent developments with Akira Nishikiyama, including what he knows of Tachibana, and it was him who gave Neo/Kiryu additional information revealing how Tachibana could be a potentially powerful ally in their endeavors should they manage to get him on their side, although like Kiryu he also expresses caution in dealing with the man.

It is then that a plan is made between to start investigating Tachibana the following day, which br..

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

It's time for Neo to begin the Miotsukushi Arcs that serve to act as an alternate grand finale to the story of Higurashi When They Cry, after being set up via both the original story AND the Console Arcs.

In this first episode, the stage is set for the conflict that's about to unfold, although unlike Chapter 8 of the main story there is one VERY big difference that stands out to both Neo AND Rika Furude compared to previous timelines/worlds: a certain key player is, without any explaination, now suddenly nowhere to be found, and so Neo and Rika both have to figure out how to proceed without them.

In the meantime though, everyone of Rika's friends continue to enjoy their peaceful lives at school, although Neo can't imagine their shared peace will last terribly long before things begin to escalate.

Although the ground work for Miotsukishi Omote has been set, Neo has to put this particular arc on hold after this episode and play it's sister arc, Miotsukushi Ura, in it's entirety before proceeding with the rest of Omote in order to experience the story told in both Arcs as was originally intended...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord Server to do all these things as well as have access to other cool features! If you like what you see there, you can ask to become an official member of the server - I'm always happy to expand this channel's community!

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Neo/Takumi find Nanami mysteriously appearing right at his doorstep missing her clothes, which just so happens to occur right after opening the package "Shogun" left Takumi inside his crate in order to try and draw him out to O-FRONT, only to find just a bloody cell phone inside. Neo finds this detail surprising because of the fact that there's a certain other thing that's missing from the package, although his attention is temporarily redirected at Nanami and trying to figure out what happened to her.

Takumi questions Nanami about the circumstances behind Nanami's appearance at his home, but she appears to have no memory of the events prior to that point, thus leading Takumi to speculate what could've happened to her, and his ensuing freakout understandably leads to Nanami to question him what is wrong, thus forcing Takumi to reveal the existence of Shogun and his suspicions regarding his involvement in both the New Gen Killings and what has been happening with Takumi himself ever since Shogun first contacted him. And so in response to this revelation Nanami agrees to do what Takumi says in order to ensure their safety, and so the two hole themselves up at the rooftop where Takumi's container is located, spending the days trying to make the most of their current predicament and growing closer as a result.

Neo, however, grows more and more suspicious as to the exact nature behind what is happening between Takumi and Nanami, and the evidence suggesting something is indeed off gradually piles up over time.

By the end of the episode... let's just say that Neo's suspicions as to what's really going on end up being proven correct.

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find ..

[BLIND LIVESTREAM]

You what the inherent problem of being a law-abiding is? It's boring, because you gotta follow all the rules the government, society, and your parents impose on you the second you show enough cognitive development to utter your first word as a baby. Sure, there are a CRAP ton of positives in life to being a law-abiding citizen (if the place you live in isn't some kind of totalitarian hellhole or something. Or France.), but it would be too long to list all of them. But the bottom line is, if you follow all the rules to the best of your ability, you MAY have a relatively comfortable life, but the monotony of it all, if you can't handle monotony, will get to you eventually.

And one day, it got to Neosekken. It got to him PRETTY hard. He decided he needed some excitement in his life, and so he decided to look into organized crime and, being the weeb that he is, felt that the Yakuza from Japan would suit his tastes perfectly.

Only there was a couple problems: Not only does Neo NOT live in Japan, but he's too much of a boy scout at heart to actually go through with joining a mafia group in real life.

So Neo, refusing to let his boring itch go unscratched, instead decided to do the next best thing: live the life of a Yakuza member vicariously through the "Like A Dragon" video game series, "Yakuza 0" specifically, which will be the first game in the series he'll play! And so that brings us to this very series you see before you!

Join Neosekken as he gets to experience a taste of the life of a Yakuza as two different characters: Kazuma Kiryu, and Goro Majima, two men who have ties to the "Tojo Clan", which, in the story of this very game, seeks to gain control of a prime piece of real estate and thus tip the balance of power in the world of the Yakuza in their favor: a vacant lot that is the centerpiece of the "Kamurocho Revitalization Project". Although given the nature of an underworld power struggle taking place, Neo suspects that there will be..

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

In this latest episode of the Higurashi Console Arcs, Neo finally finishes "connecting" the remaining fragments he needs to see, and upon doing so he now once again has a full deck of cards which he intends to use in his second battle against fate itself, although THIS time he now has a "joker" card in his deck to help shake things up.

Upon completion of the Connecting Fragments Arc, Neo sets his sights towards the next series of Console Arcs, where the new battleground in this game of fate will be held...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord Server to do all these things as well as have access to other cool features! If you like what you see there, you can ask to become an official member of the server - I'm always happy to expand this channel's community!

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

"LET THE INBREEDING COMMENCE!!!"

-A pure-blood wizard

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a dead man: no time to talk
The screams loud and the bodies warm
I've been kicked around since I was born

And now it's all right. It's OK
And you may look the other way
But we can try to understand
Heavenly Host's effect on man

Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the school breakin'
And everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
Oh, when you walk

Well, now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either, I really try
Got the blessings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose

You know it's all right. It's OK
I'll live to see another day
But we can try to understand
Heavenly Host's effect on man

Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the school breakin'
And everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
(Hey, yeah)

Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a dead man: no time to talk
The screams loud and the bodies warm
I've been kicked around since I was born

And now it's all right. It's OK
And you may look the other way
But we can try to understand
Heavenly Host's effect on man

Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the school breakin'
And everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
(Hey, yeah)

Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive

Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive

Life ..

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Neo's latest journey into the Connecting Fragments Console Arc takes him through some of Tomoe's time working under Maeno, as well as learning more about Maeno's relationship to Tomoe's father Yuusuke and how he and Yamaoki have been working behind the scenes to try to build themselves a weapon to combat those responsible for Yuusuke's death. Neo also witnesses first-hand Nagisa's attempt to reunite with Reina cut tragically short, and learn more about the man who's seemingly at the center of all the Lowell Inc. conspiracy, and unsurprisingly this conspiracy just so happens to be deeply tied to ANOTHER conspiracy that acts as the centerpiece behind the events of the main story, thus fully contextualizing the connection between the past few Console Arcs and the events of the main story proper.

All the clues are coming together, and for Neo at least, he believes he now has a clear target to focus his gaze on...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord Server to do all these things as well as have access to other cool features! If you like what you see there, you can ask to become an official member of the server - I'm always happy to expand this channel's community!

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Look at what that coldhearted bastard Neosekken did THIS time: he made the sky cry, and now everything is ruined. Bring tissues -- a LOT of them.

NEO, YOU BIG BULLY

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

As Neo continues going through the memory fragments, he witnesses the death of Tomoe and Modaka Minai's parents first-hand and several of the key events leading up to the fire that claimed their lives and destroyed the sisters' childhood home. Neo also begins learning more about the shady tactics Lowell Inc. has been using in order to the Placil drug onto the Japanese market despite all the corners being blatantly cut during the clinical trials, with the corruption of the drug review process extending as high as key board members within the Ministry of Health and Welfare and other related government bodies... and at the center of all this corruption lies a politician named Akihiko Chiba, a man whom Neo briefly saw campaigning in the previous arc (and whom Tsukada is the secretary of), and the mysterious Nomura, the same woman from the organization "Tokyo" who approached Miyo Takano in order to use the latter for her own ends during the main story.

Taking all these events, and Lowel Inc.'s role in all of these affairs into consideration, Neo feels he's beginning to understand the reason why Tomoe Minai's father was assassinated...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord Server to do all these things as well as have access to other cool features! If you like what you see there, you can ask to become an official member of the server - I'm always happy to expand this channel's community!

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Just like in the previous episode, Neo continues retreading a lot of familiar ground in the story as he keeps working to achieve the Crying Sky ending, although there ARE some notable differences along the way thanks to him trying out different Delusion Triggers, as well as entirely new scenes being added.

This time around, Neo witnesses Takumi trying to act dirty and domineering with Orihara, seeing first-hand what a Shibuya-exclusive winning popsicle stick looks like curtesy of Sena, having an unexpected moment of tenderness with Rimi, several new scenes taking place during Takumi and Misami's visit to Ayase at the hospital (with the events going from unsettling, to comically shocking, and finally just plain comical), Rimi giving Takumi a stern warning, Takumi/Neo failing to unalive themselves over and over again, Seira-tan offering unhelpful advice yet again, and more!

And yet despite all these new scenes playing out, the main story largely continues to play out just how it did the first time around, bringing to mind the old saying, "the more things change, the more they stay the same"... which will likely hold true until Neo gets to the Crying Sky Ending proper, and by the time Neo finishes this episode it indeed looks like he is now well on his way to seeing the Crying Sky ending unfold in the next episode...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

It's time for the latest arc in the Higurashi Console Arcs to begin, and THIS time it's the "Connecting Fragments Arc"! It's just like the Connecting Fragments section for Chapter 8 Matsuribayashi of the main story, but this time it'll primarily feature all the new characters introduced in the Console Arcs!

Except, SPOILER ALERT...

this is only HALF true. While this arc DOES indeed focus on the Console Arc characters, the actual manner in which this arc is structured... is nothing like the Connecting Fragments section for Matsuribayashi, at all. In fact, it's basically 5 pages worth of Tips. So no piecing together which fragments to watch in the correct order in order to gradually unlock ALL of the fragments, or anything like that. Just pick and choose whichever fragments you wanna see at any time, grab a bucket full of popcorn, and enjoy.

Not only that, Neo was told he'd have to solve 99 fragments, but the actual number of fragments he has to sit through this time around is roughly only half that number, so Neo was lied to right out of the gate as to how difficult the challenge this arc aims to give him was actually going to be, so Neo now has grounds to sue somebody for false advertizing, and dealing with lawyers is something Neo wouldn't wish on almost anyone.

So yeah, right out of the gate Neo feels somewhat let down by all of this, but even so he will press onward, hopeful that he'll get some much-needed answers for some of the recurring mysteries of the Console Arcs somewhere within these fragments!

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord Server to do all these things as well as have acc..

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Just like in the previous episode, Neo continues retreading a lot of familiar ground in the story as he keeps working to achieve the Crying Sky ending, although there ARE some notable differences along the way thanks to him trying out different Delusion Triggers, as well as entirely new scenes being added.

Notable differences including, but not limited to, the following: Neidhardt seemingly speaking directly to Takumi, Takumi having a NEGATIVE impression of Orihara's class introduction, Takumi bullying a convenience store clerk, Takumi making Rimi cry, Takumi listening to Yua's D.I.D. ramblings in full, Takumi imagining Ayase in different underwear than he did in the first story arc, Takumi finding a student I.D. that had some troubling stuff shown within (primarily the date of birth), Takumi being warned by Rimi that Ayase's music CDs contain a lethal curse, Takumi undressing Rimi with his eyes in a somewhat literal sense, and Takumi no longer putting up with Aoi Sena's crap... for about 5 minutes, before promptly returning to the status quo.

Now here's the million-dollar question: how many of the events that were just described ACTUAL events that happened in reality, and not just something Takumi hallucinated on the spot?

Oh, and Neo finds out a certain shmuck actually DOES have a girlfriend, and it turns out to be the OTHER New Gen killer. A man and a woman, deeply in love, gruesomely killing people in the name of their faith: a love story that not even Twilight could hope to match up to!

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

"Anti-climax, thy name is 'Tokihogushi'!"

Neo/Tomoe, after being summoned to Yamaoki's office, end up finding out through Yamaoki that Tomoe is being reassigned to the National Police Agency's public relations office as it's chief of media correspondence... and as a consequence of this Tomoe will be forced to leave Kakuichi Station and thus lose any chance she has to officially continue her investigation into Nagisa's death and how it relates to the conspiracy surrounding Kouhei's death and Reina Ryuugu. Tomoe tries to protest this decision, but Yamaoki ultimately declines Tomoe's feelings, affirming his orders on the matter as absolute. Dejected by this sudden turn of events, Neo/Tomoe can only walk out of the station with their heads held in shame over what they view as their personal failure to avenge Nagisa and Kouhei, with them leaning through Fujita on the way out that Nagisa was almost certainly MURDERED only adding salt to their proverbial wound.

However, unbeknownst to Tomoe, it is revealed that Yamaoki had arranged for Tomoe's reassignment due to him catching wind of a possible conspiracy to try and murder Tomoe to prevent her from continuing her investigation into Kouhei, Nagisa and Reina, and while Yamaoki is unable to reveal this to Tomoe during their meeting in his office Neo feels it shows that, ultimately, Yamaoki truly had Tomoe's safety and best interests at heart, even if deep down he feels he has failed to avenge Tomoe's father as a consequence of this action...

Later, attempting to drown her sorrows over her inability to avenge Nagisa/Kouhei, Tomoe winds up drunk and alone in a park, lamenting their misfortune the entire time... until she and Neo bear witness to what appears to be a vision involving Hanyuu, AKA "Oyashiro-sama", where she reveals to Tomoe that Tomoe herself is the proverbial "Joker" in Hanyuu and her allies' deck of cards in the battle for Rika Furude's fate, and that Tomoe, in her own way, will play a p..

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Neo, having completed the first story route and ending in the previous episode, now has nearly all the other major story routes made accessible to him. Along with his choices in the Delusion Triggers now being able to directly influence story events, Neo comes to find out that he's also now being given multiple instances of new choice prompts at various intervals that also play a role in influencing how the story can potentially change as he goes along, setting him on either one new story route or another.

Neo this time around, per recommendations by members of his audience, decides to first look into acquiring the "Crying Sky" ending before trying to pursue any of the routes prominently featuring the other heroines, and consulting a guide to help him make the right choices, proceeds to start doing just that. However, along the way Neo gets plenty of opportunities to see new delusions he hadn't picked previously in the first story route that seemingly won't have any apparent influence on his path to achieving the Crying Sky ending, and so he takes every opportunity presented to him to sate his curiosities.

Some of the new delusions show him how he could've potentially been foreshadowed key elements to the story before they were properly introduced and addressed, others show him visions filled with disturbing imagery, and others still... make Neo laugh at Takumi's expense. In addition to that, brand new scenes appear to have been added, giving further context to the story that Neo didn't have before during the first route.

In short, while Neo is retreading a lot of familiar ground, there's plenty of new things he encounters along the way that's making the new journey to Crying Sky more interesting than he initially anticipated...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in tou..

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Neo/Tomoe meet up with Nagisa, and during their conversation they further discuss Tomoe's investigation, and inevitably the topic of Reina is brought up. Nagisa eventually asks Tomoe if she knows Reina's location, stating that she wants to achieve some closure with her regardless of how the conversation she wants to have with her former friend ends up, and Tomoe reluctantly agrees to give Nagisa Reina's address. The two part ways shortly after, Nagisa thanking Tomoe for her help.

The next day, Neo/Tomoe go out on the town with Madoka, and the two are enjoying themselves until Tsukada, the man Neo/Tomoe ran into a couple episodes ago, runs into them and tries to get Tomoe to go out to eat with him. Madoka intervenes, stating that she and Tomoe already had plans, so in response Tsukada asks Tomoe to call him at some point. Madoka voices her suspicion of Tsukada given the manner in which he approached Tomoe, although Tomoe doesn't think much of it, and so the two continue their date throughout the town. Later that same evening, the two spot some people apparently doing something to Madoka's car, but before Tomoe and Madoka can do anything the car suddenly explodes, sending the two of them to a nearby hospital to check for injuries. It is obvious that they were targeted by unknown assailants, and Neo begins suspecting that Tsukada might be involved...

Later, on their way to the crime scene where Madoka's destroyed car is located, Tomoe catches wind of a young girl matching Nagisa's description apparently having been run over in the same neighborhood where Nagisa lives, and in response Tomoe takes a detour to where this other incident takes place in order to check the identity of the victim... and her worst fears end up being confirmed...

Later still, the police begin a sting operation to corner their suspect for Kouhei's murder, although the operation doesn't go as planned. But perhaps the most important part to Neo is the events immediately pr..

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Neo/Takumi make their way to the planitarium where Noah II is being housed, but on the way there they meet resistence in the form of Takumi's beloved Waifu. Unfortunately for the Waifu, Neo/Takumi have bigger fish to fry, and the two fend off their attacker before resuming their journey.

Eventually, they arrive at their destination, and right in front of Noah II is a captive Rimi... and stepping out of the shadows is Norose, who was anticipating Takumi's arrival. What follows is one final challenge before destrying Noah II that neither Neo nor Takumi expected to face, but face it they do... and eventually they succeed, and they bring Norose's mad scheme to a grinding halt...

... And yet.........

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider using Neosekken's Discord

[BLIND LET'S PLAY]

Neo/Tomoe arrive within Hinamizawa, with Ooshi accompanying them and giving a makeshift tour of the place, with the first major stop being the abandoned construction site for the dam, a place that Reina Ryuugu is seen frequenting in order to hoard "treasure" she finds there back to her home. It is here that they observe Reina in the distance doing just that, while Ooshi reveals to Tomoe how his mentors death at the very site they're at is his primary motivating factor into investigating the mysterious deaths/disappearances during the village's yearly Watanagashi festivals.

Afterward, the two make their way to the Irie Clinic within the village, where Neo/Tomoe and Ooshi are forced to part ways due to Ooshi needing to be in attendance to another event, thus leaving Neo/Takumi to continue their investigation on their own. But before Ooshi leaves, he urges Neo/Tomoe to get in touch with him should she run into any trouble within the village before leaving, which puts Tomoe a little on edge, but not enough to deter her from continuing on.

Neo/Tomoe eventually locate Reina Ryuugu's residence, but no one answers the door when they come knocking. But Neo/Takumi quickly find themselves facing bigger problems when they discover that someone sabotaged their car shortly after leaving it to go to the Ryuugu household, making it clear that they're in danger. Things then start going further south from there, until Neo/Tomoe find themselves being seemingly attacked by Reina herself...

Waking up at the Irie Clinic with some minor injuries, Neo/Tomoe go over most of the details of Reina's attack with Ooshi before deciding to start looking into another lead in the form of a pharmacy outside of Hinamizawa that Reina uses, thinking that some medication Reina is/was on might help shed some light on some past events. But shortly after setting foot inside, Neo/Takumi find themselves face to face with Natsumi Kimiyoshi once again, and before they know it Neo/Taku..

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Neo/Takumi and Shogun, in a world resembling a vast, empty ocean, further discuss what Shogun requires Neo/Takumi to do in order to stop Norose and NOAH II, and during the discussion Shogun makes it clear that he does not have much time left to live and so is already doing everything in his power to prepare Neo/Takumi for the task they must undertake. When Neo/Takumi accepts their role, they soon find themselves thrust back into the ruined streets of Shibuya, and they begin searching for clues that could lead them to locating where NOAH II is being kept, carrying the weakened Shogun on their backs the whole way.

During their search through Shibuya, Neo/Takumi come across Ayase, Yua Momose and Nanami, who all fell into a deep hole and found themselves trapped underneath some rubble. Fortunately, Takumi is able to quickly figure out how to use his powers as a Gigalomaniac to clear the rubble away and get everyone to safety... and in the midst of these events, Nanami is finally reunited with her brother -- both of them...

Deciding that Hatano Issei, AKA the homeless man, is most likely to know the location of NOAH II, Neo/Takumi and several members of his group split up to start searching for the man... and soon enough, Neo/Takumi discover Hatano's whereabouts, and coincidentally so has Sena and Orihara. But things quickly start going south when the one that used the alias of "Darth Spider" reappears and begins directly attacking Hatano, Sena and Orihara, forcing Neo/Takumi into a life-or-death confrontation with Darth Spider, who reveals that they've got some "powers" of their own...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let's Plays, as well as find other cool people to hang out with? Then consider..

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Neo/Tomoe begin investigating the death of Kouhei, and they first start by talking to the nurse that was tending to him along with looking at the crime scene itself. Later on, while visiting Kouhei's grave, Tomoe runs into Nagisa, who voices her disbelief of the circumstances behind Kouhei's death to Tomoe, stating her belief that he didn't commit suicide but was instead likely murdered... and much to both her and Neo's surprise, Tomoe not only outright agrees with her but asks Nagisa outright for her help in further investigating Kouhei's death...

Later still, Neo/Tomoe, while on their way to meet up with Detective Ooshi in order to get his input on Kouhei's along with any additional leads that might be able to help her, they run into an unexpected individual being accosted by a group of thugs: Natsumi Kimiyoshi. They take the time to save the girl, and part ways after having a short conversation with her, although not before Tomoe let's Natsumi know that she can reach out to Tomoe for help if she ever needs it... which Neo suspects is likely to happen later on in this arc.

At the meeting point itself, Neo/Tomoe go over Kouhei's case with Ooshi, and as they converse they go over the subject of "Oyashiro-sama", which Ooshi reveals to Tomoe to have some knowledge of. It is then that Ooshi takes the time to explain the origins of Hinamizawa's guardian deity, which is central to the history and founding of Hinamizawa itself... which then eventually leads into the most relevant information Ooshi has to share: the yearly murders and disappearances that occur every year in Hinamizawa during the "Watanagashi festival", and how these particular cases share similarities to the incident involving Rena Ryuugu's rampage at Kouhei's school before she moved back to Hinamizawa.

Taking all the information Ooshi has shared into consideration, Tomoe decides her next best lead would be to look into Rena Ryuugu herself... and Neo, knowing that Nagisa still..

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Rimi goes into a building that houses what is quickly revealed to be NOAH II, and inside NOAH II's chamber is a captive Nanami... and, much to Neo's surprise, Norose. What follows is a cryptic conversation between Rimi and Norose that raises some interesting questions and implications in Neo's mind as to not only Rimi's relationship with Norose himself, but even Rimi's very existence itself.

Takumi, having been pushed even further into his downward spiral when Nanami seemingly vanishes into thin air right before his eyes, decides to leave his base and, per Seira-tan's suggestion, follow a strange sound that she promises will lead him to the death he desparately seeks... and eventually he finds himself on the ground level of the same location he was made a public spectacle of by one of Nanami's kidnappers, with a group of news reporters trying to press him for more information about himself. Soon Takumi finds himself on the receiving end of a beating by a crowd of onlookers... however, without warning, chaos soon erupts within the crowd itself, and they all turn on each other in a frenzy of violence.

It is then that Neo/Takumi find themselves face to face with Shogun once again, whom reveals the truth of not only his relationship with Takumi (thus confirming what Rimi told him), but several other questions that have been bothering Takumi for some time. But the urgency of the events transpiring around them, along with Shogun's pleas, forces Takumi to put his personal confrontation with Shogun aside and finally "awaken" and acquire his Di-sword in order to stop both the crowd and Norose, the mastermind behind all the chaos within Shibuya according to Shogun.

But as Neo/Takumi take care of Norose's porters who're stirring the chaos among the crowd, Neo/Takumi soon comes face to face with one of them, which quickly leads to the reveal that this person is not only a second culprit to the New Gen murders, but that Neo/Takumi have unknowingly been..

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The interview Tomoe/Neo's tyrant of a boss, Yamaoki, signed them up for happens off-screen without incident. Neo feels conflicted. On one hand, he didn't have to suffer through the thing, as uneventful as the event itself reportedly was. But on the other hand, Neo didn't get an opportunity to give the TV station an interview that gave them FAR more than they bargained for.

Fast forward to the present day, Yamaoki takes Neo/Takumi to have a lunch date together... at the local Angel Mort. Neo knows immediately what's up and what to expect, but Tomoe doesn't, but she soon finds out for herself shortly after setting foot within the establishment. Tomoe, outraged by Yamaoki's behavior once again, attempts to leave, but Tomoe eventually elects to stay of her own volition after staring at the food too much... much to Neo's chagrin.

Once Tomoe gets done eating and shocks Neo with the revelation of just HOW much of WHAT she ate, Tomoe and Yamaoki soon have a conversation that turns to the topic of Tomoe's father's case. Yamaoki tries to encourage Tomoe to move on with her life and put her father's case to rest, but Tomoe is determined to solve it, so eventually the discussion is put to rest before the two part ways with one another.

One her way back home, Tomoe witnesses an election campaign being run by the Minister of Health and Welfare Chiba, and one of the key things brought up during the event is an scandal from the previous year involving a pharmaceutical company called "Lowell Inc.". Also during this event, Tomoe runs into Chiba's secretary, a man called Osamu Tsukada... who apparently just so happens to be Tomoe's boyfriend from her high school days...

LINKS:

https://discord.gg/5EaXWyq (Discord) - Want to stay up-to-date on ALL the latest announcements on Neosekken's YouTube channel while also having an additional, convenient messaging service to get in touch with him, put in requests for games you want to see him cover in future Let..

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Rimi's revelations to Takumi in the previous episode leave Takumi in a suicidally depressed state of mind, and not helping matters is Takumi finding more and more evidence to back up Rimi's claims as he slowly makes his way back to his base. Eventually he deliberately tries to walk into oncoming traffic, but his attempt to get himself run over fails.

Meanwhile, at Ark Heart Medical, Ban infiltrates the dark, deserted hospital in order to locate Suwa... and Yua has chosen to ignore Ban's order to stay out of the affair and follows him into the hospital. As Ban chides Yua for her reckless behavior, he spots the shadow of someone moving to the roof of the building and gives chase, while Yua attempts to leave the hospital... before seeing what appears to be her dead sister beckoning her back into the building. Mia then starts playing mind games with Yua, whatever warmth from her personality that Yua remembers her having seemingly gone, replaced with a sadistic hatred and bloodlust towards Yua. As Mia continues to poke and prod at Yua, the two of them eventually also make their way to the rooftop, but at a different section to the one Ban chased the shadow towards.

As for Ban himself, he makes it to the roof, but falls into a trap set by the kidnapper... and shortly thereafter, Neo's suspicions as to the identity of the New Gen killer is confirmed, although in Ban's case far too late...

As the exhange between Ban and his assailant is happening, Mia tries to goad Yua into mimicking Mia's death by jumping off the roof, but as Yua tries to fight Mia off, a very unexpected development occurs...

Back at Takumi's base, Takumi is still feeling suicidal, and after failing another suicide attempt can only go onto PC and repeatedly ask someone in an empty chat room to kill him, until Grimm shows up and informs him about a public gathering that's going to take place that fills Neo with a sense of dread. After Grimm parts ways with Takumi, Takumi gets a VE..