Garlan

Something's missing here... swaying of the ship, maybe? x) Cutscenes would look more natural with it.
It's a shame that one of my favourite cutscenes was spoiled a bit by lagging of sound... but I've seen it a dozen times anyway.
And here we are, in Ryudo's hometown. It's so quiet... no music perfectly describes the state of this village. Going to write down a lot, because most of the information here is useful for my fanfic.
"I just don't get it... Why is it wrong to talk to Ryudo? Why does Mommy... and everyone else... hate Ryudo so much?" I have the same question, kid. I know the story, and I still don't understand... weird mentality these people have.
I... didn't know Gallius had a wife. How come I had never talked to that woman before?
And I don't remember Gatta asking why Ryudo hadn't let him know before leaving. This and the rest of the dialogue confirms my version of what happened :)
Tio's Tornado seems to have caused some insignificant glitches... anyway, it doesn't seem to happen anymore.
It has suddenly become difficult... not really difficult, but more challenging. Those birds killed one of the characters and nearly killed another, I was shocked x)
This is it! We're going to fight Melfice (fun part). And defeat him (sad part). I'll try not to cry... although, it's not very difficult since it's nth time I'm playing this game (lost count).
"Words!? You sound more like a hen clucking! Actually, Skye... I should apologize to you too. Sorry to worry you so much."
Is that Ryudo talking? I can't believe my eyes xD Oh, Skye thinks the same:
"Did you hear that!? Was it music!? Was it an angel's voice!? Can we dare to hope to hear such humility twice?"
"She helped him... move ahead...? In that case, Elena is Ryudo's master. Is this not correct?"
I'm anticipating the reaction :P
"In that case, what is the relationship between Elena and Ryudo?" - "A good question indeed! Hmm."
(Captain Bakala) "Ha ha! That's it! Women should laugh. If you cry, you'll only drive men crazy..." especially Ryudo :P

Forbidden romance

Before undertaking a journey to Garlan, I'm going through all the towns again. In Mirumu Tio speaks only two times, but in St. Heim many lines have changed.
"Oh... is that right? Ryudo likes to snack in the middle of the might as well... I know all about it..." - "Hey! I only eat at night when I'm too hungry to sleep. Anyway, what does it matter to you?!"
This woman is something x) Already asked Ryudo, Roan and Mareg, and now:
"Yoo-hoo! Hi there! My, what a nice young fella. Want to spend a little time with me?" - "Haha! Ryudo, you are quite the playboy!" - "Hey, what do you mean? I wasn't talking to him. I was talking to you, on his shoulder!" - "Uh, me?" ... "Such a sharp, handsome beak, fine feathers, a forbidden, cross-species romance! What an exciting way to fall in love!" - "If it's a "forbidden romance," I'd prefer it stayed forbidden. Forever."
A second person with a weird understanding of romance in this town. That's what happens when standard of living is very high...
"Religion never appealed to me before. I couldn't swallow any of it. But now, I find it very calming to hear the sermons. In fact, I get so relaxed that I doze off. I sleep very well in fact, and that's been good for my health." - "Ha ha! I get it now! I understand the value of religion now! Ha! I'll have to attend when I'm not sleeping well!"
Every time they say the town's blessed and it's safe there, I feel sorry, because of what'll happen to it...
(Mareg said that the smell of this town enhances his appetite) "I've never seen Mareg without an appetite..."
(Tio trying to figure out where her heart is) "Chest... do you mean... here? I'd better look. Elena?" - "What? Hey, what are you doing? Hey, Tio! What are you staring at?!" ... "Oh, I wanted to check and see if you had a heart... Is something wrong?" - "Tio. It is considered, uh, impolite to stare..." ... "This is no laughing matter! I find this very embarrassing!"
"Was that "help the young new king," or, "exploit the young new king...?" Hmm?"
I've beaten Hemble 4 times and got nice prizes, but unfortunately I had to give up on getting the 5th one because otherwise I'd be stuck here for long.

Cyrum Kingdom

Well, I was exaggerating saying I'd see Melfice soon. First I'll spend some time talking to the townspeople, then meeting Hemble, then going to the castle, and behind the Gates... but at least I could admire his silhouette from behind :D
"I can't get my husband to calm down. Do you think I should make him pass out, maybe by taking a frying pan to his head?" - "Whoah there. I think that'd kill him..."
Look who's here! Gonzola and company.
"You haven't heard of the famous Gonzola Troupe and their 101 tales? Even Valmar dies laughing..."
"Oh? And when does this famous troupe go on stage? ... After the festival is done with?"
But I doubt there'll be any show because Risotto and Carpaccio have sunk the cargo xD
"You guys are gonna smooch all over town?" - "What? No we are not! He and I are not here on a date... Ryudo, he is my... my..." - "Umm, her date, actually. Yeah, and we're gonna smooch all over town. ...Heh. What's the matter, Elena? You're blushing."
"Are you still hanging around?" - "No. I'm miles away, sipping tea. Back off Captain Obvious."
"The girly-looking guy, their leader, I think..." - I wonder if she's talking about Gonzola. I wouldn't call him that, really x)
My, it's 7th Poff Nut! I'm not sure if there'll be enough Carros to give them to...
When Ryudo's with Elena, she restrains him from imprudence, and when he's with Millenia, he has to restrain her :D
Millenia and Paella, part two.
"Star performers? Ah, the Famous Gonzola Moron Troupe shall dance and sing for us. How lucky we must be!"
And Paella was just teasing her all along!
(someone to Millenia) "The design of your clothing is really amazing. It's... inviting." - "Ha! Did you hear that?"
(Skye to some man practicing his speech) "You flow about as well as Ryudo on the dance floor..."
This Carro is shining with happiness... literally :P
The Claws defeated, and... this moment has finally come!
Wow, I don't remember enemies ever cancelling my cancel attack like this...
Melfice took so long before attacking with Wailing Soul Slash that I started seriously worrying if my party died during this unwinnable fight... looks tough :/ I wonder if it'll stay so until the actual battle.
"死ね!" I knew he'd say that :D Unfortunately, this is about where my knowledge of Japanese ends...
Villains sound nice in any language... still, in my opinion, no other voice suits Melfice as much as John Cygan's *_*
"Lollipop Lane, Your Highness".
Roan has left, but now we have Tio in our party. For a change :)
"There's other stuff, too. Roan paper, Roan towels, limited-edition Roan cups, Roan tapestries, you name it..."
(Tio) "Songstress? What is a Songstress?" (Ryudo) "Someone who meddles in the affairs of others without considering the consequences."
"I'm Skye. My job is to guard and protect this hot-head from all the dangers his endlessly flapping mouth gets him into."
"I'm Ryudo, a Geohound. My job is to care for this half-senile old bird, and no - I don't know how he keeps getting out of his cage." ... "That's right [caring for birds is not what he does]. What I meant to say is that my job is to guard singing hens" xD

All alone in the Cathedral

On the way to St. Heim. Got a bit lost in the mountains. I hope I haven't missed the waterfall.
Ahaha... perhaps it's the first time I realised that Mareg and Roan didn't really get lost. They took so long to let Ryudo and Elena talk by themselves.
Ah, here's the waterfall. You won't miss it, it's right on the way.
Wow, that's a huge loaf over there (at the bakery in St. Heim). Why would they need to make one so large? :D
Weird people here, a girl who keeps forgetting what she wanted to ask Elena about... and I just love what this mad guy says: "Oh boy! Let me tell you, would I like to be investigated by Selene, late at night, all alone in the Cathedral ♥" - "Ha! She'd purify you before you could think another thought."
Ridiculous library rules :P
"This concludes my explanation of the library usage rules. Are there any questions?" - "Yeah, I've got one. How can you take this job seriously?!"
Mareg and Skye are advising Ryudo to be at least familiar with things that are boring to read.
"You guys have been hanging out with Roan too much."
(mimicking the style of the book) "Does not Ryudo tire of this? Does not he want to put his fist through this book? May his sufferings end quickly" xD
(Elena has left, Ryudo and the others are asked to go to the Cathedral) "Look, I realize word of my amazing singing voice has spread everywhere, but I'm not interested."
And some more: "Hey, I'm not so cheerful, OK...? OK. I am. So what..."
(to a woman talking about a stubborn squeak-baa) "I know just how you feel! I've had to take care of a one particularly stubborn anima-- er, Songstress..."
Almost all Ryudo's talking about is Elena xD
"Huh?! Ryudo, are you feeling ill? You spoke with such sincerity! It is such a departure from your usual cynical self." - "Shut your beak you mangy flying rat! There, same old cynical self. You feel better now?"
"Hey! Granas! This guy's praying his heart out!" - "Hey?" Is that how you address a divine being?"
Finally, we're about to leave St. Heim and head for Cyrum Kingdom, which means... I'll see Melfice soon! :D
(Skye) "... Oh my, bread crumbs... How delectable. Ryudo, stop laughing. It is not humorous. This happens everywhere we go..." - "What's this? A talking bird?" - the first and only person in the entire game to be surprised by a talking bird xD
That masochist guy again: "I don't expect her to stare straight at me, or hit me, or step on me with her high heels..." Yeah, sure.
"You see, I just hung out my laundry to dry. What would I do if the Day of Darkness suddenly came?" - "... I am not quite sure how to respond to this... I would think laundry would be the least of your concerns..."

Mirumu Village

Before leaving this part of Silesia, I've decided to go around all towns for one last time.
Ahaha, Elena and Kuko Berries xD "Oh... perfect. This is the last time you get looped around me, understand? And lose the puppy-dog eyes."
Yeah, I too am intrigued how they managed to put the ropes up for the Skyway :/
Ryudo still can't forget how Skye let him fall:
"Hell, he couldn't even keep me aloft when he tried to, according to him, "rescue" me" - "I should have let those lizards feast on you."
After a while, our party ended up stuck in Mirumu. Selene is going to "purify" the village from darkness.
"What is it with you and this "purify" thing? For some reason, I doubt your knights are packing soap and bubble bath in that armor."
"She means to kill them. I remember one village somewhere that was burned to the ground by Cathedral Knights..."
"That's some strong bubble bath."
I agree with Ryudo on this: "Prayer is just a tool to calm your mind. It doesn't matter who you pray to".
(Talking to Aira) "Yeah, she's a real nice lady. Not like that other church lady" - "Really?! Have you ever seen Elena right after she wakes up...? That's pretty scary..." xD
I love this scene, after the dinner. The music, the view from the window which rather looks like a picture, Zera's porcelain throne x) And Elena seriously believing for a moment that Ryudo would kill her.
I love how Ryudo cares about what happens to Aira. It's so not like him.
So that's how they imagine the soul? Interesting... my party is now in some place that resembles hell, and I'm about to fight the Eye of Valmar. I remember when I first played (I wasn't very good at RPGs, actually it was my first one) I had to try again and again for about 7 times. Now I'll see if the hard mode is really that hard. My strategy is this: those flying eyes are very annoying (and loud, by the way) and it's better to start with them, all the more so because they can be put to sleep easily. Of course, they're eyes x)
I didn't even have to use 'Snooze'. It somehow went so well... I guess I didn't give the Eye a chance to show its power, cancelling its attacks all the time xD Otherwise it might not have been so easy. Only by the end there was a moment when I started to worry, just a bit. I guess I've become too good at RPGs for this mode.
(Ryudo to Selene) "Shouldn't you be diving back into your crypt and gnawing at bones by now?" 

Agear and Liligue

It's weird how quickly bad guys change their decisions in this game: get distracted by trifles and decide to deal with Ryudo some other time. Anyway, it will always stay a mystery to me what Millenia was going to do to him x)
Millenia and Paella arguing :D
P: "Yeah? What would a harlot like you know? You go prancing around the countryside in an outfit like THAT? Now THAT'S not too bright".
"M: EXCUSE ME? Listen here, you aging excuse for a woman. I got MUCH more to offer than your haggard self EVER could!"
And so on and so forth.
Now something happened to the sound...
(Ryudo to Roan) "For now. But if you slow us down or just piss me off, your butt will be skipping down Lollipop Lane on its own."
Sometimes it's good when Millenia goes mad with fury, but usually, it's a waste of SP :/
Carros are not much of use (especially when you're already going out when you've collected 3 Poff Nuts), but they're cute :)
(Elena) "That woman is evil incarnate! She brings nothing but sorrow and misfortune!" - (Gonzola) "That so? Then I reckon she ain't too much different from any other woman." (Paella is furious)
Enemies don't seem to notice me at all here, on Baked Plains... oh, now they notice.
I've tried casting "Zap" and nothing happened... but I'm still afraid to risk when I've done a lot since last saving.
"And still... after all these years.. No one has come up with a better name than "The Battle of Good and Evil."
How many things... I wonder how they manage to carry all of it, including the tent x)
There's no way Mareg could defeat Melfice by himself at this rate, when my party easily dealt with him... he was lucky to run into Ryudo first :D
"... if I listened to every piece of good advice I heard, I'd have killed all of you already and run off with your gold."
As I remember, talking to people in Liligue isn't very exciting, it's mostly about how they can't leave their jobs even though the situation is bad. But I just can't go past.
For some weird reason I want to try that arum root, even though it's like eating sand and has no flavour xD
It crashed again... I don't like this. I hope this won't happen while I'm exploring a dungeon or fighting a boss -_-
It happened at the same circumstances, I see, I just shouldn't talk to that girl.
Gadan keeps saying that Elena looks delicious. Ahah, well, she does resemble a cake in those clothes a bit :D
(Skye) "Why don't we just waste him?" (Ryudo) "That's why I like you, Skye. Always thinking." If I understand it right, they were talking of killing Gadan. Even though he's not the nicest person and is in our way... Ryudo, just in which way are you better than your brother?
"Pretty unreliable for a deity. If you want to keep your job as a supreme overlord, you should keep your naughty/nice list straight."
I wonder what Gadan used to be like...
"Whoa there, gumshoe! I don't recall "hunting down reawakening God of Evil" as being a part of my job description." And that's almost exactly what they ended up doing.
"... no passengers on the Skyway! There's profit in freighting cargo, not tourists".
"Well, Roan should have no problem boarding. He's baggage" xD
"I flew by bird once, and it wasn't exactly "incredible"... In fact, it hurt like hell" - "If someone didn't weigh so much..."
I'm about to fight the Tongue of Valmar and I've just thought... why not come all the way back to Liligue with Millenia? :D This doesn't make any sense, but hey, she has something to say.
"Say, Ryudo? You think this blockhead would fill his shorts with holy water if we told him about me?" This I did not expect to hear xD I knew it was a bad idea to go to the church with the Wings of Valmar.
Only that now I have to open the door again... well, that Millenia's line was worth it. And I've found a Sword of Light. Now, time to kick some ass!
"That voice is familiar... ahh... Gadan, Gadan. Let me guess... new haircut?"

Grandia II (Introduction. Carbo Village)

The time has come to play the Anniversary Edition of my beloved Grandia II ^_^
Unfortunately I've just heard it might turn out more buggy than the one I've had... but I really want to try it. Anyway, I think it can't be as bad as PS2 version. I hope.

The lights and shadows are beautiful *_*
I don't feel like I'm playing the hard mode yet, but we'll see. I know there is a fanmade one and it's very extreme, if this proves to be too easy, I'll consider installing that next time.
I like talking to everyone in towns in this game, to learn more about its world. Especially since I decided to write a fanfic, and when I'm writing one, I want to be as precise as possible. Probably I read more than actually play in this game. Also, this might help me understand what happened on that fateful night better. I'm talking about Ryudo's past. This topic fascinates me. Not only because of Melfice.
I just love Ryudo's replies. They're tactless and rude but funny x) I'll put my favourite quotes here.
[Fortune telling, Skye reacts] "Woman trouble AND a great love? For Ryudo?! Check again, old woman."
I wonder if the Sisters couldn't perform their ceremony at the Garmia tower in the daytime. Was it necessary to go at night? >_> I guess so.
[The story of Flyin' Jim Phoenix] "No need to thank me lad" - "Don't worry. I won't."
Finally I've talked to everyone and now am going to the church to hear Elena sing :) I mean, Ryudo's going there for another reason, but eventually it will be to see who's singing.
It's interesting that in the English version Ryudo and Father Carius are voiced by the same person. So practically Cam Clarke is talking to himself :)
"...when Elena was younger ... she was so clumsy that she fell down ALL the time" - "Hey! You do not have to share with them details about MY childhood" :P
"Elena, did he do anything to you?" - "Tessa! Ryudo kept his hands to himself!"
I like the Garmia tower. It's among the things I remember from the first time I played this game long ago, and these memories are so vague I don't even remember where I stopped (or, rather, got stuck). I think it was in the caves in Agear, but I'm not sure. Some things after that seemed familiar.
Yeah, I guess it is a bit harder, enemies have more HP, but their attacks don't seem to have become more powerful. They can run after me for a little longer, though.
Going to see Millenia in a few minutes :D
So the Pope's full name is Zera Innocentius... how ironic.
Millenia's Japanese voice makes her sound younger... I wouldn't say I don't like the original voices, but it's one of the rare cases when I like the English dub more, or maybe that's because I'm just used to it. I was curious how the original version sounds like, so I chose it, for a change.
I've heard "Zap" is the buggiest spell, and when Millenia cast it, I waited in fear, but everything went fine. I'll check that spell myself, and if there are problems, well, I'll have to prevent enemies from casting it at any cost. Also I'll save my game more often, even if it means going back and forth in the location.
Wow, enemies did become stronger. I don't remember those snakes nearly killing Elena before, not in the first battle, at least x) This is going to be interesting!
After spending a night in the mountains, I've returned to Carbo to see if any lines have changed. And they have! Moreover, I don't remember most of them, even though I practiced returning to towns regularly last time I played. I don't think it was added in the new version, though... I've learnt so much interesting things about Geohounds during a dinner at the inn. I'm glad I returned. I didn't think there was something left I did not know about Grandia II. Such discoveries are exciting. Also, I can't help but think how many lines someone had to write, for all the characters, in a few variants...
Now, bad news. The game has just crashed, good thing I had saved just before, although, all I did was talking, nothing important. I hope I'll avoid such nasty surprises in the future. I had to reload my computer and, as if it wasn't bad enough already, it decided to occupy itself with updates -_- Looks like it decided for me that it's enough playing today.
Ahem. It turned out to be more serious that I thought. I just hope I'll be able to get it all back to normal as soon as possible. No, it's not the game's fault.
I guess I can try now... fight some more snakes and spiders before I go to bed. But looks like I won't arrive at Agear until next time.
Hmm, I wonder if they improved visibility. I don't remember being able to observe all the way I've come from above. But I might have just forgotten.
This post's getting too long. I guess I'd better divide it in parts.