Originally posted on 14 October 2013
Source: Siren 2 Maniacs, page 112-113

Siren 2: Archive 011~014

[No. 011] Framed Photo of the Ohta Family
A photograph showing Tsuneo Ohta, head fisherman and most influential person on Yamijima, and his only daughter Tomoe. Her cheerful smile in contrast to Tsuneo's moody-looking face leaves an impression. As also mentioned in archive [No.043] Tomoe Ohta's Diary, the hysterical and malicious Tomoe as seen in the game also had another side to her, kind and caring towards her father. She acts on behalf of her father, whom she respects more than anyone else, charged with the dut to protect the peace of Yamijima, which leads her to direct an intense hatred towards Kanae and other newcomers to the island. In actual fact, the Ohta family's distinguishment comes from having maintained generation after generation the boundaries of the forbidden area in which the former residents (Yamibito) hide. By Tsuneo's generation this has already been forgotten, but it was an Ohta ancestor who sealed away the "World of Nothingness" using the seven gates. However, the knowledge as recorded in archive [No.090] Ohta Family Writings is fragmented and disorganised, mentioning beings called "Yamibito" and "Shibito" only as "the ancient ones", "those who fear the light" and "the sin that lurks in the sea".

[No. 012] Poster of Missing Girl
As shown in the previous game, in August 2003 the Other World appears in Hanuda Village of Misumi County. In the end, due to the efforts of Kyoya Suda, like a terrible god, the Shibito are wiped out, but due to the influence of these strange events Mother releases a dove (later Yuri Kishida). The "scout-like" beings set loose by Mother, dreaming of the Yamibito one day retaking the world, are doves. The dove, finally sent to the human realm, kidnaps a girl with the intention of stealing her name. The victim is the glasses-wearing girl from this poster, Yuri Kishida. As you can tell with just a glance, the face of the girl, who lived near Sanzu Harbour, is completely different from that of the dove who later becomes Yuri Kishida. Kidnapped and imprisoned simply to have her name stolen, the girl writes an SOS message ([No.070] Message in a Bottle) from the Sanzu Harbour warehouse in which she is trapped, but her message never reaches the outside, and though the particulars are unknown it appears as though her life ends there. Also, the name of Sanzu Harbour is taken from the Sanzu river, said to be "the boundary between this world and the next".

[No. 013] Yamigame
As you can see from the tsuchinoko and skyfish that have previously appeared in the Siren series, the development team are rather fond of mysterious creatures (UMAs). Siren 2 features some, such as the Yamipikarya, and the Yamigame is another of Yamijima's UMAs. The story - "the rage of victims of the many maritime disasters off the coast of Yamijima appear on the turtles' shells as manifestations of their hatred" - was created to show that Yamijima is an island filled with bizarre myths. Incidentally, if you save the Yamigame lying on its back in stage "-1:00 Fleeing", you can see it returned and fully grown in "-3:00 Encounter" (mission goal 2). These kinds of events, overlapping across the generations, is a bit of fun in Siren 2.

[No. 014] Turtle Jelly Ramen
A turtle jelly ramen, which is said to command intense popularity in some places, the regional food of the Shikai area. In fact, if you look at the text of archive [No.013] Yamigame, you will see that fishermen in the Shikai region would formerly go as far as cutting their nets to release the turtles, showing that they were apparently precious... In a sense, perhaps this act caused an angered god to bring disaster upon them, as Midorigame Foods, which manufactured and sold the product, suffered a series of misfortunes, and aside from the recall and cessation of production of Turtle Jelly Ramen, in the bottom left of archive [No.048] Shikai News you can see an article titled "Midorigame Foods Recall All Turtle Korokke Products" in small print. It does seem as though the Shikai region is cursed to looking after its turtles. Also, on the second level of this item you can see a TV commercial for Turtle Jelly Ramen. The woman smiling sweetly in it is actually the "fallen gravure idol" Naoko Mihama from the previous game. Perhaps you could say that in a way, the ramen's catchphrase "ultimate beauty from limitless collagen!" and Mihama's end, drowning herself in the red water seeking eternal beauty, are the ultimate pairing. Either way, this will bring a bit of a smile to the faces of those who have played the first game.