Their dynamic is great so it's always interesting to see this kind of work, very enjoyable angst.

grumbles something about Kosuzu and how the fortune teller was more likely a one off thing

Anyways, I like these two when their relationship is on a very fine edge of becoming very messy.

I like this rather unique dynamic that the fandom sometimes puts between those two.

Even though realistically Marisa probably would be pardoned if she were to turn full youkai. She neither lives in the village nor would there be much of a difference in how she views youkai. She's already very deep in youkai affairs on top of that, so it's not like a villager who needs to fear youkai suddenly stopping to do so and becoming one.

ReiMari drama: Marisa might turn into a youkai
MariAli drama: Marisa's lifespan is shorter because she's not a youkai

If Reimu wants to stop Marisa from turning into a youkai at all costs, she just needs to become a MariAli shipper. Once they're together, it's just off the table for some reason.

A long dance between the two.

Marisa's intentions are vague enough to support either interpretation. Will she end up remaining an ordinary magician until she dies of human lifespan/frailty, or find a method of immortality she likes enough to commit to?

And if that means she does become a youkai, is there a statute of limitations on being born a human in the human village such that a decade or two spent as a crazy forest witch first would make it acceptable? It's rather nebulous and open to speculation.

I find this work interesting because of the inclusion of Marisa's usually absent mother. It seems to have her find out that Reimu specifically ended her late enough in life that they were already friends and she already understood how things work. So instead of any long term efforts to avenge that, Marisa takes a 'that's just how things are' mentality. If she continues on her path long enough, she and her best friend will have to fight to the death over it and that's just life. As far as angst goes, it comes across as a very dry sort. She's not dreading that day nor trying to make the most of the time before it, merely acknowledging the inevitable before progressing as she otherwise would.

Very cute! Always nice to have new ReiMari stuff here.

I like this rather unique dynamic that the fandom sometimes puts between those two.

Even though realistically Marisa probably would be pardoned if she were to turn full youkai. She neither lives in the village nor would there be much of a difference in how she views youkai. She's already very deep in youkai affairs on top of that, so it's not like a villager who needs to fear youkai suddenly stopping to do so and becoming one.

My personal take (if we assume a ReiMari frame where they are in love) is that Reimu wouldn't go through with it, but Marisa wouldn't put her in that position in the first place, particularly since living on loses a lot of appeal when it means she and Reimu will leave each other behind. Of course, the beauty of Touhou is that there's tons of room for different interpretations!

last edited at Jun 7, 2024 3:39PM

The ending... feels like it lacks something—maybe the continuation of how their relationship goes.