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Series article work in progress. What is being worked on: Info from novel will need to be added at later date, info on both novels. Implementation of Rin's name during Karakuri events being changed to Tsubaki, eventual character profiles, etc. For information on how to help, see the guidelines. More subjects categorized here.
The Karakuri Series is a group of songs that begins with Karakuri卍Burst; along with two more songs that were released on team OS' (Hitoshizuku-P x Yama x Suzunosuke) first mini album with the same name からくり卍ばーすと and the fourth on Mistletoe ~Kamigami no Yadorigi~ album. At first, the song Karakuri卍Burst was not intended to be a Series. However, Hitoshizuku-P later edited her video description announcing the mini album, linking the video to "The Karakuri Series' CD".
Along with the mini album, Suzunosuke, the illustrator of the song, has released a doujinshi regarding the Series. Her doujinshi has a similar, or in fact presumably the same plot to Hitoshizuku-P x Yama's series. Suzunosuke's doujinshi is currently ongoing, with its first volume first distributed on Comiket80. The second volume was said to be released on Winter Comiket on 2011 but it was delayed.
On November ninth, 2015, Hitoshizuku announced via twitter that a two-part novel series would be released in November and December respectively. On November 16, an official trailer for the novels was released on youtube.
The two light novels can be ordered here and here on Amazon.jp.
A fifth installment was be released on VersuS, which is a song sung from the perspective of Miku.
Suzunosuke's Doujinshi[]
The cover of the first doujinshi
The cover of the second doujinshi
1/2
The story starts with Kaito, wearing the costume he wore in the song Karakuri Burst. The country is in chaos as he walks around the neighborhood. He sees an injured man (presumably Len, for his right eye is covered in blood and later in Karakuri Burst he wears an eye patch), whispering about his mother and father. Leon, who is also an officer like Kaito, greets him and they have a little chat regarding "Karakuri".
The scene then closes and switches to a rather peaceful mood. It is an orphanage, and they have a new young boy on board. He introduces himself as Len, while the other kids whisper, saying that he looks oddly similar to another girl in the room. Len later leaves and takes a rest under a tree to be alone; or at least he thinks that he's alone. Rin greets him and asks what he is doing. She brings up the topic of the other kids in the orphanage thinking that they look alike, like twins.
The girl introduces herself as "Rin" and sits down next to him. They move on with their conversation, chatting casually. Rin had been in the orphanage for two years, and realizes they are getting along very well, each telling their story. Len tells her that his house is gone thanks to the Karakuri, as were his mother and father. So ends volume 1, as a cliffhanger. The last pages of the doujinshi were concept arts of Ren and Tsubaki's costumes in the song Karakuri卍Burst.
The Series[]
Note: The order of the series is based on the Karakuri Burst' album order.
Tsubaki (Rin) is shown standing beneath the moon, as if approaching. Ren (Len) is shown standing before hundreds of dead bodies. The lyrics begin the song by singing about how she's visiting a sleepless town. Then, Tsubaki pulls out a gun, and remarks that her fingers, once she pulls the trigger, will become stained in a brilliant red. She sings about her desire to destroy. She says that humans are "worthless, brittle, and fragile", and that "they are, after all, merely discarded puppets". In a flashback, Miku looks down on Tsubaki asks why she was born, and Tsubaki begs Miku to tell her the answer.
Then, Ren enters the song and sings about how there are no such things as coincidences. Ren sings about his own desire to destroy. Ren says that he'll destroy everything, and that he wants all sin to "die, die, die!!" He says that "all sinners are, after all, worthless pieces of scum". When Tsubaki asks him why he spared her he says he'll tell her the answer. Just when the two have each other's life on the line, a brief flashback of the two laughing together appeared. The song ends with a cliffhanger.
In Unmei Gokko, Ren spoke of how he was searching for someone. He didn't know who, but he was searching for something he missed. He later mentioned how he should've captured a certain someone, for who he had let go (assuming this happens after the events in Karakuri Burst, then Ren presumably let Tsubaki go, "someone" he should have captured in the previous song). He was confused on how to feel and what to feel towards the subject.
Wondering whether their meeting / previous encounter is fate or coincidence, the song ends as a cliff hanger, with Ren still wondering what had happened. Not only Ren, Tsubaki too was as confused as Ren on the matter. Nonetheless the two couldn't remember why and how they are important to each other despite the brief flashback of them being together on Karakuri Burst.
This song presumably takes place before the events of Karakuri Burst and Unmei Gokko. It tells a story of how Ren and his childhood friend play hide-and-seek. No matter how hard she tries to hide, Ren would always somehow find her, for some reason. It is an innocent song despite everything that had happened in Karakuri Burst; if this has anything to do with Suzunosuke's doujinshi, this could probably have happened not long after they became friends.
It was merely a dream, however. The "flashback" of two kids playing hide-and-seek disappeared; instead, they "pulled a trigger". It was a nightmare. Until the nightmare ends, Tsubaki bids good night. Assuming this happened after Unmei Gokko, then Ren and Tsubaki must have met during or in between the songs. And so ends the last track of the album, another song with a cliff hanger.
The PV is interspersed with many images of Tsubaki and Ren together as children, a ring, and mechanical robots called "Karakuris" in a battle.
In the beginning, Ren is thinking back on how he lost what he cherished the most and couldn't do anything about it. He then comes to the conclusion that it's his fate to kill Tsubaki and that he has to perish all his regrets. Tsubaki like wise thinks about how she has no choice but to kill all weaklings in the world if she's to live. One of these "weaklings" turn out to be Ren's lover (Lily). Ren tries to reason with Tsubaki, but she kills her anyway. Ren sinks into depression and thinks back on his childhood friend Rin and begins to think that she and Tsubaki might be the same person.
Tsubaki and Ren meet and begin to fight. Ren straddles her and she taunts him into stabbing her, but rather than going for her heart, he drives his sword through the flower in her hair. It is revealed that the ring Ren gave to Tsubaki in the past is hidden in the flower, confirming his suspicions about Rin being Tsubaki. Tsubaki reaches, crying, for the ring as it flies into the flames. Looking down on the weeping woman Ren becomes conflicted whether he should kill the terrorist or save her and sheds a tear. After the PVs release, a 4 page photoset was uploaded by Suzunosuke on her Pixiv. It shows a young distraught Rin running from shadows and encountering Ren after stabbing the flower. The photoset ends with Tsubaki and Ren embracing each other as they both cry.
This song is sung from the perspective of Miku, leader of the Crimson Camellias and Tsubaki's boss, who critizises Ren's unwillingness to see Evil and Justice as a spectrum and instead sees it as black and white.
The cover for Karakuri卍Burst Flash of the White Wolf
The cover for Karakuri卍Burst Funeral of the Red Camellia
Full cover of Flash of the White Wolf
Full cover of The Funeral of the Red Camellia
Illustration of Ren and Tsubaki for Christmas by TSO
Trivia[]
Regarding Ren and Tsubaki's designs, their costumes are somewhat opposite:
Ren's hair is drawn down, while Tsubaki has her hair tied up (in many Kagamine PVs; it's usually the other way around)
Ren wears an eye patch on his right eye, while Tsubaki's left eye is blocked (in many scenarios, it's usually the other way around. References of Left and Right would be considered Len = left and Rin = right)
Ren's scar on his face goes from (top) left to (bottom) right, while Tsubaki's scar on her face goes from (top) right to (bottom) left.
Ren is drawn as an officer-esque costume, but he uses a katana as his weapon, while Tsubaki is drawn in a kimono-esque attire, but she uses a pistol as a weapon.
Regarding the names in Suzunosuke's doujinshi:
Ren's name is written as 蓮 (ren / lotus) though it's read as "Ren".
Tsubaki's name is written as 椿 (tsubaki / camellia) though it is read as "Tsubaki"
Tsubaki's original name, Rin was written as 凛 (rin / cold) though it's read as "Rin".
Kaito's name is written as 戒人 (combination of 戒 / commandment and 人 / person) though it's read as "Kaito" (technically 戒/Kai 人/hito)
Leon's name is written as 令恩 (combination of 令 / command and 恩 / grace or mercy) though it's read as "Leon" (technically 令/Rei 恩/on)
Tsubaki's outfit as a child in Suzunosuke's doujinshi resembles the clothes she wears on iroha(sasaki)'s "sigh" which was also illustrated by Suzunosuke.
"Unmei Gokko" and "Oi kakekko wa yume no naka" are featured on a bonus CD for Mistletoe ~Kamigami no Yadorigi~ if ordered from Tetsuya.
