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lamento beyound the void is an action rpg first person shooter released
on october 27th, 2006.....





lamento -beyond the void- is a relatively unknown game as it was the only chiral game not to recive an official english release by jast usa, but it might be one of the brightest hidden gems of them all. Everything about lamento is beautiful, from it's story, characters, design, music, and artwork.

In a world full of cats, a mysterious phenomenon called the "void" started to take over the forests. Everythingthe void touched became untouchable to cats causing a famine. this forced some of the cat villages to devlop a sacrifice system where, every month, a cat was chosen to be eaten by the villagers. After a string of terrible nightmares, Konoe finds himself cursed by an unknown tormentor, and on top of that, finds out he has been chosen as the next sacrifice. With no other choice but to flee, konoe sets out for the big city of ransen to find a cure for his curse.

everything about lamento seems to shrine even brighter the longer it's been out despite its 18 year old history. in February of 2024 it recieved an amazing stage play adaptation showing that theres still hope for the franchise so many years later



Themes

Misfortune and lament

theres a lot i like about lamento such as the characters (all of them are great and have good connections), the music (its so good and is intricately connected to the story), the design (extremely good has insane amounts of detail in the ui and is dynamic to reflect the movement of the cats), the world (its not just a world with cat people in it its a world OF cat people), its extended media (nyanda, convenience store lamento, gakeun, all of those go insanely hard), or even things like the shui leaks story

but i think my most favorite thing about it is story surrounding misfortune

it took me getting to a certain scene around the middle of the game to realize that DUH its about lament its about how misfortune befalls anyone and theres nothing that can be done about it you can ask "why" but there wont be answer

In this scene, konoe is walking through the woods when he starts feeling bad and suddenly the curse he had thought he had broken came back out of nowhere for seemingly no reason. konoe panics and then lets out a loud scream and starts running. He has no destination, he just breaks out running. he just running and falls and starts banging his fist on the forest floor

the song that plays during this scene is called ketsui (決意) its such a banger and it made me realize what lamento is about

if i had to describe the song it sounds like dread and hopelessness which made me realize the main question in lamento is "why me" why did it have to be him. Why did he get cursed? why did he get chosen as a sacrifice and to be eaten alive by the people of his village. All he can do is lament THERE THWRE IT IS LAMENT which made me remember the line from the chorus of the opening song which are "lamento ego" (thus i lament) wow so shocking

thats all he can do, he doesn't know why he was chosen for everything and theres nothing he can do. not just konoe but the entire world of lamento. all living beings become untouchable causing villages to starve. why us? A sickness that makes organs disappear at random with a guaranteed mortality rate with no cause. why us?

There's no reason for it. it just happens to them. konoe or anyone else and all they can do is lament in sorrow and frustration. konoe knows whos doing it but its still unknown. Why do certain things happen, why did the curse come back after he had gotten so much hope

also the fact that no matter what he does konoe will always be Destined to be eaten by someone. whether its the people of his village or by devils he'll always be eaten no matter where he escapes to like him being chosen as a sacrifice and everything with leaks uuegh

idk if this is really getting across to anyone but konoes curse coming back combined with the music just made it click like ik this probably isnt the most groundbreaking thing ever but yea the song is just really good

More on the song its so good the moment the beat drops its like an unavoidable tragedy. my mind immediately goes back to konoe, after seeing that the curse had returned he started, running away. not just because thats when the song played but because of the overwhelming feeling of lament

ive always liked the way konoes feelings have been shown hes been seen panicking, over thinking, just general & suffering, both alone and with others its not just "konoe felt sad" it always shows how much he is torn apart by his situation and gives him the right to be sad, mad, scared, confused, etc. idk if this makes sense to anyone who hasn't played but they show him and let him be angry. they let him scream about it and be upset and i like that because they let him ask "why him"

LAMENTO EGOOO dun dun dundun dun dun dun LAMENTAS VAEEEEEE dun dun dundun dun dun dun i cant stress enough the feeling of lament this song is crushing. again back to konoe just screaming and running away not from anyone or anything hes completely alone in the forest but no matter what he cant escape he just runs with the feeling of dread fueling him

on "lamento" as in the opening song of the game it doesnt really need an explanation but when i first saw them (before the plot had properly began) i thought "wow these sure are unfortunate" and now that i realize lamentation is a core part of lamento (who couldve guessed) it makes a lot more sense than them just being sorrowful

Verum; the truth

伝承の詩 -Verum- (denshou no shi verum) is the good ending song that plays at the end of a route during the credits and is is incredible it geniuenly makes you happy and glad you reached the end of a route its a great song and like the opening its lyrics are in latin

i love this song so much just because of that the lyrics and ito kanako's vocals and just how the song sounds BUT ALSO IT ISNT JUSSTTTT THE ENDING THEME. IT IS THE SONG THATS BEEN PLAYING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE GAME. IT IS THE SONG. THE SONG. IT IS 伝承の詩 -VOX-

that kinda sounds obvious when you type it because they both have "伝承の詩" in them but you wouldn't know that until you finish the game or go out of your way to look it up. while your playing you wouldn't know and i cant express how good it feels to realize it

the denshou no shi saga consists of 5 songs, 伝承の詩 -vox-, nostalgia, 伝承の詩 -nervus-, exitus, and finally 伝承の詩 -verum-. denshou no shi -vox- is the first one you hear and also the first song you hear in the entire game its the "yaaa iyaa iyaiyaiya i yaiyaiyaaaaaaaa" song. afer the intro i dont believe it shows up again until konoe finds out he's a sanga and "sings" for the first time.
i put sings in quotations because we never know what he is singing. he doesn't even know what he's singing he can't hear it himself. i believe the song also appears whenever the poet (shui) comes to save konoe. it is the unknown song that comes from within konoe and the song of the poet who has always been following konoe.

throughouut the game you hear vox and it evolve into its other forms like nostalgia, an acostic guitar version with no vocals, and nervus and exitus, more intense and dramatic versions that play as the story reaches its climax and konoe has to conjure all his strength during the final battle.

at the very end denshou no shi reaches its most intense form as konoe battles leaks and truly meets shui for the first time. he is singing his hardest to support his touga. no matter how hard he sings though it is still a vocaless song and one with no lyrics. it comes from within konoe but its meaning or words are still unknown. shui knows leaks has to be deafted so he gives him the lyrics to the song and when konoe sings it it kills leaks as fuck. after the final battle its finally revealed that lekas loved shui shui was cheating on his wife blahblahblah and you get to see the ending then the credits finally start and you finally hear the song.

denshou no shi was shuis song that he made for leaks he sang it to leaks and made it about him. it was for him and its contents can be found all over the game in the background. it was always there and it was also the meaning of the first line in the entire game, "Even if the world killed you, I would not forget you"

"verum" meaning truth in latin. denshou no shi verum is about truth and how it is obscured with the flow of time. it is about a person who, even if the world erased him and the truth, will be charised for who he is even if only one person in the world knows.

tbh i always thought "even if the world killed you" was kinda stupid like its a vauge opening phras you arent meant to know at first but then you learn by the end of the game and it does that but i always thought the wording was kinda stupid or purposfully weird on purpose. i knew it was shui saying that to leaks after i beat a route for the first time but now i have a bit more respect for it in the context of verum.

first i think its good to know what verum is saying so im just gonna put it here credits to yukirayu for the english translation

  • Let me tell you something important now: the truth is hidden
    Dicam rem gravem, nunc: veritas est celata

    It continues to exist, unravaged by the flow of time
    sed tempus eam possit perdere et violare

    He stood in the midst of disaster, death, defamation, and damnation
    In calamitate, morte, fama, in maledictio, erat ibi hic

    In ruthlessness, conflict and darkness, he stood as an evil omen
    In misericorde, bello, tenebris, ut ipsus malus stabat hic

    In blasphemy and impiety, there he stood as a form that inspired fear
    In blasphemia, impietate, in terribli forma est hic

    The screams resounded from the void, “Is that form real? Is it not an illusion? Is it real or not?”
    In clamore, vanitate: Estne vera forma, non vera? Non vera?

    Open your eyes, open your eyes and behold!
    Oculos tuos aperite occulusos, ecce!

    He brought a red flower to an ashen world
    Rubem florem in canam terram tulit

    Hope, that is our only hope
    Spes, ea spes, sola

    I’ll share with you the memories and truth of a distant past
    Memoriam antiquam et veritatem te donam

    The truth is hidden from sight, but it remains there for eternity
    Veritas invisibilis est, sed manet, manet in perpetua

    Days of peace, laughter and tranquility, of life, fertility and joy
    Diem pacis, risum, placidem… Vitam, fructum, felicem…

    Of benevolence and order, of unity, virtue and light
    Bonitatem, ordinem… Consensum, asquum, lucem…

    Everyone desired them all, and his wounds pained and ached
    Omnis eos petunt, ergo hujus dolebat vulnus

    Quietly, yet certainly
    Quiete, sed certe

    Does he seek love? Or does he not seek love?
    Vultne amorem, vel non vult? Vel non vult? O!

    My heart and thoughts reach beyond the boundaries of time
    Trans finem temporis, cor mei, vola

    He breathes life into the earth
    In terram hic donat spiritum

    This is something that I, and only I know
    Solus ego, solus ego id scio

    He stood in the midst of damnation
    In maledictio, erat ibi hic

    He stood as an evil omen
    Ut ipsus malus stabat hic

    He stood as a form that inspired fear
    In terribli forma est hic

    Is that form real or an illusion?
    Estne vera, non vera?

    Does he seek love or not?
    Vultne amorem, vel non vult?

    Does anyone know the answer?
    Quisne id scit?

    Open your eyes, open your eyes and behold!
    Oculos tuos aperite occulusos, ecce!

    He brought a red flower to an ashen world
    Rubem florem in canam terram tulit

    Hope, that is our hope
    Spes, ea spes

    My heart and thoughts reach beyond the boundaries of time
    Trans finem temporis, cor mei, vola

    He breathes life into the earth
    In terram hic donat spiritum

    This is something that I, and only I know
    Solus ego, solus ego id scio

lamento music is good

伝承の詩 -Vox-
▶
NOW PLAYING... 伝承の詩 -Vox-

waahh

伝承の詩 -Verum-
▶
NOW PLAYING... 伝承の詩 -Verum-

verum is the good ending song and good god is it a good ending song. like lamento, this song is in latin and i love its lyrics so much

lyrics -

Dicam rem gravem, nunc: veritas est celata
sed tempus eam possit perdere et violare
In calamitate, morte, fama, in maledictio, erat ibi hic
In misericorde, bello, tenebris, ut ipsus malus stabat hic
In blasphemia, impietate, in terribli forma est hic
In clamore, vanitate: Estne vera forma, non vera? Non vera?
Oculos tuos aperite occulusos, ecce!
Rubem florem in canam terram tulit
Spes, ea spes, sola
Memoriam antiquam et veritatem te donam
Veritas invisibilis est, sed manet, manet in perpetua
Diem pacis, risum, placidem… Vitam, fructum, felicem…
Bonitatem, ordinem… Consensum, asquum, lucem…
Omnis eos petunt, ergo hujus dolebat vulnus
Quiete, sed certe
Vultne amorem, vel non vult? Vel non vult? O!
Trans finem temporis, cor mei, vola
In terram hic donat spiritum
Solus ego, solus ego id scio
In maledictio, erat ibi hic
Ut ipsus malus stabat hic
In terribli forma est hic
Estne vera, non vera?
Vultne amorem, vel non vult?
Quisne id scit?
Oculos tuos aperite occulusos, ecce!
Rubem florem in canam terram tulit
Spes, ea spes
Trans finem temporis, cor mei, vola
In terram hic donat spiritum
Solus ego, solus ego id scio

決意
▶
NOW PLAYING... 決意

決意(ketsui)

lyrics -

Stage Play

the lamento 2024 stage play is what made me start playing the game and i am still as obsessed with it as i was when i first saw it. Seeing those grown men do cat poses as part of the choreography captivated me and i haven't been the same ever since. ive spent hours looking at recordings of the curtain call on twitter, analizing every single action each actor does on each specific day i even bought one of the tshirts. the actual stage play howver, compared to the other chiral stage plays, is mid like theres not even interpretive dance sex sinces like cmon. THUS!!!!!!! this section will mainly be about the curtain call. i'll b erefering to the actors as the characters they play for simplicity so props to them and all their hard work THANK YOUUU

the basics

  • After the stage play finishes, the actors all come out and bow and talk a bit BUT THEN the audience is allowed to take out their phones and record fo rthe curtain call performance. during the performance, the actors dance to "lamento" (the game's opening song) and some of them can walk off the stage and into the audience. it lasts for about 4 minutes but each actor dances and behaves differently and you'll always notice something new with each day/recording. over lamento stage's run there were several main bits that progressed and evolved all the way up to the final performance, providing unique viewing experiences regardless of what day you watched it.

    everyone moves differently and no two actors dance the same. if you pay attention to recordings of the curtain call you can see that ho w quick they are is different, their poses, their enthusiasm, etc. even during the nya parts each actor does is differently (ex: verg vs konoe)

    at the top of this section you can see an image of the stage and where each actor is positioned during the start of the song. the start there, then after the song into they all run off stage then are reindroduced before the chorus starts. after that, kil, ul, tokino, kagari, bardo, asato, and rai can go into the audience during specific parts. they have to return by the second chorus but during that time they can walk up the rows and literally do anything like sit in the seast or beat the audience with their tails. after that, they dance and finish the song with a pose. some of the actors (BARDO BARDOS ACTOR) choose not to return to dancing and literally do anything else except for dance like they're fucking supposed to

    in the stage play (and game) there are 3 routes that it adapts, the rai route, asato route, and bardo route. depending on what route you watched, one of them will stay on stage and stand next to konoe while the other 2 will go off stage and into the audience (ex: in rais route, rai stays on stage and bardo+asato go into the audience)

analysis of every actor

  • in this section i will give a brief run down of every actors' role in the curtain call, how they act, how they dance, and whatever else they do instead of dancing like they're supoosed to

    i've put together this simple tier list ranking each actor based on enthusiasm. this isn't a critisim of how they dance, its supposed to show how varried their performances are and how they represent their characters. the kil ranking is not an understatement. he will kill someone.
  • konoe / You Maejima
  • rai / Sho Kato
  • bardo / Yusuke Seto
    "ok so you'll dance right?
    "yup" *does anything else*
  • asato / Yuusei Hiraga
  • leaks / Yuho Matsui RARE FOOTAGE OF HIM DANCING
  • shui / Natsuki Osaki
  • tokino / Taiga Fukazawa
  • froud / Koki Muramatsu
  • razel / Yuki Kimisawa

    his performance is so confusing to me because razel is the most chill guy ever in lamento hes so extravagant in the stage play it made me completely forget razel's original personality 😭this is what doing whatever you want looks like in a good way lik ewhat the fuck is he doing😭 HELP
  • kaltz / Yuki Okamoto
  • verg / Tomoki Iwata
  • kil / Yoshun Kyoyama
  • ul / Yuya Arai
  • firi / Tsutomu Kita
  • kagari / Maya Asaba

specific events

  • ul and kil muder moments
  • leaks and shui saga
  • bardo vs rai fighting
  • froud and rai

recorded accidents

  • from my knowaqlge, there were only 3 (recorded) costume incidents during the curtain calls. by incidents i mean parts f the costume breaking or falling off
    • konoe cape 2/20/24: when he poses, the string on his cape detached and he is very shocked lol
    • razel sword 2/21/24: in the first few seconds of this vid, you can see his sword fell out of the holster (probably due to exessive movement) and kaltz picks it up
    • froud gauntlet 2/27/24: while doing a turn, his gauntlet falls onto the floor
  • ok real stage play moments
    • shui mouse and grass
    • rai tail bits
    • devil fun time

  • stage play t-shirt
    • MY BEAST LOVE BOOST MUSICAL LAMENTO -BEYOND THE VOID- T-SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • lamento laptop
  • desktop theme