Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri Review

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri (Akaya Akashiya Ayakashino) is a fantasy visual novel, that was released on PC in Japan in 2011 by doujin group, HaccaWorks* and published in English by Dramatic Create. A modern Japanese-style fantasy story involving Yue, a young boy born and raised at a shrine, and his friendship with the “Ayakashi” spirits.

Game Details

• Genre: Modern Fantasy | Adventure | Visual Novel
• Developer & Publisher: HaccaWorks | Dramatic Create & HuneX
• Where to Get the Game: Steam | Nintendo Switch
• Similar Games: Ayakashi Gohan | Dairoku Agents of Skuratani

---

Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri Synopsis

Yue is a young boy, born in a mountain shrine in the town of Utsuwa.
One day, he attends the winter festival together with his childhood friend, a black fox named Kurogitsune.
The lanterns burn bright red, and the people are buzzing. As Yue sees the outside world for the first time in his life, he meets two mysterious boys.
Upon returning to the mountain, the owner of the shrine, Mikoto, told him.
Prepare the “meal”.

synopsis

---

Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri Review

Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri is a game that gives us a sneak peek into a world beyond our imaginations. A dangerous, yet alluring world where myth and legend coexist alongside the mundane world we inhabit—a world of ayakashi! Set in the sleepy shadow ridden town of Utsuwa, the line between reality and myth is blurred. Unbeknownst to the humans living there, youkai and other beings of myth inhabit the old shrine in the mountains.

Among the ayakashi there is a boy, Yue who has been raised in the shrine since birth. While he lives among them, Yue is altogether different from the ayakashi that reside on the mountain and for unknown reasons he has been forbidden from leaving the shrine. That is, until he and his friend, Kurogitsune sneak off to visit the local winter festival in town. He enjoys his first taste of freedom, reveling in the sights and food of the festival and it’s there that he meets two mysterious boys, Togo Tsubaki and Akiyoshi Tochika.

To Yue, most people look like shadows (stylized in the game as dark animal like sprites), but both Togo and Akiyoshi are exceptions. Curious about the boys, Yue wants to spend more time getting to know them, but he has to return to the shrine before he and Kurogitsune are caught. After returning to the shrine, the goddess and guardian of the ayakashi, Mikoto tells Yue that the boys are special because they are meant to be his “meal”. PLOT TWIST! Yue is meant to eat one of them and not in the fun way, literally.

She gives Yue special permission to visit the human town in order to befriend both Togo and Akiyoshi to prepare them for his meal. A great way to make new friends, by the way. So, he pops down to Utsuwa to get closer to his “meal” candidates. Of course neither one is too keen on being besties with a fox mask wearing weirdo, so it’s a bit of an uphill climb for Yue. While in town he encounters another mysterious man with not so great intentions that threatens to expose the secrets of the town and the ayakashi. Something that has the potential to change the lives of not just Yue, but everyone in Utsuwa.

This is probably a good time to say that there is no romance in Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri. Most of the visual novels I cover have some degree of romance as part of the narrative, however, aside from some light subtext and a lot of “friendship” declarations, HaccaWorks’s Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri has zero romance. With it’s predominantly male cast and lead a lot of folks wondered if this was a stealth boys love title, and sorry to burst your bubble, it isn’t. You could argue for shounen-ai leanings, since the story does focus on the relationships between Yue, Togo, and Akiyoshi, but as a professional fujoshi, in my humble opinion, even that’s a stretch.

The budding friendship between the boys is highkey adorable and awkward, but super sweet. It’ll definitely tug at the ol heartstrings a bit. Yue is very low energy, preferring to nap or eat and because he’s been sheltered at the shrine his whole life, he isn’t very worldly. He often misses most social ques and prefers to take things at his own pace. In any other context, Yue would be annoying, but there’s something endearing about how innocent and naïve he can be. Even when confronted with danger or the frustrations of Akiyoshi, he kind of just shrugs it off and keeps it moving. And seeing someone so unbothered and carefree bulldoze his way into the hearts of everyone he meets encompasses a lot of the unexpected humor in the game.

However, that’s not all there is to Yue, there is a bit of mystery surrounding his origins and his need to feast on Togo and Akiyoshi. And it’s definitely unexpected and worthwhile.

The other characters are just as interesting in their own right. Togo is a seemingly normal high school student, who has been the target of ayakashi and spirits for years. He’s levelheaded and easygoing, he and his family have an unexpected connection to the ayakashi of Utsuwa.

Akiyoshi is a bit of an oddball, lurking behind trees and bushes, stalking Togo, and doing everything but throwing holy water on Yue. He is immediately suspicious of Yue spending much of the time attempting to expose his secrets. And unlike Togo he seems to know more about the ayakashi and their “plans” than he lets on.

Kurogitsune is a literal black fox and Yue’s companion/babysitter. He genuinely wants what’s best for Yue and will do anything to make him happy, even if that means disobeying Mikoto’s orders. He and Yue have a brotherly relationship that is just so heartwarming and genuine. His route made me cry. 😭

Sagano is technically an antagonist, so his route is a little different from the others. Anything I say would fall into spoiler territory, but just know it’s an interesting dynamic and I liked the reveals in his route.

Each route reveals new truths about Yue, his new friends and their connection to the ayakashi and the secrets of the town. There is a lot of lore and worldbuilding that gets unpacked as the story progresses and yet the listless pacing gives a dream-like quality to Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri that gives the feel of an old folk story or even an urban legend. Because of this, the game is a bit hard to follow at times. Important plot points are dropped without warning (or explanation) only to be swept under the rug simply because Yue needs a nap or a snack. Only to crop back up later during more dramatic moments.

Even though this is a visual novel there are some fun interactive gameplay elements. There is a fun interactive map in the game that you can use to visit various locations both within the shrine grounds and around Utsuwa. Some locations are available from the start, while others are locked until subsequent playthroughs. It’s not always apparent which locations correspond to which interactions, so you’ll have to play around with it a bit at the start. There are of course the usual visual novel in-game choices that determine which endings you unlock. Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri has quite a few endings, most of which correspond with one of the four character paths (Togo, Akiyoshi, Sagano, and Kurogitsune). But, there are a few endings specific to key side characters.

In keeping with the fairytale style of the story, the art in Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri has a very unique style borrowing elements from several art styles. The UI and many of the maps borrow the flat style of paper puppet theaters. While the character design is reminiscent of Natsume’s Book of Friends, with it’s lankier characters and sketchy, hand-drawn appearance. The CGs are an explosion of colors and light, giving the art the same appeal as a watercolor painting or illustrations from a storybook. Suffice to say, Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri is a gorgeous game.

Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri is full of references to Japanese folklore and myth. There are several ayakashi characters that make an appearance throughout the story. There’s a creepy talking paper doll that you can find snacking on various things around town. A group of childlike goldfish that chat you up from time to time. Tomori (voiced by the love of my life Junichi Suwabe), the mask wearing keeper of the lights at the shrine. I was really in awe of how expansive and diverse the cast of the game is, they didn’t skimp on the ayakashi.

Rather than treating the ayakashi as otherworldly, it’s the humans that are. Aside from Togo and Akiyoshi, most of the human characters don’t have normal sprites. Instead they all look like little foxy cartoon shadows. Which is kind of cool, seeing as we’re viewing the world through the lens of the ayakashi. We aren’t meant to see them as other, we’re supposed to relate to them. Which kind of skews the moral compass a bit, since they don’t view things the same way we do. I mean, no one bats an eye at Yue having to eat Togo and/or Akiyoshi. And believe me when I say that is the least troubling thing the ayakashi do.

Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri presents the ayakashi as both sympathetic and extremely selfish depending on the situation. Yue and the story don’t condemn them for their actions, so we are left to form our own opinion on the things that happen in the story for better or worse.

And don’t get me started on the vague side conversations between Mikoto and Sato, those two puppet masters know where all the bodies are buried. But rather than clearly explaining anything to Yue or sharing what they know with the rest of the class, they’d much rather speak in riddles. It’s frustrating.

But, as you play through the story you do start to piece things together and as frustrating as being confused for most of the story can be, the plot of Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri can be a bit dense. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes and getting too much info at once can be a bit much. So, I do appreciate what the writers were going for.

Now the localization is fine for the most part, some of the translations are a bit stiff and the phrasing can be a bit awkward. I can overlook that for the most part. But, there were chunks of the game that kept the original Japanese text. As someone with the least amount of Japanese language knowledge, that made sections of the game unplayable for me, because I have no idea what the characters are saying. This is something you catch during development and for $50+, I expect Hunex/Dramatic Create to QC their game before release. Just sayin.

Overall, I really enjoyed Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri. Is it perfect, no, but, it blends rich lore, beautiful art, and an intriguing story to create a one of a kind experience. Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri has the vibe of a modern fairytale and while I desperately wished it was a BL (with all the subtext they were throwing at me), but I did enjoy playing a non-romantic visual novel for once. The mystery will keep you clicking, but it’s the endearing characters that make Of the Red the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri such a memorable and worthwhile experience.

---