I came across Catherine while perusing my source for most information, Wikipedia, to get an update on the goings on at ATLUS, one of my favourite game developers/publishers. Honestly, I have loved every game they have come out with - specifically the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series. People tend to dismiss JRPG's simply for being thus - we all know the stereotypical archetype associated with it and mainstream anime/manga doesn't help matters. When I say 'mainstream' I refer to the stuff we tend to leap to when hearing anime/manga - big-eyed, pretty boys, androgynous characters, amply-bosomed girls, gratuitous panty-shots etc. It's true most of the market is saturated with harem stories rife with fanservice - 1 boy + 10 girls, who to choose? The childhood friend or the sassy girl who calls him a pervert all the time? - or teenage angst, but you don't really have to dig that deep to find a true gem. The same goes for JRPG's.
Sadly, what can be applied to anime/manga can also be applied to most JRPG's - every character seems to be ripped out of a stereotype; you have Baron Stoic, Ms. Big-Mouth Chatterbox, Mr. Horny, Madame Bosom-Fanservice, Lord Clueless-Hero and Lady Childhood-Friend (with crush on Lord Clueless-Hero), to name but some. But again, you don't have to dig that far to find a gem. I can't say that I came across the series purely on my own - I was introduced to it by a friend, but if I hadn't listened to him, I wouldn't have fallen in love with all things SMT. Granted there are characters who fit these personalities, but it's not who they are througout the game - the characters tend to develop and grow and the story more than makes up for any pitfalls, and with each successive release they improve and develop - which is more than I can say for a certain other series.
Right, Catherine. Catherine is the next title ATLUS has been working on and what intrigued me was how its characters were adults and not teenagers, dealing with adult issues. The focus is on Vincent, 30-something in age, and dealing with that point in life where he has to "grow up" so to speak. I'm guessing what brought this on was the dilemma posed by his long-time girlfriend, Katherine, who is apparently preggers with his bun and is pushing for marriage. Vincent enjoys the life of a bachelor, but knows that he has responsibilities - at least that's the impression I'm getting from what little I know - and is having a hard time making that transition. Then enters Catherine, a woman who is totally his type and after a steamy night of passion - I wasn't aware of that until I saw the trailer - he starts to be haunted by some very weird, very trippy nightmares which coincide - or something like that - with a rash of gruesome murders.
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
Don't those tickle your curiosity? I honestly had no idea there was going to be 'adult scenes', I mean you'd think I would get a hint considering the Wiki description mentioned Katherine's pregnancy - which I thought was a simple plot device - but no...'grown-up intimacy' is so far off my radar, that it's not what immediately leaps to my mind, so I was rightfully surprised when I saw Catherine's bare back! I'm not complaining, but I know I'll be playing this game when no-one's home...seriously, I'm such a prude!
But going back to the trailers, what I also love about ATLUS games is the symbolism they throw in - some are in-your-face-obvious, while others tend to be more subtle. I've come across a lot of comments regarding the confusion on the existence of the Sheep-Men in Vincent's dreams, and I have yet to come across a suitable response - at least, I haven't read far enough through them to find one. My take is simply that the sheep represent Vincent's dilemma, to follow the 'herd' and do what society dictates he should do, however this leads to his fear - the woman who chases after the sheep with a bloody knife - in that by following society's expectations and marrying Katherine, she will consume his life. I mean the woman's already putting demands on him since the reason she's pushing for marriage is to appease her parents when she tells them she's pregnant, rather than giving him the choice to come to his own conclusion. The same goes for the giant baby - I'm not sure if abortion is on the table in their relationship, but it looks like that he fears that bringing this child into the world will do the same thing - consume his life, or at least be a constant present that 'chases' him to do his duty as a father.
Granted, this is all speculation and I could be way off the mark, but I'd like to see how things turn out and whether I'm right, if at all. It all seems like pretty basic symbolism, but I have yet to work out a suitable one for Catherine's presence...apart from being the obvious trigger to all of this.
As a final note, I believe that as of this writing, the official opening of the game is available to view. I'm not including a link here simply because I don't want to spoil myself and would rather save that experience for when I get the game.
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