I’m a big fan of the game, but the odd (to put it more kindly than deserved) translation left me with more than a few questions. At the moment I’m wondering whether Ashley really is a blood relation of Anastasia’s. In the scene where they’re out in space together, she calls herself his “big sister.” Is she his big sister in the literal sense, or do you think the original text was used in the familiar way - like how fraternity members are all “brothers.”
Given that they lived in time periods a thousand years apart, it makes more sense continuity-wise if they’re not related, or if Ashley’s a descendent of the Sword Magess.
However, they have the same blue hair and somewhat the same role to play in the battle for Filgaia.
Now, I didn’t read all the books in the game, so it is possible that I missed something somewhere along the line. Is there anything more concrete said about Ashley’s relationship to Anastasia than that one line when they’re out in space? If not, any thoughts on their relationship or the game in general would be appreciated.
While I don’t think it’s impossible Ashley is a descendant of Anastasia, it’s probably not likely. I don’t think she had any kids before she got sealed up in the Event Horizon.
What I think it is, is just another product of the translation. They probably just did too literal a translation in that scene. I’ve often seen in anime, that an elder girl, or a mentor, or something like that, might refer to herself as Onee-san (big sister) when talking to someone younger or someone who looks up to them. So where she was the Sword Magess, and Ashley was the new bearer of the Argetlahm (not to mention Lord Blazer) she probably thought it best to give him advice, and probably just referred to that, in that way. Thus the translators literally had her call herself ‘Big Sister’. At least, that’s my hypothesis.
True, true. They were certainly similar people, but remember, Anastasia was a Valeria. That’s why poor Irving thought he was destined to wield the Argetlahm.
I LOVE WA2, and I’d appreciate if this thread continued further.
One of the main points in the game is that labels and even blood don’t carry with them automatic entitlement, though. Why then do the two wielders of Argetlam look so similar? In keeping with the idea that passing similarities (blood relations, for the the Valerias), it would have made more sense if Ashly and Anastasia looked nothing alike, if they’re not related.
Also, given that Irving never mentions another Valeria until Kanon shows up, it’s not hard to imagine that there are plenty of other families with links to that bloodline out there in Filgaia.
The plot isn’t full of holes, it just isn’t presented well in english.
Personally I liked the plot. The fact that:
The entire game was building up to the one key point, that all the countries and peoples of the world had to unite against one big threat. The game was saying that one sacrificial hero, like we see in so many other RPGs, isn’t needed to save the world, it’s the people who have to do it. That’s what EVERYTHING in the game was building up to. Ashley didn’t defeat Lord Blazer by himself, he couldn’t have, it’s the people of Filgaia that did it.
THAT’S why I really like the plot of the game. That, and the main theme was great, and it rocked when it was remixed in the final battle >_>