If anything I think it reduces their chances of being included in WTC5
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I hope they don’t. It would be really awesome if this time we had a voiced game, with those amazing singers as voice actors.
I’ve read the new page several times to find the new information in fact supports my earlier crane theory, which I have since taken down and am reposting. Consider the edifice symbolism malleable/edifices as a subset of “human construction,” for this is what was always meant, and continue to read beyond the original crane theory.
Crane theory:
The next WTC is going to be called “When the Cranes Cry.” Cranes, particularly the red-crowned crane, have major significance in Japanese culture, representing good fortune, longevity and happiness. There are legends that upon death, it is the crane’s wings that transport souls to paradise (http://www.jccc.on.ca/origami-cranes/pdf/meaning_of_the_origami_crane.pdf) and that after folding one-thousand paper cranes (origami), a crane grants the person a wish. After WWII, with the story of Sadako Sasaki, the origami legend and crane’s cultural significance became well-known. The red-crowned crane is an endangered species and, like cicadas and seagulls, cranes have a distinct cry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-vGpEotSVY).
The art depicts white buildings and feathers above a sea of aphotic clouds, creating a contrast. Note that the feathers and buildings, things that have gained height, are white or illuminated, while anything lacking altitude is engulfed by darkness. Man’s constructs have bifurcated happiness (or white here), and thus a life that does not correspond to industrial success is bound to precarity. This could be seen as a call for humanity to engage in a return to form with respect to happiness and the crane feathers, in reminiscence of halcyon days when the desecration of legends was not banal (reminiscent as well of Umineko). The presence of tall, industrial cranes fortifies the dichotomy, standing tall as the means to which humans can construct concrete towers to keep themselves above the black clouds, emulating but only falsely the legendary crane’s feathers. There is a contrast, though as it is clear that, while the legendary crane’s feathers, from the image’s perspective, precede the industrial cranes and their towers, the industrial cranes are far more numerous than the feathers. Note also that, unlike the feathers, the white towers are impure; behind their light exterior is darkness, a Faustian bargain.
The feathers are pure white while success in the new human world is bound to the darkness their constructs are meant to escape. This describes the sparsity of an old and forgotten way of thinking amidst a set of modern societal and philosophical plagues Ryukishi07 will bring to light. White feathers underwent a symbolic atavism as a result of both World Wars; they would originally denote pacifism but the two wars turned them into symbols of cowardice. The time after WWII was a time of suffering and grieving for Japan but also a time to rebuild and this split in symbolism reiterates the false dichotomy of the crane versus crane issue earlier. WWII is doubly important as the suffering from the two bombings revived the legend of the thousand paper cranes in the Japanese, a story where the legendary crane ascends you through a granted wish versus the industrial crane ascending you through human means, though even in death one is ultimately ascended by the legendary crane. The legendary crane’s salvation, though fickle, amorphous and dormant, especially in modern times, is pure white and has no upward boundary. In the search for God through construction and success, humanity is escaping a fog that grows tirelessly, but in truth only the crane’s wings can carry a human to paradise while all towers are bound to plateau. The “open world” theme intended allows this symbolism to apply to the western world by making crane symbolism interchangeable with angel symbolism. This is a dialogue with humanity’s fate wagered between the tempting, irresolute moratorium from death offered by the demiurge and the forsaken, golden longevity offered by the heavenly crane, legible only to those who seek it beyond the lure of stasis. Or, again, a Faustian bargain.
Delighted at the support of my theory, here is what I’ve found with a bit of reading and a bit of pondering:
The new characters and quotes support the notion of WTC5 expressing society’s need for a return to form, demanding humanity regains the soul it once lost for a false sense of progress (particularly intellectual and societal). Note the automata naming format of “Isolated ___ of the ___: organics automata,” the blanks thus far referring to earth’s grandest biomes (forest and sea) as well as Punica’s Environmental Control Organisation title. The automata quotes, verbatim, “Everything is for the sake of this star. Organics Automata will restore this star’s beauty," and “Nice to meet you. I’m Tomomasa’s sister, her mother, myself.” These suggest the automata (ironically mechanical entities, likely further human constructs) play restorative and motherly roles regarding nature (of course in fact as fragments of humanity’s forsaken soul) . Definitionally, automata agency is illusory: their actions are all premeditated by the puppeteer. Their preservation of a lost love is a last-ditch effort from the universe, at its wits’ end, to remind humanity that it once venerated nature/the universe. This lost veneration of nature (including space) explains the several quotes regarding stars, particularly Asaki’s “This star, it’s become quite lovely, hasn’t it?” and Green’s “Everything is for the sake of this star. Organics Automata will restore this star’s beauty.” They’re crying out for humanity to return to form.
Haworthia, the only character not named after her voice actress, is named after a genus of South African plants. Their relevance is in their relation to her role, Grand Admiral of the 1st Area Immigrant Fleet, in that, the Haworthia, a succulent plant (that is, it deposits water in thicker parts) genus subsisting in shaded area in arid wastelands (devoid of nature), is the namesake of an admiral. This connects to her admiral title: an admiral is a naval military rank: despite being mired by human construction, the admiral is eternally mindful of and adrift the ocean, or water, like the plant, in spite of its wasteland (artificial) habitat, employing faculties designated for retaining and moderation of water. Haworthia’s quote, “Remember to sing of joy. And so, may it never be forgotten,” is thus apt as a reminder to retain those lost values. She exemplifies this lost, ascended intellectualism like a lone, succulent plant in an arid wasteland.
The plant theme continues with Punica Granatum, referring to the pomegranate plant species and both the legends of Persephone and the Garden of Eden’s fruit of knowledge. Persephone’s myth, concisely: Hades kidnapped Persephone to wed her in the underworld, where she had naught to eat but six pomegranate seeds. The Fates’ rule applies: all who eat food from the underworld must be eternally banished there (reminiscent of a fruit of knowledge/Faustain Bargain concept), though Persephone is required to only remain there for six months a year (one month per seed) and, during this time, her mother, Demeter, the goddess of harvest, weeps and despairs, abandoning her duty, prompting not only winter but inhospitability to nature. The Garden of Eden was located in proximity to pomegranates and, in tandem with the Greek myth of eternal damnation as the punishment for consuming forbidden fruit (that is, forbidden knowledge gained from exploration of the underworld), the pomegranate became a reasonable nominee as the true fruit of knowledge. Returning from the mythology, the modern grenade’s etymology is that of the French name for the pomegranate, “la grenade,” a plant connected to the military/more blatant scenario of the symptom of human construct intoxication. These are reminiscent of the Faustian bargain: humanity sacrificed its soul (the crane) for the sake of a lesser salvation (knowledge/constructions/edifices in the first promotional art piece).
In regards to the crane being the animal of choice crying this time, consider the following…
The red crowned crane, previously ascended to a state nigh godhood, is now forgotten and endangered in reality, making it a perfect choice: the flame of love for it rekindled after the second world war, which Ryukishi ardently explores, as a creature of choice to once again venerate and seek deliverance from when the Japanese, like all of humanity is now being pleaded to, had to revise their identity and philosophy. They failed to, and now the red crowned crane, like the wonder of all celestial bodies, is endangered and banalized in return for vapid, empty progress. This is the same “progress” that has lead to the death of love and integrity, resulting in contemporary adoration of nihilism. Behind these golems of “progress” lays the quiet and hushed canticle Haworthia sings to one day be resurrected into an emphatic opera.
One more thing regarding cranes: the red crowned crane is primarily visible at the shrines (spiritual/philosophical implication) when it migrates in the winter, letting us connect it to Persephone. Quoting myself, if Persephone’s myth turns out to in fact be relevant, the WTC looping system applies: the cycle will be over the three other seasons, but when autumn ends, Demeter brings forth winter. This winter, then, is when the cranes migrate, are present and can be heard crying, implying, most excitingly, that when the cranes cry their distinct cry, the cycle has ended, and the characters have either escaped the game and been brought to salvation by the cranes or died trying to, and could never hear the cranes cry again.
Relevance notwithstanding, behold, lastly:
One small interesting point here is that the siblings here have a blue:red dichotomy. Kanon’s cooler equivalent is blue (hair, cloth) while Shannon’s passionate equivalent is red in the same places for the red/blue oni trope.
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What I think is that the setting must be massive. I mean they seem to be talking about different cities or places. But I think it would be fun for character for the other works to appear somehow.
Based purely upon the track ‘Pink Justice’ and the vibe I get from it, I can only conclude we’re going to be dealing with some kind of Pirate-Witch. I therefore hypothesize that we’ll be dealing with some kind of scifi-pirate-witch-rum party. I see no evidence to the contrary.
Track #8 seems to be called “The Sky of Shūnya”.
Shūnya isn’t just a random word, it appears to have a specific meaning.
non-substantiality ［空］ ( shūnya or shūnyatā; kū): A fundamental Buddhist concept, also translated as emptiness, void, latency, or relativity. The Sanskrit shūnya or shūnyatā means emptiness. Shūnya also means “empty” and “empty of.” It is the concept that things and phenomena have no fixed or independent nature or existence of their own.
Non-substantiality is neither negative nor world-negating but teaches the importance of perceiving the true nature of phenomena, which are on the surface transient. The Wisdom sutras developed the Mahayana concept of non-substantiality and Nāgārjuna (c. 150–250) systematized it based on them. This concept originated in connection to those of dependent origination and of the nonexistence of self-nature. Dependent origination means that, because phenomena arise only by virtue of their relationship with other phenomena, they have no distinct nature or existence of their own. Nonexistence of self-nature means that there is no independent entity that exists alone, apart from other phenomena. The common message is that the true nature of all phenomena is non-substantiality, and that it cannot be defined in terms of the concepts of existence and nonexistence. Nāgārjuna explained it as the Middle Way, a perspective that regards the categories of existence and nonexistence as extremes, and aims to transcend them. The practical purpose behind the teaching of non-substantiality lies in eliminating attachments to transient phenomena and to the ego, or the perception of self as an independent and fixed identity.
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Aight so THEORY TIME:
This entire ‘space’ stuff is merely a prologue and is actually going to be a play people are acting out. While it is a play, that doesn’t mean the prologue will be useless. Instead, it will merely be an indicator of things to come. Like, the main theme of the story will about connecting people’s hearts-and those hearts have been corrupted by the ‘world’ which is the scourge. The religion that Ryukishi will derive from this time is Buddism if I’m going by Battler’s post.
Though that reincarnation isn’t literal, but instead is about humanity’s rebirth from the scourge that plagues the star (aka Earth). Its humanity returning to its original state (cribbing from Arietta), and the play will be essentially telling this theme in a scifi manner.
The Meta will also be much more expanded in order to reflect this. There will also likely be more witches due to them popping up more frequently, and as we know from Umineko (spoilers for true nature of witches)- witches are born out of despair or a heartfelt desire
And this will all relate back to the scourge that plagues the earth.
So tldr WtC5 is a global story as it is as much of a individual one
Also, there will be murders but it will involve the actors of the play-perhaps these won’t involve literal timeloops but something more metaphorical, tying it back to the theme of death and rebirth.
(Big fucking spoilers for Umineko Ep8)
Kinda like how Umineko’s timeloops weren’t really timeloops but forgeries
Ah and I’ve got more thoughts now. The murders will be conducted by the Director of the play, who will end of being very important to the plot aside from being the culprit as they decide the roles and script-sort of like Game Masters in Umineko.
And the actors will be like ‘pieces’ in that they are given roles-only that whoever is acting as that role can be switched out at anytime at the Director’s leisure.
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I sincerely hope I post this in the correct channel.
I contacted xaki@Pomexgranate on twitter asking if my english translation of the song titles of the new WTC5 album are correct, and I was quite surprised. I actually got a reply and my translation wasn’t so bad. I posted the full thing here. so you may take a look and use it for speculations. also thanks to @Arietta , for making me go that far and contacting xaki. lmao.
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Umm, I can’t read the whole tweet…
But I wouldn’t rely on someone with very little knowledge of English to provide an accurate translation into English. It may give some insight however.
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I was originally only going to write a few lines but you know me.
The titles of the new pieces roused interest from me. If not cranes, then Goethe and the themes I posit will persist; Faust and the desecration of the universe in fact spelling out intellectual and spiritual death in return for a gingerbread house (hollow, transient, decadent (or hedonistic)). I’ve already established these and will leave their justification to the appropriate post above.
Of the new pieces, we have the titles Rainbow of Nostalgia, Pink Justice, Utopia, The Star we Loved, Sky of Shunyata, Rebirth of Blue and At the end of a Wish. While some of these translations are not confirmed, they at worst contain the both the linguistic and contextual essences to make sense given the earlier quotes in the character teasers, Rainbow of Nostalgia not being precise yet vaguely so. Rainbow of Nostalgia, Pink Justice and Blue Rebirth are pertinent to Goethe: he wrote a book titled Theory of Colours, subject matter self-evident and, alongside the fact these are likely related to character who represent those colors, Goethe wrote on botany, most famously in his Metamorphosis of Plants, another subject I’ve proven to be relevant to the character naming scheme thus far. Parse his chromatic and photic investigation from the nouns to be left with nostalgia, justice and rebirth. These are undoubtedly relevant descriptors to a story regarding the damage of a mistaken Faustian bargain: that halcyon rainbow prior to the damning deal, justice as sought redemption for abandonment and then the required return to form as a verbose rebirth.
Blue rebirth, however, is more relevant to Sky of Shunyata then its chromatic brethren. Shunyata, as noted in another post, is usually known as a Buddhist (but not exclusively) concept describing at first emptiness, continues to put forth these three things most relevantly: “non-substantiality is neither negative nor world-negating but teaches the importance of perceiving the true nature of phenomena, which are on the surface transient,” “the common message is that the true nature of all phenomena is non-substantiality, and that it cannot be defined in terms of the concepts of existence and nonexistence” and “the practical purpose behind the teaching of non-substantiality lies in eliminating attachments to transient phenomena and to the ego, or the perception of self as an independent and fixed identity.” These would call out especially the sorts of sacrifices made in the bargain, or the soul of humanity, when it chose to be ravished by that gingerbread house, but they connect to the chromatic/photic theme. What’s important about the sky is that it is not only blue, like Blue Rebirth would describe, but that it thus becomes the subject to shunyata and rebirth, both titanic concepts in eastern philosophy. This timelessness espoused by the shunyata concept is undoubtedly reminiscent of reincarnation and reincarnation of shunyata. It would be no surprised for Ryukishi to once again write of and connect eastern philosophy to one of the western world’s best (Dante for Umineko and Goethe here).
Utopia, the Star we Loved and At the End of a Wish are, respectively, the illusory utopia from a wish-granting bargain (utopia even require soullessness to exist), the universe/soul that was once venerated by humanity now being the target of pure nostalgia alongside the fact that the character biographies refer to conceiving and nurturing those lost stars (more return to form) and, finally, the result of the bargain, which was promised to grant a wish but in fact disintegrated the core of humanity’s spirituality. Or, being cute about it, I can summarize it as humanity realizing that, at the end of the utopic wish it had finally granted, the star that composed its soul disappeared.
Then, return all the themes of the titles together and acknowledge Goethe’s chromatic/photic literature plus Faust, eastern philosophy will once again coming into play in synthesis, to find that whatever the crane, or something akin to it in representation, is likely going to be crying this time.
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Okay, running with a When the Crane Cries as the hypothesis, fulfill the prediction that “the story is obvious with the title” clue that was given by Ryukishi.
All I the clues I could find on google were:
1000 paper cranes for luck
鶴の一声 proverb -> Something along the line of Famous or Influential person speaks with weight
鶴は千年、亀は万年 -> Longevity symbolism, 1000 year lifespan for cranes, 10000 for turtles
鶴の恩返 -> Grateful swan/crane metamorphs and marries dude, flies away after identity discovered
Other references seem more obscure and would not fulfill the Ryukishi clue.
Now construct your prediction for the story based on your animal, the picture and Ryukishi’s clue.
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I wonder if there will be any deep symbolism in WTC5 as well.
WTC3-4 had many direct paralels to “La Divina Comedia” in some circumstances, and at that, of course, many blatant yet unnamed (a.k.a. non-directly pointed out like the shout-outs for famous mystery works/authors and some otaku stuff) similarities to the whole Jungian’s Collective Unconscious, if you really think about the meta-structure of the plot as a whole and some of its themes.
Full Series Spoiler:
I wonder where would this new one fit in the Kakeraverse by the way (it is said Higurashi was a book in Rokkenjima Prime during a Gameboard/“Bottle-Reading” sequence by Battler, which I always assumed to be the work of Ikuko before the whole “Golden Witch” series based in the Rokkenjima Incident started).
To get as a reference of what I’m talking about, I believe that this famous little panel is probably the most accurate representation of Umineko’s meta-layered structure:
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Guess there was no takers for my little game, so I’ll play with myself for a bit.
The Clues Given:
The Interview quotes
The Title Picture
Image Sound Track with song titles
Sound Drama with Drawings and 4 Characters (each with a 1 sentence quote)
Starting with the Interview:
Although Ryukishi could’ve prepared for some questions beforehand, it was unlikely a setup, therefore we can take his quotes at face value. Hence: If the title When Something Cries gives too much away, then it follows that the Something or Something Crying is either a well known story or the only likely associated story.
The reasoning is that R7 appears to imply that association by name is very likely, so either the reader is already familiar or upon searching the term will not come up with multiple ambiguous possibilities. The reason I say known story, is because giving too much away implies concrete story elements as opposed to loose elements like themes or philosophical outlooks (sorry Arietta). Hence a known story would immediately bring a setting/structure familiar to the reader, I could just say When Romeo Cries and you would immediately envision the R7 adapation of Shakespheare
An example using @Arietta 's crane theory, the Crane/Swan Wife children story is well known (add the space theme) we can get the Crane (alien) gets saved by the MC and sometime during their marriage the crane (alien) is discovered to not be human and flies away (in a UFO)
The next point, setting is not a closed world, but is open. This one is tough as both Higurashi and Umineko had successful formulae for using closed worlds to give characters development and readers more insight over successive loops. I firmly believe that R7 is formulaic and will not abandon this approach because the next point suggests this is still a murder mystery series and there is no better way to character develop victims. Considering that it will likely also be 8 arcs, unless the corpses are persons A-Z, only 1-2 (well developed) victims an arc or the cast is 100 characters it would not work.
So the question becomes, how will R7 make loops in an open world setting? Sadly the best I can come up with is the characters need multiple lives; which means either a reincarnation story over multiple lifetimes (ie. Cloud atlas/spirit circle), no real death (game worlds/virtual reality like Matrix or .HACK), replaceable bodies (possession or robots like Blame! or GITS ) or straight up resurrection (clones, magic, etc)
The last point is quite simple, he’s considering difficulty of interpretation and whether to give definite or open answers. This implies that the story will likely cycle in and out of the concrete story and a fantastical abstract layer, but he hasn’t decided which way to weigh it. Therefore to answer @danpmss there will be meta-layers. However I believe that the structure will differ from the Umineko one, as the game layout is promised to be different then before. The kakera concept should remain as that was already forshadowed by “We’ll meet again when Something Else Cries” and R7 milked his Higurashi foreshadowing into Umineko dry.
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Why are you apologizing?
The reagents for another post are coming together for me to synthesize, though this is just to tighten some loose ends. I was going to reply to your original post simultaneously, though ought to add that Sadako’s story is omnipresent in Japan now, and cranes have gained a surge of cultural strength because of WWII. Conflict/military matters are going to be major this time, and the symbol of repentance to never return to a state of nuclear warfare is none other than the crane, a symbol so significant that many temples always accept paper cranes and, from Wikipedia (Olivia could verify this best), “there is a statue of Sadako holding a crane in Hiroshima Peace Park, and every year on Obon day, people leave cranes at the statue in memory of the departed spirits of their ancestors.” That’s absolutely titanic to Japan: WWII is the reason they are as they are today.
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Mainly because I have to discard the body of your posts because they wouldn’t fit my interpretation of the clues presented.
If it is When the Crane Cries, I could buy the idea, but you’ll need to present a story prediction to substantiate your hypothesis. Furthermore if possible, integrate the other clues with clear reasoning as support to your story or extensions.
As an addeum to @Rena-Ryuugu I would like to add that the bottom of the track list states (can’t read jap, google translate to eng and chinese):
Odd number tracks are the drama
1 (Organic Automata), 3 (Welcome Punica’s School), 5 (The sister’s names form a pair. This is the value of this song), 7 (The star we love), 9 (Haworthia’s words)
Even number tracks are WTC5 (image?) songs
2 (Rainbow of home sickness?), 4 (pink justice), 6 (Utopia), 8 (Sky of Shunya)
10+ are instrumentals
I might as well give my opinion on the Image Song/Drama CD clue. IMO R7 does not name the songs and leaves it to the artists. The songs are likely freely composed after reading the story as opposed to ordered by detail (as they feel like they are based on the artist’s impression of the scenes). Based on the OP songs and lyrics from umineko, I would guess that R7 let the artists read all 4 question arcs first, but didn’t give them any answers. Hence the names of the songs and tones shouldn’t be seen as Ryukishi’s work, but rather the response to reading his work. From this hypothesis, I would oppose the “play” idea @Pandora and take the literal impression that the Returning to our Home star from Space story to be one of the integral parts of the plot.
I accept disagreement; it’s the engine of ascension.
I disagree with the need to substantiate a theory through rigid examples. Predictability requires observation for confirmation and is thus meaningless to seek during a speculative period. I concede that there is not enough information for inference and thus rationalize your demand as a fool’s errand - I can say any story and ad lib metaphor/symbolism/analogues as substitutes (crane->alien) and it’d fit. It seems like, ultimately, a non-sequitur. Even appeasing your demand, I’ve mentioned its significance several times. Obviousness is only obviousness after the fact. I’ll continue my analyses while keeping in mind that the crane does have well-known legends in the eastern canon, the audience Ryukishi targets first, which I have stated numerous times.
But if the author gives out clues in successive steps does that not imply that both a solvable answer exists and the clue giver hopes that the receiver will attempt to solve it? 
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There’s some reply in your Umineko, good sir 
This is indeed Ryukishi’s style of doing his mystery stuff. And he sure loves the Massive Multireader Online Theory Crafting Game (“MMOTCG”… not the YuGiOh! kind though) that comes with it every single time. He is an awesome GameMaster haha
Though in my opinion these are just side clues he is throwing around, more related to the themes and characters than the actual mystery solving. But still, not to be overlooked.
I really like your theory @Arietta, it’s really well thought out and in line within the mythology and folklore surrounding the cranes! Given the soundtrack previews involved as well and in their connection to cranes was very nicely written and quite cleverly put together! I’m starting to side with you on the aspect this may very well be “Tanchozuru no naku koro ni” (When the Cranes Cry) with the released information.
However I see your hand and raise one of my own in regard to Hashibuto (Jungle Crow) being the animal we may indeed see in the name as well. (Or neither! I’m very interested to see the name revealed soon! I’m betting that Ryukishi has come up with a name no one could guess…or could we?)
In any case…
Taking all the context of the released information, they are still a good as a fit as the cranes.
The first point, Hashibuto are a bird of contrast of sacred spirituality and civilization. Yatagarasu, a sacred three legged jungle crow, is considered a solar-core kami and is enshrined and worshipped at Kumano shrines. Jungle crows themselves are also seen as the divine animal messengers of Amaterasu Omikami-sama, the sun kami and also ruler of the heavens. They have a very divine, solar, and natural connection.
At the same time - they’re also considered a nuisance, disease carriers, no better than how the Western world may view rats. They rip open garbage bags, destroy gardens, carry diseases, and have a haunting cry that seems to laugh at you. The Jungle crow is in this threshold between sacred and mundane. A theme of thresholds is also there and could indicate the contrast between humanity and nature (a common theme in Yatagarasu mythos as well - as Yatagarasu both guides humanity and also destroys humanity - solar flares threatening all technology on Earth is seen as a modern sign of Yatagarasu’s and thus the Jungle Crow’s symbol and connection to us as a species)
This would give away the story as well to a Japanese speakers since Jungle crows are infamous both as a deity (kami) and also a city nuisance and mundane creature, an animal of the threshold between divine and man. And also it’s famous cawing sounding like mocking/laughing.
It’s a very direct name moreso than cranes in that sense as well which carries a more symbolic sense - but it could be argued cranes can have a direct meaning as well.
The titles of the CD track I feel tie into the divine aspects of the Jungle Crow - Amaterasu Omikami-sama is also known as a rainbow kami (because of the sun’s light after rain creates rainbows) and thus connected to the crow as well. Pink Justice is a little vague (back to that in a minute), but Utopia could allude to the famous myth of Yatagarasu leading Emperor Jinmu to the “utopia” of Yamato (ancient Japan).
The Star we Loved could be a reference to the Sun itself. Sky of Shunyata is a very interesting title as “Shunyata” is a Buddhist term referring to the void, emptiness, releasing all thoughts. If we take the sky of shunyata to the meaning of kind of a sky that is like a vast void - like space - we have that solar conection as well, as well as the ability in current folklore of Yatagarasu to end/decimate humanity’s advancements via the power of the sun.
Rebirth of Blue could be symbolising into the dawn, how the sun rises and a new day is “born” into a blue sky. At the end of of a wish could be in reference to prayers towards the deity at the shrine.
Back to Pink Justice, I feel this is moreso for Motoki Punica Granatum and who her character as a whole is into the story and relating to the song - (by her hair really).
Now, while these connections to Yatagarasu and thus the jungle crow can be made, in truth I think the song titles tie directly into the plot itself - not the animal which creates the atmosphere of the story itself in the name. (Vague spoilers) After all, cicadas were only an atmospheric animal in regard to the horror of Higurashi - their symbolism into the actual story doesn’t have any regard. The same goes for seagulls. They are an atmospheric animal, but there is no symbolism of seagulls in Japan that tie into the events of Umineko no naku koro ni.
Considering the teaser was a Dubai skyline as well as an open world, I don’t really know if Ryukishi would choose animals like the crane or jungle crow so connected to Japan and Japanese folklore. However it is possible and I really enjoyed reading your theory Arietta and it was very well thought out!
As a whole for the series, listening to the drama CD it really did sound like a play or performance of sorts. Drama CDs tend to play out as more atmospheric conversational, as if listening to an anime without watching it. But the language used in the first track was definitely performance announcement-style Japanese, not language, or even announcements from a machine or radio, or something as such. It brought me back to memories of watching a play in Japanese or a performance on stage, truthfully speaking. However this is simply my speculation and experience. Perhaps it was done on purpose for a plot point - it’s not to say the entire characters are simply in a play. We will have to see the truth when it comes out. There isn’t enough information to say if it is or not at the moment, I feel.
Now that being said if it is truly a space theme it could tie directly from Trianthology from the only story Ryukishi wrote in that, Vespio 2438 which is a story about a world in a faraway future. Mankind and anthropoid ape aliens, the Garrothe, had their first civilizational exchange by waging war on each other in space. As they each launched their first space armada, the first 90 seconds of the war cost them no less than 200 quadrillion UE$ in destruction That’s how that grand first war opened. After that shock, both sides agreed on a ceasefire, putting on hold any kind of battle in space. However, no peace agreement could be reached, and the truce was soon broken. Both sides decided to wage war not in space, but directly on the enemy’s planet… On the Japanese archipelago, the area of the capital Tokyo was stuck in a long tug-of-war battle. Falco’s 101st infantry unit was once again launching an attack
This is directly related to the Drama CD with the air of it’s setting as well as the characters themselves. They’re not directly in the same story, but they could definitely fit into a similar world.
considering Ryukishi likes to tie his previous work into the next, and considering Alice is a voyager witch, like our fellows Bernkastel and Lambdadelta, she may very well be present in WTC5
So it could very well be we are dealing with a true space-like story or science fiction type story and not simply a play, or perhaps a play within this setting that has a more organic overtone as well.
In any case, my overall thoughts run out here unless prompted, since there is probably more I want to think about as more is released - and hoping to get a copy of Haworthia to listen through.
All I can say is I’m getting the vibes/keywords of: Humanity and Nature, Science Fiction or perhaps technological advancements, Flora and fauna, the natural world, the manmade world…and so on. The story in Trianthology touches on those themes too.
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