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star_ocean_fanHello, everyone and welcome to the inaugural segment of Ask the Star Ocean Character! Today's special guest is none other than Miss Reimi Saionji of the Space Reconnaissance Force and First Officer of the 003-Calnus. Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace, Miss Saionji, and thank you for joining us.
Reimi: Thank you, and please, call me Reimi. /smiles/
Okay, Miss Reimi . . . I hope you don't mind if we just get right to the questions . . . I do understand that you're quite busy.
Reimi: /shaking her head/ Oh no. That's fine. Please. It's just Reimi. And it's true. The Calnus doesn't keep itself clean!
So you like for the place to be clean?
Reimi: /nodding her head/ Oh, absolutely! If I were to leave it up to Edge, the whole place would be a mess! A clean ship is a happy ship.
I suppose that could be true . . .
Reimi: Oh, it is! You might not think it to look at her, but The Calnus is very specific in what she wants. She's endured a lot already, nearly crashing on Aeos, but she's a survivor!
I see . . . So tell us a little bit about yourself, Just Reimi . . .
Reimi: Reimi.
What?
Reimi: You don't need to have miss or just or any other word in front of it. It's Reimi.
Okay . . . so tell It's Reimi, what can you tell us about yourself?
Reimi: /starts to say something then shakes her head/ Well, as you already know I'm one of the youngest members of the S.R.F. I'm quite skilled in both the Eastern and Western techniques for the bow, and I love to cook!
Wow! What's your favorite thing to fix?
Reimi: Oh, it doesn't really matter. /smiles/ Cooking is a passion of mine. In fact, I like it so much, I cook all of the meals on The Calnus!
That is simply amazing! At least we now know no one will starve to death on your missions!
Reimi: Amen to that!
I hope you don't mind, but we've asked fans to send in questions for you. Is that all right?
Reimi: Oh, absolutely! Ask away!
Okay, here it is . . . Mrs. Nox of Elicoor II asks, why would you take a shower without locking the door in some way? Poor Edge's face.
Reimi: . . . . .
Uh, It's Reimi . . .
Reimi: How did she know about that?
It's a private action for the game. Anyone who triggers it knows about it. Heck, there are even videos of it up on youtube.
Reimi: . . . . /starting to look mortified/
Er, It's Reimi . . . .
Reimi: I don't want to answer that question. Besides, how does Mrs. Nox know that Edge didn't override the locking mechanism? He can be quite a pervert, you know! Next question, please.
/looks/
Reimi: What's wrong?
That's the only question we have . . . really, though? Why didn't you lock the door to keep him out? Or did you want him to walk in on you?
Reimi: /face three shades of red/ I've had enough of this. Thank you for inviting me. Good day. /gets up and leaves/
Well . . . I guess that concludes our inaugural entry of Ask the Star Ocean Question. Please tune in again next week when we sit down with Sophia Esteed, daughter of Dr. Clive and Kyoko Esteed. Thank you for watching!
* * * *
Some facts about Reimi Saionji:
Her Japanese voice actress is Misato Fukuen.
Her English/American voice actress is Laura Bailey.
She's a surviving member of the Seeds of Hope Project orchestrated by Arnold Maverick, Edge's father, and her own parents. She's given the ability to overcome any and all diseases she might encounter, including radiation poisoning.
Reimi is perhaps one of the least liked characters in Star Ocean: The Last Hope. However, I won't say that with any definitive certainty . . . I have found that some fanfic authors do like her.
There are a PVC and pose-able action figure for her.
She has a hard time trusting people with very important secrets. See Seeds of Hope comment from above and below from the character study.
Astrological sign: Aries
Item Creation Skills
Smithery 1
Cooking 10
Alchemy -6
Artistry 6
Engineering -1
Crafting 5
Compounding -2
Sense 3
These do not change as a person levels up a person's given trade. I don't know why I thought it would so I checked. As I double-checked the numbers from the higher levels to the beginning levels, my sister asked me, "How can someone have a negative number on a skill?" I said I didn't know . . . but one thing is for sure. Reimi really stinks at alchemy, engineering, and compounding. ^_^
Reimi Character Study - Revised
Name: Reimi Saionji
Age: 19
Hair color: brown
Eye color: brown
Height: 5' 5/8" - updated thanks to Star Ocean wiki
Weight: 117 lbs - updated thanks to Star Ocean wiki
Rank: First Officer
Birthdate: March 28, 2077
Weapon: Bow
Favorite food: sweet things - added thanks to Star Ocean wiki
Quote: I believe in you, Edge.
A young lady born into the illustrious Saionji household, Reimi has studied archery since childhood and now stands toe to toe with other masters of the bow. For all her kindness and consideration towards others, Reimi is extremely hard on herself, and sometimes the pressure gets to her. Like Edge, she was selected at a young age for the SRF's maiden voyage, and takes part in the journey into deep space. There, she serves the team as a level-headed navigator and a source of support for Edge.
From me: I agree and disagree with Reimi being level-headed. She definitely has her moments where she is the calm, cool and collected one, but her age gets the better of her in other situations. It isn't a win-win for her, but it also isn't lose-lose.
For example:On Lemuris, Edge, Reimi, Faize, and Lymle are aboard the celestial ship. They've just discovered where the ship is from and the alien race that navigated it to Lemuris. Faize has discovered a video of events that happened on the bridge just before the ship crashed, and the four of them watch it. When it's over, Reimi looks at Edge and asks, "What happened here, Edge? Tell me what happened here," when it's obvious as to what had happened. Edge even replies, "What it looks like. The Cardianon mutated and started to attack each other."
That's just one of a few examples that I can think of where Reimi isn't very level-headed. Yes, she's nineteen years old, turns twenty when the right private action is triggered, but, if she's as intelligent as the game's strategy guide claims, she wouldn't need to ask "What happened here?" when it was quite obvious as to what happened. :) I do understand shock settling in and her mind not wanting to process what she saw, but, really. Intelligent people look at it, understand it, accept it, and find a way to keep the tragedies from happening all over again.
From the strategy guide:
Reimi is a young woman from the Saionji family, one of the most prestigious families on Earth. Her parents serve as board members of the Space Development Division of the USTA. Upon passing the USTA's examination, she was selected along with Edge as a member of the inaugural SRF team. A woman of both literary and martial talent, Reimi is always looking out for those around her. Her skill with the bow is second to none, having mastered both western and Asian forms of archery, and uses it as her weapon of choice in battle. She has been friends with Edge since childhood; she grew up with him like a sister, but her heartfelt concern for his well-being may suggest that a different sort of relationship may be blooming.
From me: Reimi is the mother hen of the group but without the experience of raising children herself. The player first gets a brief glimpse of this in the opening scenes with Edge in how she conducts herself and chastises him for not attending the departure ceremony, but it becomes very apparent after Lymle joins the party. I won't necessarily say it's a bad thing, but it's something that can become annoying after a while. I understand that when a person is dealing with someone who's about five years of age or at least looks like she's five years of age, s/he is going to modify the way s/he talks to that child. I'm sure Reimi doesn't realize that, in some ways, she's talking down to Lymle, but hen again, she probably doesn't realize that Lymle is fifteen and not five.
One thing I've noticed about Reimi is how she likes to declare Edge as being a pervert, and I'm not talking about in the private actions. (For private actions, I go out of my way to PO Reimi, but that's because I don't like her. In order to get her ending, though, I'm going to have to play nice with her on the next play-through, which I hope to start soon as there's another topic I'd like to address.) The first instance is after the dragon newt is defeated in Alanaire Citadel, and the original way they reached the top is no longer accessible to them. On the outside of the citadel are some hanging materials. I want to call it canvas, but I don't believe that's the accurate term . . . it is strong enough to hold weight so . . . Anyway, Reimi points out the hanging material, no one can see another way down, and Edge volunteers to go down first.
Immediately, Reimi is objecting. She says no repeatedly, calls him a pervert (which is leaving him confused as well as Faize and Lymle), and declares she's going down first. (Which one could argue is an act of insubordination on the First Officer's part.)
The other in-game moment is on the alternate Earth when they're locked in the same room as an unconscious Reimi by Milla Bachtein. Reimi, for some reason, is naked. Why she's naked, it's never said, but she is and she's unconscious. When she comes to, she sits up, the blankets falling, and then she realizes she's nude and Edge is staring, dumbfounded. Okay, that moment isn't exactly good for Edge, but I don't blame him, either, for looking at a woman's bared boobs.
That particular scene truly bothers me. I know Reimi is intelligent. I know she's kind. I won't dispute those facts because they are evident throughout the game. What I don't understand (aside from it being a ploy on the game designers' parts) is how come she didn't realize upon waking that she was naked? There is a world of difference in the feel of the textiles used in her uniform and cotton-blend sheets. Plus, she's only covered from underneath her arms to about her ankles.
Now, it could be argued "Well, she was drugged. Milla even admitted as much." Yes. Milla drugged Reimi. She did admit as much so it's a given. However, I only buy that argument so far. Speaking as a woman, I know the difference between how my clothes feel on me and when I'm naked under a sheet and some blankets. Drugged or not, I'm going to realize whether or not I have my clothes on upon waking, and, if I'm naked, I'm certainly not going to sit up so the blankets fall off me with people in the room.
The rest of the "pervert" remarks are found in the private actions, where Reimi's jealousy over the other women on the Calnus becomes apparent. Of course, triggering those private actions are up to the player.
There is one other flaw I've found in Reimi's character, and it seems to be a bit of a popular theme in anime in general. Girl has crush on guy. Guy is somewhat clueless to girl's crush so either doesn't reciprocate or doesn't know how to reciprocate. Guy is attractive and has other girls talking to him, increasing the jealousy of the girl (who also is supposed to be the heroine of the story, the hero's counterpart), and so said girl throws fit and storms off or calls guy a pervert and smacks him for being googly-eyed over the other women. If guy and girl are dating, I can understand the jealousy to a certain extent, but if guy and girl aren't dating, I don't understand it at all.
In essence, though, Reimi is not an evil character. She does treat the others in the team with kindness and respect, reserving the smacking for Edge (probably because Sarah is just too innocent in how she sees things, it'd be cruel for her to smack someone as unsuspecting of things like Meracle, and Myuria would smack her back). In terms of personality, she's a little like the pink fluff of Sophia Esteed mixed with emo-ness of Maria. The internal angst seems so unnecessary to me, but it's how the game designers wrote her so . . . I just find her annoying. When I get the chance, I remove her from my fighting party, keeping her levels up because she does come quite handy in certain boss battles. I don't necessarily see where she's hard on herself, other than when it comes to food, but maybe others see it.
Overall, Reimi is a character that a person will either like or dislike. That is entirely up to the player. For this player, she's just one that, if I didn't have to keep her leveled up for certain battles, I wouldn't bother with her at all. Her ability to fight disease is both a bane and a boon. You realize this later in the game. It's also because of this ability that the truth comes out about her, Edge, and Crowe.
From the in-game dictionary: A young woman from the Saionji family, one of the most prestigious on Earth. Her parents serve as boardmembers of the Space Development Division of the USTA. Upon passing the USTA's examaination, she was selected along with Edge as a member of the inaugural SRF team. A woman of both literary and martial talent, Reimi always looks out for those around her. Her skill with the bow is second to none, having mastered both Western and Asian forms of archery, and she uses it as her weapon of choice in battle. Friends with Edge since her childhood, she grew up with him like a sister, though her heartfelt concern for his well-being suggests a different sort of relationship may be blossoming.
From me: I do agree, for the most part, that Reimi looks out for those around her. Unfortunately, there's one scene that takes place where her emotions overwhelm, and she behaves more than a bit selfishly . . . It's the return to Aeos and, upon seeing the destruction of the base, she (and Edge) initially doesn't think of Faize and what he's lost. When she does finally realize it, Faize brushes it off, and she accepts it without question. She isn't the only one guilty of this, though, but she's being written as caring and considerate of others above herself, and it doesn't always hold true.
Continued from the in-game dictionary: Reimi may wear a bright, constant smile, but she's often very hard on herself, never complaining about her lot in life. Even so, she sometimes finds carrying the burden of the secret behind her birth to be nearly unbearable. She, along with Edge and Crowe, are Seeds of Hope - super humans who were born with enhanced DNA. The environmental adaptation and cell-regeneration abilities she developed were first brought to life after a childhood incident; the reaction from others at the scene was enough to traumatize young Reimi. Upon learning the truth behind her birth, she resolved never to tell anyone, bearing the pain of the secret all by herself. She cursed her own existence, unable to accept herself for who she was, and she'll continue to carry that pain with her until the day comes when her powers are finally accepted . . . .
From me: Upon learning about the Seeds of Hope project on Roak, I really had to say, "You're kidding me, right? Again with the genetic enhancement of children? It's the same thing that they did in Till the End of Time!" And it does feel like a trite, overused plot tool when it comes to games.
Having this secret come out in the game and at a critical point in the game, it leaves me wondering just how well Reimi trusts those she calls friends and colleagues. I understand her silence is yet another plot device, or else Edge wouldn't have worried so much after she contracted the stone sickness nor would he have fought as hard as he did just to get the cure. Plot device aside, it's too much of a critical secret to be kept to herself. Edge is supposed to be her childhood friend, best friend, sibling-like friend, and someone she's falling in love with hard, fast, and strong. This secret she's resolved to keep is something that, if Sarah hadn't asked why Reimi recovered as quickly as she did and with Bacchus backing Sarah up on the issue, Reimi would have taken to her grave. She'd have never trusted anyone, Edge included, with that kind of a secret. Yes, I do understand the events that uncovered this secret, when Reimi learns the truth from her parents about her abilities, is emotionally and mentally scarring. I won't ever deny that, but to resolve to never tell anyone, not even the person you care about most in the world (and galaxy) isn't only foolish but selfish. It's the kind of thing that will eat away at your soul until your ability to love becomes eroded, and you start hating those around you for being normal, hating them as much as you hate yourself for not being normal.
And thus ends the revision of Reimi's character study. Next week's character study will feature Sophia Esteed from Till the End of Time.
Reimi: Thank you, and please, call me Reimi. /smiles/
Okay, Miss Reimi . . . I hope you don't mind if we just get right to the questions . . . I do understand that you're quite busy.
Reimi: /shaking her head/ Oh no. That's fine. Please. It's just Reimi. And it's true. The Calnus doesn't keep itself clean!
So you like for the place to be clean?
Reimi: /nodding her head/ Oh, absolutely! If I were to leave it up to Edge, the whole place would be a mess! A clean ship is a happy ship.
I suppose that could be true . . .
Reimi: Oh, it is! You might not think it to look at her, but The Calnus is very specific in what she wants. She's endured a lot already, nearly crashing on Aeos, but she's a survivor!
I see . . . So tell us a little bit about yourself, Just Reimi . . .
Reimi: Reimi.
What?
Reimi: You don't need to have miss or just or any other word in front of it. It's Reimi.
Okay . . . so tell It's Reimi, what can you tell us about yourself?
Reimi: /starts to say something then shakes her head/ Well, as you already know I'm one of the youngest members of the S.R.F. I'm quite skilled in both the Eastern and Western techniques for the bow, and I love to cook!
Wow! What's your favorite thing to fix?
Reimi: Oh, it doesn't really matter. /smiles/ Cooking is a passion of mine. In fact, I like it so much, I cook all of the meals on The Calnus!
That is simply amazing! At least we now know no one will starve to death on your missions!
Reimi: Amen to that!
I hope you don't mind, but we've asked fans to send in questions for you. Is that all right?
Reimi: Oh, absolutely! Ask away!
Okay, here it is . . . Mrs. Nox of Elicoor II asks, why would you take a shower without locking the door in some way? Poor Edge's face.
Reimi: . . . . .
Uh, It's Reimi . . .
Reimi: How did she know about that?
It's a private action for the game. Anyone who triggers it knows about it. Heck, there are even videos of it up on youtube.
Reimi: . . . . /starting to look mortified/
Er, It's Reimi . . . .
Reimi: I don't want to answer that question. Besides, how does Mrs. Nox know that Edge didn't override the locking mechanism? He can be quite a pervert, you know! Next question, please.
/looks/
Reimi: What's wrong?
That's the only question we have . . . really, though? Why didn't you lock the door to keep him out? Or did you want him to walk in on you?
Reimi: /face three shades of red/ I've had enough of this. Thank you for inviting me. Good day. /gets up and leaves/
Well . . . I guess that concludes our inaugural entry of Ask the Star Ocean Question. Please tune in again next week when we sit down with Sophia Esteed, daughter of Dr. Clive and Kyoko Esteed. Thank you for watching!
* * * *
Some facts about Reimi Saionji:
Her Japanese voice actress is Misato Fukuen.
Her English/American voice actress is Laura Bailey.
She's a surviving member of the Seeds of Hope Project orchestrated by Arnold Maverick, Edge's father, and her own parents. She's given the ability to overcome any and all diseases she might encounter, including radiation poisoning.
Reimi is perhaps one of the least liked characters in Star Ocean: The Last Hope. However, I won't say that with any definitive certainty . . . I have found that some fanfic authors do like her.
There are a PVC and pose-able action figure for her.
She has a hard time trusting people with very important secrets. See Seeds of Hope comment from above and below from the character study.
Astrological sign: Aries
Item Creation Skills
Smithery 1
Cooking 10
Alchemy -6
Artistry 6
Engineering -1
Crafting 5
Compounding -2
Sense 3
These do not change as a person levels up a person's given trade. I don't know why I thought it would so I checked. As I double-checked the numbers from the higher levels to the beginning levels, my sister asked me, "How can someone have a negative number on a skill?" I said I didn't know . . . but one thing is for sure. Reimi really stinks at alchemy, engineering, and compounding. ^_^
* * * *
Reimi Character Study - Revised
Name: Reimi Saionji
Age: 19
Hair color: brown
Eye color: brown
Height: 5' 5/8" - updated thanks to Star Ocean wiki
Weight: 117 lbs - updated thanks to Star Ocean wiki
Rank: First Officer
Birthdate: March 28, 2077
Weapon: Bow
Favorite food: sweet things - added thanks to Star Ocean wiki
Quote: I believe in you, Edge.
A young lady born into the illustrious Saionji household, Reimi has studied archery since childhood and now stands toe to toe with other masters of the bow. For all her kindness and consideration towards others, Reimi is extremely hard on herself, and sometimes the pressure gets to her. Like Edge, she was selected at a young age for the SRF's maiden voyage, and takes part in the journey into deep space. There, she serves the team as a level-headed navigator and a source of support for Edge.
From me: I agree and disagree with Reimi being level-headed. She definitely has her moments where she is the calm, cool and collected one, but her age gets the better of her in other situations. It isn't a win-win for her, but it also isn't lose-lose.
For example:On Lemuris, Edge, Reimi, Faize, and Lymle are aboard the celestial ship. They've just discovered where the ship is from and the alien race that navigated it to Lemuris. Faize has discovered a video of events that happened on the bridge just before the ship crashed, and the four of them watch it. When it's over, Reimi looks at Edge and asks, "What happened here, Edge? Tell me what happened here," when it's obvious as to what had happened. Edge even replies, "What it looks like. The Cardianon mutated and started to attack each other."
That's just one of a few examples that I can think of where Reimi isn't very level-headed. Yes, she's nineteen years old, turns twenty when the right private action is triggered, but, if she's as intelligent as the game's strategy guide claims, she wouldn't need to ask "What happened here?" when it was quite obvious as to what happened. :) I do understand shock settling in and her mind not wanting to process what she saw, but, really. Intelligent people look at it, understand it, accept it, and find a way to keep the tragedies from happening all over again.
From the strategy guide:
Reimi is a young woman from the Saionji family, one of the most prestigious families on Earth. Her parents serve as board members of the Space Development Division of the USTA. Upon passing the USTA's examination, she was selected along with Edge as a member of the inaugural SRF team. A woman of both literary and martial talent, Reimi is always looking out for those around her. Her skill with the bow is second to none, having mastered both western and Asian forms of archery, and uses it as her weapon of choice in battle. She has been friends with Edge since childhood; she grew up with him like a sister, but her heartfelt concern for his well-being may suggest that a different sort of relationship may be blooming.
From me: Reimi is the mother hen of the group but without the experience of raising children herself. The player first gets a brief glimpse of this in the opening scenes with Edge in how she conducts herself and chastises him for not attending the departure ceremony, but it becomes very apparent after Lymle joins the party. I won't necessarily say it's a bad thing, but it's something that can become annoying after a while. I understand that when a person is dealing with someone who's about five years of age or at least looks like she's five years of age, s/he is going to modify the way s/he talks to that child. I'm sure Reimi doesn't realize that, in some ways, she's talking down to Lymle, but hen again, she probably doesn't realize that Lymle is fifteen and not five.
One thing I've noticed about Reimi is how she likes to declare Edge as being a pervert, and I'm not talking about in the private actions. (For private actions, I go out of my way to PO Reimi, but that's because I don't like her. In order to get her ending, though, I'm going to have to play nice with her on the next play-through, which I hope to start soon as there's another topic I'd like to address.) The first instance is after the dragon newt is defeated in Alanaire Citadel, and the original way they reached the top is no longer accessible to them. On the outside of the citadel are some hanging materials. I want to call it canvas, but I don't believe that's the accurate term . . . it is strong enough to hold weight so . . . Anyway, Reimi points out the hanging material, no one can see another way down, and Edge volunteers to go down first.
Immediately, Reimi is objecting. She says no repeatedly, calls him a pervert (which is leaving him confused as well as Faize and Lymle), and declares she's going down first. (Which one could argue is an act of insubordination on the First Officer's part.)
The other in-game moment is on the alternate Earth when they're locked in the same room as an unconscious Reimi by Milla Bachtein. Reimi, for some reason, is naked. Why she's naked, it's never said, but she is and she's unconscious. When she comes to, she sits up, the blankets falling, and then she realizes she's nude and Edge is staring, dumbfounded. Okay, that moment isn't exactly good for Edge, but I don't blame him, either, for looking at a woman's bared boobs.
That particular scene truly bothers me. I know Reimi is intelligent. I know she's kind. I won't dispute those facts because they are evident throughout the game. What I don't understand (aside from it being a ploy on the game designers' parts) is how come she didn't realize upon waking that she was naked? There is a world of difference in the feel of the textiles used in her uniform and cotton-blend sheets. Plus, she's only covered from underneath her arms to about her ankles.
Now, it could be argued "Well, she was drugged. Milla even admitted as much." Yes. Milla drugged Reimi. She did admit as much so it's a given. However, I only buy that argument so far. Speaking as a woman, I know the difference between how my clothes feel on me and when I'm naked under a sheet and some blankets. Drugged or not, I'm going to realize whether or not I have my clothes on upon waking, and, if I'm naked, I'm certainly not going to sit up so the blankets fall off me with people in the room.
The rest of the "pervert" remarks are found in the private actions, where Reimi's jealousy over the other women on the Calnus becomes apparent. Of course, triggering those private actions are up to the player.
There is one other flaw I've found in Reimi's character, and it seems to be a bit of a popular theme in anime in general. Girl has crush on guy. Guy is somewhat clueless to girl's crush so either doesn't reciprocate or doesn't know how to reciprocate. Guy is attractive and has other girls talking to him, increasing the jealousy of the girl (who also is supposed to be the heroine of the story, the hero's counterpart), and so said girl throws fit and storms off or calls guy a pervert and smacks him for being googly-eyed over the other women. If guy and girl are dating, I can understand the jealousy to a certain extent, but if guy and girl aren't dating, I don't understand it at all.
In essence, though, Reimi is not an evil character. She does treat the others in the team with kindness and respect, reserving the smacking for Edge (probably because Sarah is just too innocent in how she sees things, it'd be cruel for her to smack someone as unsuspecting of things like Meracle, and Myuria would smack her back). In terms of personality, she's a little like the pink fluff of Sophia Esteed mixed with emo-ness of Maria. The internal angst seems so unnecessary to me, but it's how the game designers wrote her so . . . I just find her annoying. When I get the chance, I remove her from my fighting party, keeping her levels up because she does come quite handy in certain boss battles. I don't necessarily see where she's hard on herself, other than when it comes to food, but maybe others see it.
Overall, Reimi is a character that a person will either like or dislike. That is entirely up to the player. For this player, she's just one that, if I didn't have to keep her leveled up for certain battles, I wouldn't bother with her at all. Her ability to fight disease is both a bane and a boon. You realize this later in the game. It's also because of this ability that the truth comes out about her, Edge, and Crowe.
From the in-game dictionary: A young woman from the Saionji family, one of the most prestigious on Earth. Her parents serve as boardmembers of the Space Development Division of the USTA. Upon passing the USTA's examaination, she was selected along with Edge as a member of the inaugural SRF team. A woman of both literary and martial talent, Reimi always looks out for those around her. Her skill with the bow is second to none, having mastered both Western and Asian forms of archery, and she uses it as her weapon of choice in battle. Friends with Edge since her childhood, she grew up with him like a sister, though her heartfelt concern for his well-being suggests a different sort of relationship may be blossoming.
From me: I do agree, for the most part, that Reimi looks out for those around her. Unfortunately, there's one scene that takes place where her emotions overwhelm, and she behaves more than a bit selfishly . . . It's the return to Aeos and, upon seeing the destruction of the base, she (and Edge) initially doesn't think of Faize and what he's lost. When she does finally realize it, Faize brushes it off, and she accepts it without question. She isn't the only one guilty of this, though, but she's being written as caring and considerate of others above herself, and it doesn't always hold true.
Continued from the in-game dictionary: Reimi may wear a bright, constant smile, but she's often very hard on herself, never complaining about her lot in life. Even so, she sometimes finds carrying the burden of the secret behind her birth to be nearly unbearable. She, along with Edge and Crowe, are Seeds of Hope - super humans who were born with enhanced DNA. The environmental adaptation and cell-regeneration abilities she developed were first brought to life after a childhood incident; the reaction from others at the scene was enough to traumatize young Reimi. Upon learning the truth behind her birth, she resolved never to tell anyone, bearing the pain of the secret all by herself. She cursed her own existence, unable to accept herself for who she was, and she'll continue to carry that pain with her until the day comes when her powers are finally accepted . . . .
From me: Upon learning about the Seeds of Hope project on Roak, I really had to say, "You're kidding me, right? Again with the genetic enhancement of children? It's the same thing that they did in Till the End of Time!" And it does feel like a trite, overused plot tool when it comes to games.
Having this secret come out in the game and at a critical point in the game, it leaves me wondering just how well Reimi trusts those she calls friends and colleagues. I understand her silence is yet another plot device, or else Edge wouldn't have worried so much after she contracted the stone sickness nor would he have fought as hard as he did just to get the cure. Plot device aside, it's too much of a critical secret to be kept to herself. Edge is supposed to be her childhood friend, best friend, sibling-like friend, and someone she's falling in love with hard, fast, and strong. This secret she's resolved to keep is something that, if Sarah hadn't asked why Reimi recovered as quickly as she did and with Bacchus backing Sarah up on the issue, Reimi would have taken to her grave. She'd have never trusted anyone, Edge included, with that kind of a secret. Yes, I do understand the events that uncovered this secret, when Reimi learns the truth from her parents about her abilities, is emotionally and mentally scarring. I won't ever deny that, but to resolve to never tell anyone, not even the person you care about most in the world (and galaxy) isn't only foolish but selfish. It's the kind of thing that will eat away at your soul until your ability to love becomes eroded, and you start hating those around you for being normal, hating them as much as you hate yourself for not being normal.
And thus ends the revision of Reimi's character study. Next week's character study will feature Sophia Esteed from Till the End of Time.
