Elevator Pitch
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| (consolidation project) |
- Oni's premise and storyline as I'd explain it to total strangers. Just to see if I can fit it all on a single page.
- Probably too long for an elevator ride (well, depends on the elevator). But I tried very hard to keep it concise.
- Overstatement (if any) is only for the sake of conciseness, and tries to conform to the community canon-so-far.
- The talk page can be used to discuss/refine some statements until they are comfortably ambiguous/consensual. geyser (talk)
In an alternative 21st century, the Earth has somehow "opened up" to paranormal phenomena and entities, seemingly coming from another dimension.
Thus, in a short time span, science has discovered force fields, energy beams, invisibility, teleportation, as well as mysterious immaterial "creatures".
These new realities are not only disturbing on their own, they have also taken the ordinary issues of pollution and organized crime to a new level:
- a criminal "Network" (like the Mafia, but cooler) aims to seize control of the emerging technologies, hogging all the best scientists and their tools;
- natural areas are alienated beyond redemption, through man-made waste and/or spontaneous mutation, and threaten to infect the world as a whole.
A totalitarian World Coalition Government has claimed power, so as to regulate the new threats: environmental issues (BioCrisis) and technological crime.
"Freedom Riots" have opposed the new order during the first year(s), but didn't last long due to the WCG's convincing crisis management (and propaganda):
- Atmospheric Processors seemingly protect the cities against the BioCrisis (an impressive measure, but precarious and not clearly viable in the long run);
- the Tech Crime Task Force cracks down on the Network (which, however, is not defeated, transforming into an elusive and more aggressive "Syndicate").
This results in a dystopian status-quo that forms the basis of Oni's premise. Techno-criminal and environmental threats are contained - but for how long?
| TLDR | In a dystopian world, a totalitarian government (WCG) is managing a worldwide environmental crisis (24/7 air filtering in all the big cities) and cracks down on illegal technology (Tech Crime Task Force). Some of the environmental/technological troubles are of "alien" (transdimensional) origin, some are man-made. All of the threats are seemingly contained, although somewhat precariously/hypocritically. |
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A brilliant biologist[1] and eco-activist loses his wife to the BioCrisis during an excursion into one of the Contaminated Zones, and vows to give a meaning to her sacrifice.
In his view, the world is growing poisonous (pollution? mutation?) and the humans will need a universal cure/palliative to survive the inevitable environmental breakdown.
Being already in trouble with WCG law[2], Hasegawa (that's his name) cannot do research in official labs, and ends up under the wing of the criminal Network/Syndicate.[3]
Hasegawa's expertise in cellular biology[1], combined with daring transdimensional experiments[4], leads to the discovery of a miraculous phenomenon: Daodan symbiosis.
(A human host is gradually consumed/replaced by a hyper-evolved clone of itself, and somehow this improbable "smart cancer" manages to preserve the host's integrity.)
The hyper-evolved implant is dubbed "Chrysalis" (because there is no telling what transformation/"alienation" will occur once the whole body of the host is assimilated).
The initial mutation of a Chrysalis, and the coordination of its growth throughout the host's body, may be attributable to an immaterial entity (Daodan), possibly sentient.[5]
Hasegawa recognizes the risks and disruptive potential of Daodan tech (hence the name[6]), but the project catches the attention of Syndicate curators, who take over.
| TLDR | Biological hazards claim the life of a young eco-activist. The grieving husband - a brilliant scientist - starts looking for the ultimate cure that would allow humans to survive in an increasingly poisonous world. Instead he discovers an eerily powerful mutagen that allows humans to "hyper-evolve". The criminal Syndicate harboring the research realizes the lucrative/military potential of the project, and seizes control. |
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Hasegawa has two children, a boy and a girl, whom he has been using as test subjects and potential "symbiotes" - studying their Chrysalises in vitro but not implanting them (yet?).
When the Syndicate takes over the project, only Hasegawa and his son Muro are seized. Hasegawa's coworker flees with the girl (Mai) and surrenders to the Tech Crime Task Force.
The TCTF identifies Daodan symbiosis as a serious threat, but a zealous top officer (Griffin) makes a point that Mai and her Chrysalis should be kept around as a (risky) contingency.
The Syndicate quickly proceeds with the implantation of Muro's Chrysalis and trains him as an enforcer, while "Konoko" ("this child", Mai's new name) grows up as a ward of the state.
Muro's increasing strength and charisma allow him to overthrow the Syndicate. This puts Daodan symbiosis (and the glorified violence of soldier types) at the heart of organized crime.
Once the TCTF gets wind of the Daodan-induced alienation of the Syndicate, Griffin goes ahead with the implantation and monitoring of Konoko's Chrysalis (without her knowledge).
| TLDR | The rogue scientist had set up his young children (a boy and a girl) as prototypes for the hyper-evolution process. The Syndicate (bad guys) raise the boy as a super-soldier, but he rebels and becomes the new head of crime. The girl avoids the fate of her brother and ends up at the TCTF (good guys), as a ward of the state. Raised as a policewoman, she is unwittingly subjected to "hyper-evolution" as well - as a contingency against the bad guys. |
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The initial altruistic idea of Hasegawa's hyper-evolution project - to enable humans to survive an unavoidable environmental collapse - is perverted under Muro's lead.[7]
Muro does not just work to adapt Daodan technology for mass production and "general availability" - he also makes sure that the environment does indeed collapse.
Muro's men infiltrate Atmospheric Processors worldwide. The covered-up sabotage of the air filtering systems allows for a slow but sure escalation of the BioCrisis.[8]
Meanwhile, Muro seeks forms of Daodan symbiosis that are more stable and suitable for mass implantation than the prototype Chrysalises of him and his sister.[9]
"Do"s and "don't"s are identified through new research as well as trial and error. Muro's competitive army of enforcers (Strikers) provides a comfortable testing pool.
Physically strong and loyal Strikers expect to receive a Chrysalis in due time. Weaker types specialize in demolition (suicide-bombing, even) or computer hacking.
In contrast, the TCTF's approach to Daodan symbiosis is very cautionary: all the tests are performed on only one available specimen (Konoko), and without her knowledge.
Thus, despite thorough testing and monitoring protocols, Griffin's science team is still "in the dark" regarding the risks of symbiosis and treats Konoko as a latent threat.
Even so, the TCTF's growing awareness of the Strikers and their increasingly disruptive activities forces Griffin's hand, and Konoko is deployed as a (rookie) field agent.
| TLDR | The evil brother (Muro) continues his father's work towards the hyper-evolution of Mankind[7], but as part of a planned bio-apocalypse: the air-cleaning facilities are sabotaged, and survival will only be granted to a loyal elite. The girl/heroine (Konoko) completes her combat training and is ready to confront the Syndicate as a rookie field agent. At this point she is unaware of her relation to Muro, of his plans, and of her own nature as a "symbiote". |
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Concise summary of Act I goes here.
| TLDR | On her first mission, Konoko "coincidentally"[10] comes across Muro, who is personally raiding a bio-research lab as part of his endgame. In hot pursuit, Konoko fights through Muro's men and pulls a number of daring stunts. The drawn-out chase allows Muro to scan Konoko's wireless communication patterns. Upon discovering that the TCTF are monitoring Konoko via an empathetic android housed at their HQ, he orders the android's kidnapping. |
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Concise summary of Act II goes here.
| TLDR | After her "sister soul" is abducted fom TCTF HQ, Konoko breaks away from TCTF subordination and is perceived as an increasingly dangerous liability. The TCTF makes several attempts to terminate her, which she eludes. Aware of her missing memories, Konoko tries to steal records about her past from secure archives. A mysterious "super-ninja" from the Syndicate beats her to it, but Konoko chases/confronts/kills him and retrieves the data. |
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Concise summary of Act III goes here.
| TLDR | After studying old records and meeting her father's coworker, Konoko recollects her past and discovers her "hyper-evolved" nature. Cornered by the TCTF, she nearly dies, then resurfaces to confront TCTF command. Finally, she single-handedly attacks Muro's base and unravels his evil plot. Upon discovering that the Atmospheric Processors worldwide are sabotaged, she opts to destroy them (and then proceeds to defeating Muro). |
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"When I blew the processors I bought us some time, but at a horrible cost. The dead and the dying now line the streets but it is impossible to deny the problem any longer.
My father's work may prove to be the salvation of the afflicted after all. Mankind as we knew it is doomed: the Chrysalis will change us all. Let's hope it's for the better."Konoko (outro)
| TLDR | The aftermath is somewhat similar to Muro's supposed apocalypse: destroyed infrastructure, huge death toll, disrupted air filtering, and hyper-evolution as a forced solution (although it is no longer in the wrong hands). |
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Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oni canon does not say what Hasegawa's field of expertise was prior to Jamie's death, but biotechnology is the most likely. Besides Daodan tech, Oni's world notably features another universal cure/palliative - the widely accepted hypo sprays -, so it is tempting to imply that Hasegawa's initial research revolved around those "active neuro-biological reinforcing elements".
- ↑ As an activist Hasegawa was already guilty of denouncing uncomfortable truths about the BioCrisis. Trespassing into a Wilderness Preserve and mercy-killing his wife only made his case worse.
- ↑ The Network may have been head-hunting Hasegawa for a while prior to Jamie's death, and would naturally make him a new offer once he ended up on trial as both a murderer and an enemy of the state.
- ↑ The transdimensional (a.k.a. "out-of-Earth-phase") origin of Daodan symbiosis is not explicit, but it makes sense considering the paranormal superpowers that seem to come with it (regeneration, telekinesis, teleportation, summoning), as well as the existence of such "alien" entities as Screaming Cells and "Devilstars".
- ↑ In Oni canon, "Daodan" is always used either as part of a compound noun like "Daodan latency" or as shorthand for "Daodan Chrysalis" (which is fitting, since a proper substantive form would be dǎo dàn guǐ 捣蛋鬼). The notion of an immaterial entity supervising the symbiosis (called "the/a Daodan", or perhaps "the/a Guǐ 鬼", i.e., "ghost") is a speculative interpretation of the nondescript "hyper-evolutionary process" (i.e., the seed of the symbiosis) along with the sheer amount of intelligent coordination required by a (meta)stable integration process. Whether a man-made "quantum (bio)computer" or a sentient entity from another dimension (akin to Screaming Cells), Daodan symbiosis seems to be driven/powered by some sort of extraordinary (unearthly?) intelligence.
- ↑ Dǎo dàn guǐ 捣蛋鬼 is Chinese for "troublemaker", and dǎo dàn 捣蛋 means "to stir up trouble". Hasegawa may have coined the name "Daodan" in memory of his and Jamie's past as "troublemakers" (activists).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Oni does not state Hasegawa's fate after the takeover, thus we don't know if he personally inspired Muro's radicalization, or if someone else took his place as Muro's role model.
- ↑ According to Sturmanderung reports, toxin levels rise by >50% over the monitoring period (duration unspecified), mainly owing to the defective air filters. Apparently the sabotage eludes inspections through the continued efforts of Muro's on-site teams and/or because of built-in "defeat devices" reminiscent of Volkswagen's Dieselgate.
- ↑ The final consoles of CHAPTER 14 . DAWN OF THE CHRYSALIS mention the development of "Daodan core technology" as part of Sturmanderung, singling out two tasks/projects/experiments called "uwlb" and "ssob". No further details are given, but it is likely that Mukade and Barabas are "test beds" for different techniques, with Barabas as the more stable variant.
- ↑ Muro not only dictates the entire chain of locations of Oni's "Act 1", but also anticipates Konoko's involvement, even describing her as "an exceptional agent" based on some sort of intel. Barabas's defeat at Konoko's hands is an unpleasant surprise, but Muro turns it into an opportunity to confront Konoko and assess her skills (which leads into Act II). It is almost as if Muro's whole operation was planned to coincide with Konoko's field training, both geographically and chronologically.