Part 4: FAQ

Source: Siren Spoiler Site (Japanese)


What is the siren?
The siren is the cry of Datatsushi. It calls the shibito back to the red Mana River ("umi-okuri" - Archive 31) at midnight, 6am, noon, and 6pm.

What is Datatsushi?
Datatsushi was called by Hisako from the "world of the spirits".

So, is Datatsushi really an alien?
We'll leave that up to you.

What does the movie "Datatsushi - 684AD" mean?
The people of the village were dying of starvation. One day, just as the people were on the brink of annihiliation, a strange being appeared from the heavens. That was Datatsushi. The pregnant Hisako, for herself and the daughter about to be born, tore into and devoured the flesh of the strange visitor. She hadn't intended any sacrilege, but for a lowly human to consume an otherworldly being is a taboo. Thus, with his dying breath, Datatsushi cursed her, along with her unborn child. This is the story conveyed in the movie.
It seems the other two villagers died, and only the pregnant Hisako survived, but we don't know for sure.

What is the red water?
According to the director, it's the visible sign of the curse. Some people think it's the blood of Datatsushi. It replaces the blood of people who drink it and turns them into shibito.

What is the meaning of the ceremony?
In 684 A.D. Hisako was cursed by Datatsushi for her transgression. She was sure he would demand the return of his body and blood, so in order to lift the curse she offered her own daughter as his bride. It appears she thought doing this would also usher in the arrival of Paradise. It is not clear whether Datatsushi would really have lifted the curse or not.

What happens when the ceremony is a success?
The "bride of the god" (in this case Miyako) disappears. It is unclear where she goes, but most likely it is to the Netherworld. As she disappears, the next "bride" is born.

And what happens if there is a mistake in the ceremony?
The village will disappear and be dragged into the Netherworld. Back in the real world there will appear to have been a terrible landslide.

So is the ceremony held every 27 years?
No. It is held periodically, every 20 to 30 years. More specifically, it is held once the next "bride" born to the Kajiro family begins to menstruate. The curse causes the Kajiros to bear only daughters, so once the second one is born the preparation work is begun.

Who or what was impaled by the stake in the basement of the Miyata Clinic?
It is a relative (son?) of Akira Shimura. (The site points to another site with an extremely lengthy story that is supposed to detail the reason for this, but it's beyond my ability to translate.)

Is that Kei or Shiro in the movie on Day Three at 09:48?
It's Shiro. We know because he is carrying all of Shiro's things, and because Shiro has a mole on the left side of his face, while Kei's is on the right. In the movie, the mole is on the left side. The director has also confirmed that it is in fact Shiro impersonating Kei. It seems he felt the need to step into Kei's role, and that it would be better to remove him.
So did Shiro shoot Kei? According to the director, the answer is yes. But how that is related to what happens after is not so straightforward. He refuses to say any more on the subject. It's possible to see the shooting as either intentional or as an accident. We'll explore both possibilities below.

Intentional:
Shiro pretended to kill himself and shot Kei instead. He put the gun to his forehead and said his farewells to his old self. Shiro had a complex about Kei, and he thought that if he wore his brother's robes he would have a way to get close to Hisako. He also felt that he couldn't leave the important task of destroying the floodgates to the incompetent Kei. This is the most widely-accepted explanation.

Accidental:
Shiro was about to shoot himself when Kei tried to stop him - getting shot in the process. After that, Shiro felt obliged to finish his brother's job.

Are the Kajiros Hisako's descendants?
Yes. Their line was the one primarily affected by the curse of Datatsushi. The woman in the movie Datatsushi 684AD is Hisako, and the fetus she was carrying was the founder of the Kajiro family.

Is the blood of the Kajiro family special?
Anyone carrying the blood of a Kajiro can neither die nor be turned into a shibito. In short, they can never get close to God.

Why did Shiro destroy the dam?
The resulting flood destroyed the shibito Nest, which was protecting Datatsushi from sunlight. However, that wasn't something Shiro did of his own free will, but rather he was called to do it by Miyako. Either way, the destruction of the Nest exposed Datatsushi and destroyed his body. That's why, in the scene on Day Three at 16:00 Shiro says "I have to hurry. There's not much time left."

What are the "angels" Tomoko sees on Day Two at 06:00?
According to the director there is no specific answer. The intention was just to show that the shibito see the world as a wonderful and beautiful place.

When did Tomoko become a shibito?
It's not explained in the game, but it seems that after Hisako took her back to Tabori Tomoko was attacked by some shibito.

Was Harumi the only survivor?
It appears so. Kyoya, Tamon, Yoriko and Shiro didn't escape and were stuck in the Netherworld.

Who helped Harumi at the end of the movie on Day Three at 23:43?
It was Kyoya. He probably did it as a favor to Miyako.

Who was the mummy in the secret room of the Miyata Clinic that gave the Uryen to Shiro?
That was the previous "bride" of Datatsushi, Miyako Kajiro.

Are they always named Miyako?
We don't know, but the one from 27 years ago was definitely named Miyako as well. She apparently wanted to get revenge for the failure of the ceremony 27 years ago.

What did Kyoya find in the tub of the abandoned house on Day Two at 01:11?
It was a tsuchinoko (see archives 15, 64).

What's the deal with the hand that comes out of the bucket Tamon draws from the well on Day One at 02:18?
According to the "Maniacs" supplemental book, Hanuda's existence in the Netherworld means that many spirits were active. Tamon also had a strong "sixth sense". The white arm that grabs him could either be a half-man/half-fish mummy like in the archive story (number 11) or it could be a human baby…

Who is Namiko Yoshikawa?
(Archive 91) She is the girl who appears on the Missing Persons poster Shiro picked up on Day Three at 18:05. (At this point the site links to another very lengthy story, part of which deals with her. She's apparently the Harumi of 1976.)

So in which version of Hanuda does the game actually take place?
It is in fact a mixture of the present (2003) version and the old (1976) version found in the Netherworld.


Checking out one of the GameFAQs guides netted me this. It never occurred to me before, but I think it fits:

Why did Miyata Shiro kill Onda Mina?

In archive No. 13, Mina hints to her sister that she is in love with someone who we presume to be Shiro. He later admits to killing her when he attempts to strangle her sister Risa and he awakens in the vicinity of a grave at the beginning of the game. But what was the reason? Well, she is in fact pregnant and while I'm not yet sure on the precise reasons WHY he killed her, it is related to the pregnancy. How do I know she was pregnant? Take a close look at the demo movie where Makino Kei finds Miyata experimenting on the Shibito-fied Onda sisters. You can see something squirming on the floor which Miyata then stamps on - this is/was Mina-san's Shibito-fied baby.