That is the best title I have ever written. Anyhoo! I’m a huge fan of reinterpretations and retellings and all that silliness. I particularly enjoy those that take a noticeably different direction from the source (what little there may be). Also, it’s by Stripe Pattern, so fans of their work should know what to expect.
Shimadoriru’s Love and Peace does just that. It’s the backstory to Touhou 12 – Undefined Fantastic Object, and it really puts the Myouren Temple crew in a new light. It’s not a very bright light and it kinda makes you uneasy to use it, but it’s there. And it’s glorious.
Beneath this happy exterior sits a story that rivals Paranoia Agent in creepiness.
It starts off fairly normal and happy. I mean, look at the cover. That’s normal and happy, but… Byakuren’s ‘all things are equal’ really, really gets taken up quite a bit here. It’s a good, creepy story. It shows you a side of these characters that makes you think ‘holy shit, this could work’. It’s well-written and well-drawn, too. The very… blotchy, painty – for lack of better words – art style goes so nicely with it. It’s dark, it’s strange, it’s unnerving as hell. And Byakuren just keeps smiling through it all…
The Grass Feels Like Pants 