SakuraRico
Sure, direct notes on the game's location and events and such would be better for those of us who have no current access to the game. I know most of the game, I just can't remember most dialogs. Which, after beating the game hundreds of times, I should have memorized by now <.<
Expecting the new content ^^
My reaction is mostly on the "interesting" side, considering how the creators could have used these, maybe unintentionally to make it. ^^
here goes the full more complete version I turn in today. I shall have to look into playing around with it more once I have a chance.
“Muhammad would rather be called a Mystic then a Fiend - Islam in Chrono Trigger” By Steven Thomas Bock for English 112
WRITER’S MEMO
Chrono Trigger and Islam are two subjects I know and care about deeply. That said my knowledge of how the two subjects overlap isn’t very deep. My knowledge of Islam, Islamic relations, and Islamic history have grown leaps and bound in the last few years of which time I had not play Chrono Trigger for a while which is a staple of fiction for me. In recognizing such I decided to write this paper.
In terms of the Islamic aspects of the piece I pulled from my mind’s knowledge which was followed by me tracing the sources of said knowledge. While in terms of the Chrono Trigger aspects of the piece I replayed the game for the Allah only knows time from beginning to end engaging in all possible content while looking for instances of Islamic references.
To play the game in such a manner added to the experience not take away from it. Doing such made talking to all the “town’s people” a privilege, requirement, and a joy for the first time in years rather then a redundant boring chore. A favorite source of such enjoyment was encounters with hijabism in the game that occurs via both required and not required interactions with NPCs (non-player characters). My favorite of these coming from interactions being the (player’s) right side guard of the king of 600ad Guardia private chambers distrust of the player’s character Frog aka Glenn. Eventually the said guard gives up his judging a book by its cover ways after lashing out at the child NPC Tata of which afterwards he admits to feeling ashamed of his prejudice, arrogant, and ignorant behavior. Despite such twits the game ends on a high note (assuming the player plays the game fully) with non-Fiend/Mystics and Fiends/Mystics working together to begin a ferry to connect the chief cities of the two groups. This made me think that in the real world people should desire ferries rather then war ships.
THE ROLES OF REFERENCES AND PLAYERS IN CHRONO TRIGGER
In the seven era spanning time traveling JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game) video game Chrono Trigger the central theme is changing all time for the better. In order for such action to have reason to occur be the settings and characters of the game must have wounds, flaws, and evils that can be overcome and improved upon. Many of these settings and characters make reference to if not emulate real world individuals, groups, locations, and events. Art as they say does after all imitate life.
The main point of the usage of real world references in Chrono Trigger is to give the game a skeletal foundation based in reality for the sake of relatedness. Then the game creators’ fiction that is imposed on those references are muscles that animate those bones. Yet ultimately as Chrono Trigger is a video game it is player interaction with the game that provides skin to paint a portrait of negative and positives meanings upon those initial references. That said the creators of the game are not without control over player interpretation (contrary to what Roger Ebert thinks about video games - that they are not art due to lack of creator guidance) as flesh - viewer interaction and interpretation - cannot move in “X” way if it lack “X” bone - reference - and “X” muscle - fantasy.
NOTED REFERENCES TO ISLAM IN CHRONO TRIGGER
The references - the bones composed of reality for the sake of relatedness - I shall be focusing on are those steep in Islam. In Chrono Trigger the Fiends/Mystics group of characters (initially) lead by the specific character Magus can be seen as references to and emulations of Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). (NOTE depending on the version of the game being played and hence translation the “Muslims” of the game are either called Mystics [as in the original 1995 Super Nintendo release and 1999 Playstation 1 port] or Fiends [as in the 2008 DS port that is more true to the original Japanese script for the game] – when I quote lines of dialogue, chapter titles, character names, etc. they are from is the 2008 DS port and any translation comparisons favor the 2008 DS port and translation before older translations). Furthermore:
1 the War with the Fiendlord/the Mystic War is akin to the Crusades in our world enough the offensive roles are somewhat reversed.
2 The Kingdom of Zeal in its relation to the character Magus and in its’ reverence of Lavos and reason for significance of the Ocean Palace/Black Omen is akin to the city of Mecca in its’ relation to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and in its’ reverence of the black stone of the Kaaba and the Kaaba itself.
Lastly 3 the Medina of Chrono Trigger and the Medina of our world mirror each other in purpose and nature of their history for Fiends/Mystics and Muslims both in that they both represent a place of retreat and location of origin of their faiths development.
These points of reference and emulation are already pointed out and argued in the Real World Influences article on Chrono Compendium. I do not desire to just be a parrot of that article. So I shall be adding add to the list of pointed out references and consider possible negative and positive portraits of Muslims they could bear upon a player.
FIENDISH FOLK: A Manner of Translation
I don’t think that having a real life group of people made reference to in a work of fiction via a group of characters call fiends paints a good image of them regardless of intent versus effect. Let consider what the word fiend means: 1 DEVIL 2 DEMON 3 an extremely wicked or cruel person 4 a person excessively devoted to a pursuit 5 ADDICT.
This is a more or a less just a product of the original Japanese script not English translation. The original english translator of the game Ted Woolsey opted to refer to the Fiends/Mystics and translate the title of the ninth Step (linear chapter) of the game’s first half The Village of Magic rather then Fiendish Folk. The said Village of Magic is name Medina - which makes for a rather transparent reference to Islam as the second holiest city in Islam is name Medina as well.
It is ironic that the Japanese given their relation to the Islamic world in comparison to Western world give the more negative naming of the Muslim like group of Fiends/Mystics. I would say this supports the notion that the negative portrait of Muslims in Chrono Trigger is intentional albeit for service of (in part) setting up a means for its’ central theme of changing all time for the better to be depicted (why depict a group in a negative light if you don’t have reason to so outside of creative expression?). That said the translation of step nine title as The Village of Magic is more fitting for Medina and being descriptive of the role of ninth step in the game then Fiendish Folks.
1 You first you arrive to Medina from a time gate that opens from a wardrobe (a playful Chronicles of Narnia reference to the first book of the series The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe) much to the surprise of two resident imps of a Medina household who one couldn’t blame if they acted fiendish in response to the player characters sudden intrusion in their home but instead welcome and aid their unexpected guests.
2 Yes while if provoked the residents in the Medina inn - three total - and market - two total - will attack the player characters they are out numbered by the peaceful majority. Between the two aforementioned imps earlier and the eight residents in the town square engaging in prayers to Magus - three in salat form and five in hajj Kaaba seven circuit form - and Saladin woes about Magus the residents of Medina are hardly Fiendish Folks. Note Saladin was a great Islamic leader and hero of the Crusades of Kurdish descent who commanded the high regard of Crusaders and Muslims alike - not unlike Magus with his equals of such groups - who in since colonial times in several Arabic Islamic cultures remembrance of is invoked to make call for restoration of their cultures to greatness and power.
3 It isn’t until you leave Medina proper and enter Heckran Cave to the west that you truly encounter Fiendish folk fiends/mystics that can be seen as akin to an extremist Muslim fringe group like the Taliban complete with its very own Osama Bin Laden via Heckran (my logic here is the assumption that Heckran’s violent group are not view as proper members of their community by the peaceful majority much like the Taliban in the Muslim world).
4 The would be Taliban and Osama Bin Laden of Chrono Trigger I might add require your usage of your newfound magic powers at that point of the game’s storyline to defend yourself against and dispatch effectively.
5 The player characters whole reason for going to Medina at all was to learn about the destructive being Lavos (the chief villain of the game who is simply a product of cold Darwinian nature not true villainous intent) who at that point of the game is believed to have been created by Magus through magic back in 600ad.
Note both peaceful and violent characters described above - in addition to others such as the Yakra sect - are called by both self and/or outsiders as fiends though out the game despite them not all being fiendish folk can be seen as akin to the practice of non-Muslims callings all Muslims terrorists and/or Jihadists and fringe groups embracing such negative labeling in the real world which is a great disservice to the peaceful majority.
A could had happy medium between the two translations (if not naming in the original Japanese in the first place) as well as a greater expression Chrono Trigger central theme of changing all time for the better could had involved having the Fiends only refer to their selves as such while under the rule of the individual characters Magus and Ozzie whereas there after they refer to their selves as Mystics. Then again fiend does have arguably one desirable definition of a person excessively devoted to a pursuit. The Fiends/Mystics do have noble and ill pursuits both they pursue that are the cornerstone (their black stone of their selves if you will) of their characterization throughout the course of Chrono Trigger. Hence the initial negativity of the title fiend is turned over on its head to have a positive meaning in line with Chrono Trigger central theme of changing all time for the better.
YAKRA SECT: The Assassin Sect of Chrono Trigger
“Well couldn’t the ninth step title of Fiendish Folks be seen as just a reference to Heckran and his group?” Oh most certainly but there are steps and groups of the game the title is more fitting for chief among them being the Yakra sect who strongly resembles the Assassin sect in Islamic history (of whom the word assassin is derived from). Take into account the following:
Islamic code of war considers it ill to harm non-combatants in warfare. The forces of Magus and later Ozzie never engage in kidnapping, assassination attempts, making accusations of murder, and framing for embezzlement - unlike the Yakra sect - as means of fighting their enemies. They only conduct war fare in the most traditional means with soldiers on battle fields and only on the battlefield. Furthermore to emphasize Magus and Ozzie regard for non-combatants the non-fiend/mystic residents of Dorino and Porre are left alive and don’t even have their homes ransacked and destroyed. This could be due sympathy on Magus part having seen his native home the Kingdom of Zeal, his sister Schala, and his mother Queen Zeal destroyed by Lavos as a child. Furthermore to bring up reference of Saladin again he was noted for his treatment of non-combatants in Jerusalem - unlike the Crusaders - and allowing the return of Jews to Jerusalem. This quality of Magus and Ozzie sects lend their selves to the Saladin Woes they receive in Medina in 1000ad first two variants of itself. Again the Yakra sect however has no qualms acting outside of such rules.
The prime example of how the Yakra sect operates is found in the game third step The Vanished Princess/The Queen is Gone. In this early part of the game’s story the player characters Crono, Lucca, and Frog come upon a kidnapping and assassination plot of the Queen of 600ad Guardia. The Yakra sect - like the Assassin sect - shows mastery of disguised infiltration into their target’s abode and compatriots. One story of the Assassin sect getting close to their target so well has it that they snuck a dagger into their target’s bed chambers leaving it where the target would find it when they awoke as a message of, “we can kill you anytime we want.” The Yakra sect by comparison shows such mastery of disguise that they are able to kidnap and replace the chancellor of the King of 600ad Guardia with a dupe who is none other than Yakra himself. Additionally they are capable enough at disguise to replace all the nuns of Manolia Cathedral with dupes in order to create a base of operations for their selves’ right in Guardia! With this and other actions by the Yakra sect in 1000ad they show their selves far more dangerous to the kingdom of Guardia then Magus and Ozzie more conservative sects.
The Yakra sect like the Heckran sect are shown to be exception not norm so they don’t paint the larger population of Fiends/Mystics at large as extreme - if even violent at all - by comparison. One could argue by references and emulating extremist Muslim sects like the Assassin guild (Yakra sect) and Taliban (Heckran sect) that one runs the risk of painting all Muslims like them. I do not agree with such logic for, “With only light one is made blind. While with only darkness one simply cannot see. Both are needed for the contrast we call sight.” This is to say one cannot accurately show positive references and emulations of a group without showing negative references and emulations of the same group. Furthermore in keeping with Chrono Trigger's central theme of changing all time for the better the reference to a group like the Assassin sect is a necessary evil.
LIGHT OF SILENCE: A Manner of Music
There is a common saying of “X religion” is the light of which one variation of course is “Islam is the Light.” In Chrono Trigger as you progress through the game Medina runs through three different versions of itself. The first two have residents in the village square engaging in prayers to Magus and Saladin woes about Magus and after Magus' defeat by the player the same but to and about Ozzie. The back ground music that plays in these variants of Medina is titled “Light of Silence.” The third version of Medina lacks any indications of worship like the prior two and has back ground music titled “Jolly ol' Spekkio.”
Light of Silence is a dark and moody piece while Jolly ol' Spekkio is well jolly as the title would make you suspect. Spekkio or speccio if you will is Italian for mirror. Outside of the Fiends/Mystics area of Medina (especially in regards with its versions that exist in the 1000ad era area of the game) there is little to no non-Fiend/Mystic characters that show comparable interest in worship like the Fiends/Mystics. These details all together could be seen to say Islam is not the Light but a Light of Silence that silences modernity, joy, and engagement with the rest of the world (especially true of 1000ad variants of Medina) and only when the Islamic world mirrors the largely (apparently) secular world will it be jolly.
Another more positive interpretation of Medina third and final form is that Fiends/Mystics haven’t stop having interest in religious worship all together they simply have change the form of which they engage in it. The more negative argument above relies heavily on the notion that if it isn’t seen then it doesn’t exist. While Islamic worship is rather public when compare to Western Christian worship it is not an all day affair and Islamic worship in let’s say America is more private an affair then Islamic worship in an Islamic culture. So it could be reasonably assume that rather than dropping their culture to mirror other cultures the Fiends/Mystics could be understood to have melded their traditional culture that doesn’t reflect other cultures by making the worship practice a more private affair like others cultures in the game.
Regardless of how one wants to define the third form of Medina one cannot argue that it doesn’t change from the better as the Fiend/Mystic population becomes friendlier and less isolated. Weather this is paid for by giving up their own culture is arguable not absolute. Either way the betterment of Medina over time is in line with Chrono Trigger’s central theme of changing all time for the better.
MEDINA AND TRUCE FERRY: Symbol of the Ultimate Possibility of Peace
Despite both earlier negative (and positive) references and emulations of Islam, Muslims, and Islamic relations via the Fiends/Mystics of Chrono Trigger the game ends on a high note (assuming the player plays the game fully). In an instance of life should imitate art the game main ending(s) and other closing depictions of its world shows citizens of Guardia and Fiends/Mystics working together to begin a ferry to connect the two groups and celebrating in a Peace Parade in celebration together in honor entering a new millennium together not apart. Better to have ferries and parades rather than war ships and troops marches is the ultimate statement and image Chrono Trigger makes in regards to Islam, Muslims, and Islamic relations.
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