The Legend of Zelda

[BumblebeeCody*]

Sounds like Nintendo managed to pull out another remake that tops off the one that started it(and I'm saying that in a good matter). I hope to god they did something about the aliens in Ronami Ranch(it was a freaking pain in the original version).

Ronami Ranch is probably one of my favourite parts of Majoras Mask. The entire 3 day cycle has so much happening with so much impact and so much to think about afterwards that it just adds to why Majoras Mask is so good.

Oh man, just got around to getting to the Romani Ranch on the third day. 

I saw Epona and thought it'd be somewhat similar to OOT where I'd have to learn the song and from there Epona would come to me, but damn getting there was just weird. Romani was just dazed, not knowing who I was or what happened, and inside the barn Cremia was shocked that she let it happen. Since it was the third day I assume I had to do something beforehand to stop this all happened. So I went back to the first day, saw a huge rock in the way and didn't know what to do then so I kept doing bomber notebook quests.

One of the kids told me about a huge bomb a Goron gives to you, so I rushed over there, did that stupid sidequest to get the bomb and blew up the huge rock. This time Romani was acting normal and taught me Epona's Song and told me about "Them" which I had to deal with at 2am. So I messed around with the Zora's, got the mask and went back at 2am to deal with them.

Holy shit, it was 2spooky. First you've got this going through your ears while you fight off hundreds of "Them" with a bow and arrow, making sure that none of them get to the barn. You're given around 3 minutes to fend them off. It's not that hard I guess, but it was still nerve racking. 

I completed it, and she thanked me and gave me Romani Milk or whatever it is, but after I left I noticed how freaky it actually was.

I mean, if Link never goes there or attempts to stop the Aliens (since you don't have to) these things just abduct her and the cows, wipe her memory then bring her back in a state she'll probably never break out of. It's pretty fucked up when you think about it. It's even worse when no one but her attempts to stop them, so she's just waiting inside the barn for these things to come, by herself at like, what, 9 years old?

Out of all the things in the game, this is by far the creepiest for me.

Yeah indeed. It's creepy but also one of the saddest parts of the game too. If you do let Romani get capture she goes from happy to looking like this:

(Obviously from having her memory wiped)
Within the night that Cremia finds out she's also distraught:

Which makes me feel like it's the bad ending. But that's thing about Majoras Mask. You can do the story and sidequests but the moon falling is inevitable. You may have solved the problem for those individuals, but it'll still have the same outcome (until you finally beat the game).
In the case of you fulfilling the Romani Ranch sidequest, you can actually go back to Romani Ranch within the last few hours of the game for a "hidden" cutscene.

One thing I've never been a big fan of, was people trying to interpret something(usually a form of media) as secretly being about a dark premise. Like how Pokemon is about death and Toy Story is really about [insert some hipster bullshit here]. But Majoras Mask doesn't need interpretation or for the player to look at it at different angles.
By that I mean, you can see the cutscene is played out in a fairly happy manner, but only when Romani is talking.
She's young and doesn't quite understand the fact that they don't have long left to live. She expects to see Link tomorrow.
During the day 2 night mission with Cremia, she is one of the few people you meet who tries to remain happy but knows that the moon is "getting bigger" and will eventually fall. But she cant' quite explain that to Romani so she never does, at least not directly. Which is where the writing in this scene has a lot of impact behind it. Like I said before, there no need to try and turn the dialogue and scene into a dark premise. 
It might seem weird to let Romani have Chateau Romani milk, the reason it this stands out is because the milk is only for adults. 
Romani was promised by Cremia that she can have Chateau Romani milk when she's an adult. Since she'll never live long enough to be an adult, Cremia let's her have it on the final night. If the player/Link/you do the stories that revolve around the milk bar missions(Cremia, Bar Owner and anything else) you'll know that Chateau Romani is an adult drink(Alcoholic?). The bar does not let children in during the night hours either. However the Romani mask is also significant because it's given to those who are members of the Clock Town milk bar.
All that is why this scene is pretty emotional. Cremia sees her as an adult and followed up on her promise to let her have the drink. By giving her the Romani mask she is now a member.

Like I said before, none of this is interepted. You can find the information regarding what the Romani Mask is from the Milk Bar owners dialogue and Cremias. You can find that children aren't allowed in the Milk Bar at night from the sign outside, and despite essentially giving them the best outcome in the 3D cycle, they still end up spending their last moments together in bed. 
The only thing I am willing to interpret and take a guess on, is that the only reason that Cremia gave Romani the milk is not only to follow up on her promise, but let he sleep. A 9 year old on alcohol is basically going to be knocked out. So for when the moon comes, Romani won't notice anything or wake up. 

Only once you beat the game properly do you finally get to see them make it to the next day.

It's stuff like that which is why I highly praise Majoras Mask. There's so much more like that in the game that it's surpsing to think it's a Zelda game. It being a Zelda is also what adds to it. I like the idea of Nintendo giving
Eiji Aonuma free reign to make anything he wants with the Zelda series and coming up with this concept. I love the time mechanic. I love how it's an alternate version of Hyrule that doesn't weaken the impact of OoT. I love how it reuses the characters/weapons/songs etc thus putting us in familiar territory but again, with a twist.

Yes it's a very dark and atmospheric game but it only get's better as you get older. I say the same about many other forms of media. I never understood what The Matrix was really about when I was 9/10 of it's release. I just thought it was about dodging bullets. When you're older you actually realise what the film is about and the message within it. Yes it's about dodging bullets but the philosophical side has a strong presence. 
Same with Cowboy Bebop. I thought it was about space bounty hunters doing shit. But as you get old and re-watch it. You see it's a well presented show that didn't fall into the typical anime tropes of space aliens and generic action. It's all completely based on humans with characters that fit within the universe. What's more, coming from Japan it's a complete culture clash of music from jazz to rock to blues with tributes to other forms of media yet doesn't feel distracting. Majoras Mask is one of these classics that you have to go through yourself as an adult to really appreciate what this game was doing.

Sorry for the essay. But that's just my thoughts on Majoras Mask.