August Creator Support Month: A project to delve into and introduce the early works of my followers. The second installment is Kenji Kamio's HAMLET 2

This is LaLaLa, currently in the midst of trial and error.

August is Creator Support Month, and I am running a project to delve into and introduce the early works of my followers.
For the first installment, I delved into the first 20 episodes of yukariyajp's 'Namidagiwa Sketch'.

For the second installment, I will be delving into episodes #025 to #031 of Kenji Kamio's HAMLET 2.
Kenji Kamio is a follower who has likely 'liked' almost every one of my articles since they started following me.

*Spoiler Alert

1. [Synopsis] At the end of the hell called 'Paradise'

The setting is the year 2149. Former civilization collapsed due to the human extinction plan, the 'HAMLET Incident', orchestrated by the mega-corporation A-MAX FACTORIES (AMF).

The protagonist, Jim Billington, applies for the Witness Protection Program (WITSEC) and descends to Earth, escaping AMF's control. Ironically, the place he arrives at is the former Suffolk, where nature spreads out as beautifully as a 'paradise'.

However, behind that peaceful landscape lies a world transformed by the virus 'No.369', and the gaze of Dr. Maybill, who has spread his consciousness into the Earth itself and continues to experience 'purgatory' deep underground. The survivors, Francis, Mary, and the android Medusa, who has begun to learn emotions, waver between the survival of their species and individual love in this 'new Eden'.

2. Three points that reveal the 'appeal' of this work

① Metaphors of the 'Bible' intertwined with SF settings

The charm of this work lies in the fusion of hard SF settings with religious myths such as the 'Book of Revelation' and 'Genesis'. Particularly symbolic is the 'Giant Tree Fruit' that Mary encounters. This fruit, which changes taste according to the memories of the person who eats it, reminds one of the 'fruit of knowledge' in the Garden of Eden, while at the same time evoking an eerie intelligence that suggests the Earth is observing humans as 'research subjects'.

② Psychological depiction of the complexly intertwined 'multiple heroines'

The story is colored by dense character depictions unique to an author who has also worked on 'eroge' games.

• Francis, who supports Jim while being bound by past sins and loveFrancis

• Mary, the younger sister who tries to grasp a future with Jim through sheer force because of her purityMary

• Medusa, an android who only knew how to fight but was taught to 'dream' by Jim. The 'dreams of a future with Jim' depicted in episode 31, unique to each of the three, are poignant yet sensual, highlighting their loneliness and longing.Medusa

③ The shadow of the state and the path to 'salvation'

As the story reaches its midpoint, the Chinese-made android "Ungei" appears, hinting at a new power struggle in a world that should have been destroyed. Francis's determination to reject the "happiness as a woman (=raising the next generation)" preached by the doctor and declare that she will "choose her own life" is depicted as the only ray of hope in a closed, apocalyptic world.

3. Conclusion: Witnessing the moment an unfinished masterpiece finds peace

"HAMLET 2" is a sequel that is irresistible to long-time fans of the game, while at the same time captivating new readers with its overwhelming worldview. True to the author's words that he is writing this "so that he can find peace," the passion poured into every single character, along with the beautiful AI-generated illustrations, etches vivid visuals into the reader's mind.

In a dying world, what do they believe in, and who do they love? Please, experience this beautiful yet cruel "gentle world" on Kenji Kamio's note.