Restore Taka Pass

Cross the log that was fell into place as a result of Susano’s speeding log shenanigans.  The Devine Winds of Taka Pass are not blowing and the villagers are upset.  Al Gore was readying a slide show until you showed up.Cinematic: A voice says "The call of the heavens the earth, the sea, they summon me to defeat evil.”  Yup it is waka again.  Yuka!  He brags that he can see the future, Insults my killing of the spider, and picks a fight with me again.   ### BOSS BATTLE: FIGHT WITH WAKA - DEUX

Victory Cinematic: Waka asks if I have been to Lake Harami.  Orochi is in the moon cave.  The “Serpent Crystal will get you in past the barrier.”  The big windmill is mentioned.  He then gives a prophesy: “Dog-gone difficult quest.” Clever pun.  By the way I hereby swear not to make any dog related puns; except for that dog-leg one earlier. The map really did dog-leg north though.  Issun proposes that we race to the crystal.

Run around the spiral ramp and continue out the cave while ignoring the burning piles of leaves because you would have to think “why someone would bring lawn rakings all the way up into here.”

When you reach the broken bridge, use the brush to draw it back in.  At the sapling, circle it to bring about the growing animation.  Note to the game designers: it was cool the first 3 times, maybe we could shorten up the rest of them.

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Speeding Log

Cinematic: Okami and Issun leave the ruins with the dog.  The kid, Kokari, runs up to it and says "Bad Doggie." The dog growls - I like the dog a lot.  Issun then uses a lot of words to basically say that the dog hates the kid because the kid is an asshole.  I would totally worship a God that goes around telling people that they are assholes.  I have a long list of people that need a little one on one with this god.  I probably would be on that list though.

Kokari mistakes our lesson about being an asshole into being a lesson that he was avoiding responsibility.  While it is true that he also skips his duties, I think he needs to hear that he is a dickweed a few more times.

Ume gives the kid a fishing pole.  Which is not going to teach him anything.  It  doesn’t, because Kokari runs off without saying thank you.

Go to the southern edge of the Agata Forest to the River.  Kokari is attempting to repair the bridge by lassoing a rope to the other side of the river bank.  Susano comes cascading down the river on a gigantic log.  Quickly, use the brush technique to hook everyone onto the log.  This next battle will require you to get into Darrel mode.

Cinematic: The log stops just before a waterfall and is snapped back Spiderman II style.  Issue: "thought we were gonners." Like everyone else, the kid takes credit for our miracles.

Issun then lectures this kid on being scared and always avoiding adventure.  This scene is kinda funny considering everyone playing Okami will be indoors playing video games, thus missing out on said adventures.  Me included.

Ume hugs the kid and a Japanese character comes flying out.  I bet it is the symbol for "precious" because this scene warms my hear a little bit.  Really I am not being sarcastic.  Don’t forget to feed Ume some meat to get praise.

Return to Agata Forest and talk to Karude.  He says that he has accepted his son’s fate to become a fisherman.  Jeeze, Karude, way to really be accepting, its not like fisherman is that much worse than being a hunter.  You have a bear on your head.  Talk to kid if you want to do more fishing.

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Explore Tsuta Ruins

The Tsuta Ruins: A wonka-esque river of chocolaty cursed water dominates the main room, even more than the huge statue in the middle.  Use the nearby save mirror.  Veer east to the next room.  Continue following the hallway as it dog leg north (pun not intended please just ignore it).  You will see a large round stone, ignore it too.A giant flower with legs will attack. Start attacking him with melee attacks and/or long distance shooting. Circle him to bloom the flower.

At the end of the room is one of those clichéd floor triggers.  When did triggers become a regular part of the video game cannon?  Everyone knows you have to put something heavy on it.  I think it is a game designer trick to pad out their dungeons.  Said heavy object is located at the top of the room, roll it down and onto the trigger.

Note the small figurines surrounding the trigger.  They are called Haniwa and have a real-life equivalent.  Ancient Japanese would make them to accompany the buried dead.  I visited Montréal this summer and saw an exhibit on them.  The picture to the side is of a farmer, notice the amount of emotion they were able to get out of just a few slits in his face.  I really think that one of the defining features of Japanese art is the ability to express so much emotion with minimal lines.  Key point: look what they can do with Anime.  You may also recognize the Haniwa as the Gyroids in Animal Crossing.  Because the Haniwa are located throughout the Tsuta Ruins and serve as grave markers, it implies that this is really a series of catacombs.

Cinematic: There are now two of the flower guys to fight.  Same battle strategy.  If they shoot small pellets at you, brush slash it to send it right back at them.  After being hit by the reflected pellet the beasts will immediately be vulnerable to your bloom brush technique. Look up, there is a hole in the roof of the cave.  Make a sun in this space to make the mushrooms on the tree stump grow.  Wall jump onto the lowest mushroom and jump up to the rest.   Run to the small alcove to the left and bomb your way through the glowing crack. Continue through the next two doors.
Cinematic: a long winding path.  This cinematic emphasis indicates that something is going to happen to it.  Yup, they start collapsing behind you.  Run all the way to the door.  Pass through to the next room and there is a dungeon key lock.  Fall down bellow and talk to Blockhead.  Unlock him by head butting him and then drawing two brush spots right where indicated.  He was blocking the door that leads back to the main room.

Pick up the key item that is in the center of the room.  With it in your mouth, jump up the platforms and run up the green tree limbs to bring it up to the lockjaw.  

Continue through to the next room and when you get to the broken bridge use rejuvenation brush stroke to fill it in.  Tip: Hold the triangle button to make the line thicker.  Scribble in the open space and fill it in.

There will be a big room with three “hate shacks”.  Enter one, fight the monsters, and repeat.  Draw another sun to illuminate another mushroomed tree stump.

There are pots at the top of the cave that spew the purple poison into the rest of the cave. Destroy them. I find this funny because it seems like the pots have no real purpose.  Someone wanted to poison the water just be an A-hole.  I mean who would do that, and don’t say Halliburton.

  When the water is clear, jump off the waterfall and follow the current around to the next waterfall.  Make lily pads when you need a rest. Follow the river around until you see a cave entrance that is emanating light.  Enter it.  Notice the skulls.  They belch purple Japanese characters which probably translate to “stink” “fish odor” “tobacco” “cat urine.”  Draw a circle around each skull a couple times to clean them up.  When all the skulls are clean, the middle of the room will bloom.

 
There is a new constellation to finish that yields a monkey who plays the symbols.  With all three of them together Okami has successfully reunited the Monkees.  I think the one with the World Series trophy is Mike Nezbeth.  Also, please stop sending me emails telling me the Monkees had four members in the band.  They did not, technically, because Davy Jones doesn’t count.  He didn’t even play an instrument. Well none of them did, but Davy didn’t even pretend to.  The new miracle is the ability to draw vines from blossoms.  The technique is a bit difficult at first.  I find it is easier start at the flower, then make a bend in the line, and finish the mark at Okami.

Using the new vine technique, hopscotch up the flowers to the door. The door drops you out at the center of the giant statue of the center room.  Run up the vine that wraps around the statue.  Use the vine grab to get onto the flower floating above.  Continue vine grabbing up to the other flowers.  The final flower will drop you off on his hat. Tie a vine from the flowers above to each hook on the hat.  After the flowers pull up the cap, jump down the hole.

Tip: if you fall all the way down to ground level, just wait in the water and drown.  You will respawn back up to the door at mid statue level.

The interior of the statue head has a save mirror and is flanked with Haniwa.  Save, then use the brush stroke technique to make one long stroke through as many Haniwa as you can. It is awesome.  Each Haniwa is filled with power ups so this means this is a powerup room.

A new mood music starts that sounds like someone is taking sitar lessons. It is getting me totally pumped up for a huge boss fight.  Go through the Golden Gate: which is an ancient Japanese symbol for "checkpoint.”

Cinematic:  Okami falls like she is in a Warner Brothers’ cartoon except there was no “Uh-Oh” sign.  There is a huge flower that Issun says is packed with treasure.  But we know that it is also packed with dog.  I run up and save Issues from the closing flower and do a matrx jump over the ball of pure power coming at me.  Issun is ungrateful – I should have let him get hit.

Huge tentacles fill the screen.  You think it is the big dragon from the Okami introduction and that this is the last boss fight of the game. Wrong! It is only a 60 foot spider queen.

The spider queen sounds like a composition by Steve Reich and looks like what would happen if Cher became an arachnid.

Cinematic: I defeated the devious spider queen.  It was mentioned that "a feeling of tranquility reigned throughout the ruins" which seems redundant considering ruins are usually quite uninhabited.

Then, Okami gets "Snarling Beast” which is the giant shuriken from Krull.  Then Issun says a total non-sequitur: "Reflector marked with a beastly seal. Grants Ink Bullet power."

Issun says "Wonder if this is Ume, you know, the dog that kid was looking for" Nah it was probably that other dog that was running around the evil spider queen’s dungeon.  You have now defeated your first Okami dungeon.

The importance of this level was to establish Okamis powers of resurrection.  The ruins were actually catacombs which represent the underworld.  By rescuing Ume from them, you are really bringing him back from the dead.  As a god, Okami was really bringing Ume back to life.

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Ume is Lost

The son, Kokari, is fishing along the banks of the great abyss.  Kokari was worried about the bridge project and so he and his dog explored the Tsuta Ruins.  The dog got trapped inside and the key to the ruins fell into the great abyss.  Note the lack of responsibility.  Did I mention that Kokari is also a total brat?
Issun lectures the kid about his inaction to fix what he broke.  Speaking for us, Issun says will not be there to solve the problems for the kid (which is a first considering that we have been micromanaging every personal problem in greater the Nippon region).  

However, we decide to help the kid find his dog by unearthing the key to the ruins.  You once again control every aspect of the kid catching the fish.  Follow Issun’s fishing steps to catch two fish.  The third one will be the great salmon.  When caught, the salmon vomits the ruins key.  Kokari really wants it, but silly rabbit-head, ruin keys are for gods.  

Use the bite button to take the key over to the ruins, which are circled on your map.  If you drop the key, the kid will steal it and you will have to return to deep abyss and head butt him to get it back.  

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