[yuzen003]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

Spoiler for reply:

I don't think so. Yukariko did suffered. The only reason she was involved with the village elders in finding a sacrifice was because she became hysteric due the plague that was killing the town's folk. The Town's folk rumors about the reason they were punished with the plague didn't help either which made her believe her family was the cause of the plague delivered by the gods because they didn't continue their role as shrine priests/maidens. Add to the fact Yuko didn't believe in the gods made Yukariko think her sister was a heretic and she should be punish which might made her believe her sister was the cause of the plague.

With all the paranoia happening during that day, Yukariko's moment of madness made her choose Yuko as the sacrifice under a misguided belief she was saving everyone from the wrath of the gods. Instead, it did nothing. The plague did not stop and continue killing the town's folk. Her father, driven by sorrow that he could not save his daughters (Yuko for being sacrificed and Yukariko for embracing the madness) kills himself. It was then Yukariko realize that she had killed her sister and father for nothing, a guilt she carries to this day.

And this might explain why Yukariko refuses to get Kirie involved with Shadow Yuko, who she thinks is Yuko (possibly because her guilt is blinding her from seeing Yuko) since she believes her sister's soul has never forgiven her for what she did and she wants Yuko to punish her and only her for her role in the sacrifice.

The next future chapters might be interesting since it may involved redemption, forgiveness and moving on with the past.

Spoiler for :

I don't agree with the opinion that guilt is punishment, her actions directly killed her sister and indirectly killed her father. These spoilers haven't been confirmed hence why I said "if this is true", but if they are she lived a long life enjoying wealth, status, children and grandchildren while Yuuko died and even after death continued to build up pain leading to the creation of Shadow Yuuko. I don't know about you, but I'd take a full life with guilt over being dead and continuing to suffer after death any day of the week.

I agree she had mitigating factors for why she plotted her sister's death, but at the end of the day it doesn't change her actions and the seeming lack of justice for her deeds. Ignorance is not innocence, she and the villagers were uneducated and terrified people who got it into their heads that human sacrifice was necessary. On a logical level I can understand why Yukariko thought she had to sacrifice her sister. It doesn't change the fact that I consider her actions evil and her a monster for killing her sister in a way that ensured she would suffer for a long time before she died.

I don't feel the same disgust toward the other villagers because it's impossible to know if the ones involved even survived the plague. I know Yukariko not only survived to the present day, she has prospered by any normal standard.