[Jan-Poo]

Originally Posted by Wanderer

I don't think that a promise was made that the games were solvable only by human means.

What would constitute a "promise" to you?
I'm really not sure what I was supposed to expect. A public declaration? A solemn oath?
What he wrote in his story is more than enough for me to deduce he was telling the readers that the gameboards must be solved through human means.

Originally Posted by Renall

The decision to kill herself (if she did, of course)

I don't think you've quite understood that I'm talking about the culprit of the gameboards and not about Rokkenjima prime. The word of God already declared that she killed herself.

Originally Posted by Renall

is her own act of cowardice to escape consequences. So it is entirely her fault that she cannot make amends for it. The point is that any apology offered by her or a character associated with her is false. It's a lie. She was never sorry about what she did, or else she would try to live with it and fix it (or, you know, not do it). Maybe she would have been, but she never actually was, because she died (maybe).

That's just like your interpretation, Renall. I think you're quite biased by christian influences here. And mind that I come from the same cultural background so I know where you're coming from, but I'm sure you've heard about Seppuku before, and I'm sure you know it's not regarded as an act of cowardice in Japanese culture.
In the first place the concept of suicide as a sin is something that didn't even exist in Japan before christians arrived.
The bottom line is that in Japan it's actually the reverse of what you claim, suicide is actually seen as the ultimate act of atonement for a grave sin.

You may disagree with it, but if one does so believing that he can atone through that, you can't say he consciously escapes responsibilities if he sincerely thinks that that is the best way to take those responsibilities upon himself.

Originally Posted by Renall

Her meta-self isn't her. It's basically Ange or Battler wishing she was sorry. We have no way of knowing she actually would be sorry, and frankly I cannot buy her killing and being sorry.

And how exactly can you say that what we've seen about Kinzo asking forgiveness is more reliable than meta Beatrice saying the same things?
If you truly believed that we don't know whether she was remorsful or not, you would at least give her the benefit of the doubt.
You don't.
You inexplicably decided that she was never sorry for what she did and that she'd never be even if she didn't die. Even though it's hinted that she was, even though it's extremely improbable that Ryuukishi really thought of Yasu as someone as heartless and cold to not feel sorry.
If he made Kinzo be that sorry do you honestly think that he wouldn't make Yasu do the same? Oh, wait... he did. Except you dismiss that as a mere interpretation from Battler's part and not the truth of the story he read. Even though he's supposed to have understood everything about it.

Originally Posted by Renall

If such a clear answer is intended, why is he being so evasive? For example, why didn't he just come out and say that in ep8? Why doesn't he very explicitly state the who/how/whendunnit? I don't disagree with you that it's true he teases this notion, but he also seems to try to dance around confirming or denying the specific interpretations of the facts. That's just awfully weird. If it's so clear-cut he can joke about it in interviews, why is it something he couldn't write in concretely to the work?

Didn't he basically clearcut told us that Shannon murdered George, Gohda and then killed herself in Ep2? Didn't he implicitly admitted that Keya's theory that Shannon shot herself in EP4 is also true? Doesn't our confession esplicitly show us a Yasu culprit?
I think that about Yasu = culprit of the gameboards, it's more the people that are trying hard to find ambiguity in Ryuukishi's words than an actual ambiguity on his part.
If it wasn't for the general ambiguity of his work that made us doubt anything, this wouldn't even be a matter of discussions.

Originally Posted by Renall

I'm not sure it's viewed that way culturally for a mass murderer. One life given does not make up for twelve to sixteen lives taken.

Alas in Japan and the very state you live in that's how the law makes one "repay" for mass murder.