/jp/ - Otaku Culture

RE: Lotus-Eaters, a separate fellow mentioned that could be a reference to The Odyssey. It could not be but we don't know of Asian Lotus Eater references, and it is worth noting that Spider Flower is not native to Asia so, y'know, why not more Greek stuff (spider flower is from south america)?

Anyway the Lotus-Eaters summarized
>In the Odyssey Book IX, Odysseus tells how adverse north winds blew him and his men off course as they were rounding Cape Malea, the southernmost tip of the Peloponnesus, headed westwards for Ithaca:
> I was driven thence by foul winds for a space of 9 days upon the sea, but on the tenth day we reached the land of the Lotus-eaters, who live on a food that comes from a kind of flower. Here we landed to take in fresh water, and our crews got their mid-day meal on the shore near the ships. When they had eaten and drunk I sent two of my company to see what manner of men the people of the place might be, and they had a third man under them. They started at once, and went about among the Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of the lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus with the Lotus-eaters without thinking further of their return; nevertheless, though they wept bitterly I forced them back to the ships and made them fast under the benches. Then I told the rest to go on board at once, lest any of them should taste of the lotus and leave off wanting to get home, so they took their places and smote the grey sea with their oars.
tl;dr, Odysseus's men were taken in by these peaceful Lotus-Eaters who ate, what else? Lotus food. This shit was absolutely delicious, and they didn't want to leave. Eventually, Odysseus had to force them to get back on the ship by fucking tying them to the boat.

Personally I think, given the fact that Lotus-Eaters is in katakana and what the Lotus-Eaters are doing is sobering up, it's probably a reference to the Odyssey. So, this could refer to Suika herself, or Suika's people: the oni who have grown comfortable in their isolation. The same oni Suika wanted to bring back to the surface in IaMP.

Or it could be a cool-sounding title, but ZUN tends to make his titles very meaningful. Usually!

I loosen up pretty quick with alcohol