Funny Bits in Star Ocean 2 (346)

Ernest Raviede, 35 years old adventurer and archaeologist from Tetragenes; recklessly exploring ancient ruins all over the universe in his quest for historical knowledge.

Ernest is a minor character with hardly any moment in the spotlight; he's also hard to use effectively in combat, making him a severely disappointing prize for the stuff you need to go through for recruiting him.

We don't know the exact reason why Ernest landed on Expel, but his archaeological interests surely played some part in it: the first time our friends meet him, he'd just come out of Cross Castle from an audience with the king, in which he requested his permission to explore the ruins by the Col lake. The party explored the ruins later on while following Opera, who was in turn searching for her beloved Ernest after Claude had told her where they had met him; of course Ernest had already left the place, but there were clear signs of him having been there (like a blown-up wall and marks of an illegal rifle on two large monsters). Apparently he went for the Hoffman ruins after that, but in neither case did he take any of the treasure.

Opera fell in love with Ernest, probably for his adventurous, Indiana Jones-like charm and stuff, but he doesn't seem to care much; he does care for her safety though, but that may be mainly because of the difference in age (and/or the fact that she's a woman and that she tends to follow him anywhere, even in dangerous situations). Always calm and composed, Ernest prefers to work alone, and he doesn't seem to have any interest beyond his job. His whip always at his side, he wears a white coat (looks more like a labcoat than a trench coat) and ordinary exploration clothes in the artwork: his game sprite looks a lot different, as he looks like he's wearing a night-gown or something.

This concludes the Star Ocean 2 series. There won't be any more posts about Funny Bits for a while.

Funny Bits in Star Ocean 2 (345)

Leon Geeste, 12 years old prodigy in science and Heraldry; he's apparently a Felpool, the only one on Expel, but nobody seems to notice.

Showing signs of his own genius mind at a very young age, Leon is introduced by his parents, both scientists, to the world of scientific research. Supported by the King of Lacour, he's given everything he needs to put his talent into practice, but something doesn't feel right in all that: after all, Leon is but a child still, and having to do research work at such a young age, with all those royal formalities and absolute lack of kids his age to play or at the very least talk with, he had to skip his childhood entirely, with the added result of becoming an arrogant brat. Moreover, we find out that the king has him work in the military department to build a weapon of devastating power; but noone, not even Claude and his friends seem to find anything wrong with a kid helping build such a weapon, so let's just ignore that.

Meeting with Claude and going with him on a mission, Leon finally realizes his limits, and also experiences having some friends for the first time, with whom he can talk normally. He comes back changed from the trip to the Hoffman ruins, but that's not all fate has in store for the little Felpool: having to take part in the mission to invade the continent of El, the demons' preemtive strike takes them by surprise and everyone on the warship falls overboard. Leon is found by Claude on the shore of El, and they soon reunite with Rena and the other adventurers, but there's no trace of Leon's parents; the kid was about to give in to desperation, but Claude helped him regain his senses. At this point, Claude thinks it's best for Leon to tag along, and he gets involved in all the events that follow. At least he didn't have to blow up along with Expel, unlike a certain swordsman.

Under his labcoat - which drags on the ground because it's too long for him - he's dressed like any other kid his age (I think... It's hard to make some details out on the game sprites); the artwork depicts him with a parchment in his pocket, which I'd wager is just some paperwork from the castle. We don't get to see his tail here either: maybe he gets away with being a Felpool because everyone thinks those ears are fake and his parents made him hide the tail (or had it surgically removed, Sayajin-style). Leon specializes in Heraldry of the element of Water and dark arts, and it's particularly impressive (or chuckle-worthy) to see him invoke the Word of Death upon his foes (too bad it rarely even works).

Funny Bits in Star Ocean 2 (344)

Opera Vectra (no reference to the car model), 20 years old, daughter of a rich and noble Tetragenes family; we don't know much about her current occupation, but her hobby is gambling.

Departed from her planet to chase after her love interest, Ernest, Opera crash-landed on Expel: she wasn't concerned about the prospect of not being able to get back as much as finding the elusive explorer. Claude and the others meet her by accident in a tavern, where she's trying to buy information with drinking contests, and after telling her what they know about Ernest, our heroes decide to go after her - Claude in particular, since he understands she's an alien on Expel and might have some means of space travelling. To the disappointment of our Earthling, Opera's ship is broken beyond repair, but Ernest should have one, so they stick together in hopes of finding him during their travels.

Opera finds Ernest right outside the Hoffman ruins, possessed by some evil spirit, and after a short scene which reveals something more about the two Tetragenes' personality and relationship, Ernest is saved (by a blast of Opera's cannon, no less) and the two are back together. Being the adventurous type he is, though, Ernest can't resist the chance of going to investigate the Sorcery Globe with the group, and Opera tags along, also to show her friends gratitude for having helped her so far.

Opera's outfit is certainly unfit for exploration (I could say the same for most of the party, to be fair), but she makes up for it with Kaleidoscope, a high precision multi-ammo rifle, which can shoot different kinds of rays depending on the disk she puts into it. The aiming goggles (yeah, the bunny ears you see in her game sprite) allow her to mark her target in any light condition and with the utmost precision, so it's very rare that she misses a shot; but it's also rare that she actually shoots, for she loves to use the rifle as a blunt weapon for some reason. Her being blonde doesn't mean she's an airhead, although she seems to like pretending to be one, possibly using this to her advantage.

Funny Bits in Star Ocean 2 (343)

Precis F. Neumann, age 16, lives in the eccentric town of Linga with her father. She loves tinkering with machines in a world where hardly any of them exists.

Always cheerful and energetic, Precis decides on a whim to follow Claude and the others in their quest; whether she does this for her instantly developed crush on our male protagonist, because of her technical interest in the Sorcery Globe, or because she saw this event as a good excuse to leave town and go on an adventure is anybody's guess, but I'd say it's a combination of all of them. She doesn't really take an active part in the main story of the game, but she makes sure you won't be able to ignore her, what with her loud dialogues and wealth of Private Actions.

Even though few people could think it possible, Precis dresses even more weirdly than Rena and Celine combined: what stands out the most is her robotic equipment, with a half exoskeleton filled to the brim with accessories (including, but not limited to a huge hammer), clown shoes or something (presumably with shock absorbers), and a Sony Dual Shock controller to control all her electronic stuff. She wears some kind of work suit, and you can see her tights ripped on her knee, a sign of her clumsyness. You can't see it in the artwork, but she also carries Bobot, everyone's favourite radio-controlled car - as Claude loved to refer to it - with her anywhere she goes; or, rather, she's busy chasing after it most of the time, which suggests us it's either seriously broken or it's got a will of its own. Her game sprite widely differs from this drawing: the colours are all different and, instead of the exoskeleton, she carries a backpack.

Precis's interest in Claude probably generates, aside from physical attraction, from the fact that he showed some curiosity towards the neat stuff she works on, instead of staying away from her and from her machines like everyone on Expel does. Of course, for an Earthling machines like that are nothing special, and for Claude (who's decently knowledgeable in science subjects) it's normal to see someone working on them; however, a machine geek is still a geek, and Precis geekery, coupled with her hyperactivity, makes sure her love for Claude is one-sided (at least by default, since the player can change that).

Funny Bits in Star Ocean 2 (342)

Celine Jules, 23 years old, adventurous explorer and Heraldic mage in training - one of the most outrageously dressed at that.

Her mantle and circlet floating in the air, kept up only by her incredible Heraldic power, are a testimony of Celine's skill with the arcane arts of magic; in this portrait you can spot the tattoo used in Heraldry to draw upon one's magic, right below her... I mean between her... It's too embarrassing to say aloud, but you can certainly see it for yourself.

Seemingly attracted by hidden treasures in abandoned ruins or ancient caves, Celine spots Claude and Rena in Cross: one way or another, they end up exploring Cross Cave together, and after some insistence by Claude, she decides to accompany them in their epic quest to investigate the Sorcery Globe. Very formal in her speech, proud and self-confident, Celine has some moments in the spotlight during the Mars crisis, but then she fades from the scene, only having a support role in the Tournament of Arms in Lacour and little more.

Funny Bits in Star Ocean 2 (341)

Rena Lanford, last survivor of the ancient Nedian race, healer and time traveller. You can't get any better than that.

This lass has endured a sad fate. What will the eternal passing of time expect of her? After being beamed from her home planet to Expel several billion solar years into the future, Rena is adopted by a local family and raised there while being hidden her true origins (well, the fact that she was found somewhere in a forest at least). Lost her adoptive father, she learns the truth and starts thinking about her real parents and the reason why she had been abandoned. The occurrance of several 'natural' disasters all over the land, and Rena's fateful encounter with the legendary Warrior of Light who's said to bring everything back to normal is her best opportunity to start a journey to find out more about her past.

Rena has to come to terms with several things in her life, the loss of her father first and foremost, so she develops a strong character (not to mention her physical strength, but that is barely touched upon, as it's noted in a single Private Action); her mysterious healing powers, while being a source of 'diversity' in relation to other people on Expel, actually give her means to help people in need, making her more accepting of them, if not more altruistic. But fate keeps throwing hardships at them, starting from the deep disappointment she feels when Claude states he's not the Warrior of Light she had thought him to be. The revelation of the existance of outer space and aliens, and of her being one of them - from an ancient past, no less - only make it harder for our little Nedian... I'm sorry, but writing it like this makes it sound even more ridiculous tha it already is; enough with her past.

At the beginning of our story, Rena is thought to be an ordinary Expellian living in a small village and dreaming about the Warrior of Light. Her outfit is, for some reason, quite out of the ordinary, at least as elaborate as the best Heraldry masters in Mars. In the artwork depicted above, you san see her carrying a dagger, which is never seen nor mentioned anywhere else in the game. Other than that, she wears a red mantle, which she uses to defend herself, and a crescent hairpin, which she had since she was found in the forest. No trace of her pendant (i.e. the Quadratic Key), which she must have placed under her shirt.

Funny Bits in Star Ocean 2 (340)

Claude C. Kenni, your typical 19-years-old and stereotypical JRPG hero. He can wield one-handed swords and knows fearsome "Ki techniques"; he's quite tough, yet he's smart enough to get good grades in school.

The way he's dressed might make him look weird, even considering he's an Earthling from 2450 A.D. (he looks quite normal when compared to his companions): he sports an Earth Federation jacket, white trousers and some weird-looking shoes, probably all part of the uniform of the Calnus crew. He likes to wear his dark t-shirt outside his trousers (looking at his game sprite, at first I thought he was wearing one of those full-body space suits), and has a red bandana.

Claude isn't as heroic as one would expect from the Warrior of Light: although very altruistic and polite, he's competitive and stubborn, somewhat possessive, and not quite self-confident. He may also sound quite stupid from time to time, but I blame the writers of this game and/or the English translators. Our hero develops his leadership qualities during the course of his adventure; the unexpected loss of his father doesn't deter him from his mission, and he also manages to make a 12 years old boy and a 16 years old girl follow him to the end through their dangerous quest for the salvation of the Universe.

All in all, Claude isn't that bad as the main hero of the game, at least he's not as whiny as the other modern JRPG heroes. His voice though...