[1989: pp. 46–53]
[2003: pp. 50–57]
6. MAGICANT
- Area: Unsurveyable
- Pop.: 42
- Avg. Temp.: Unknown
[Photo: A sea of clouds. Caption below:]▲The land of Magicant is no more describable than the memory of a dream. "Magicant, an eternally unknown country." It doesn't matter who's been there, that's all they ever have to say about it.
[Jump links coming soon.]
The Entrance to Magicant
The Land of Magicant
MAGICANT TOWN AREA
Magicant Town
The Homes of Magicant
Magicant Map
The Foreigners' Gift Shops
Queen Mary's Fountain
Flying Man's House
Westwood
The East Well System
Thoughts from Seiji Takeda
QUEEN MARY'S CASTLE
The Entrance to Queen Mary's Castle
Queen Mary's Castle
Queen Mary's Castle: Layout
Queen Mary's Throne Room
THE UNDERFLOW
The Subterranean Labyrinth
Underflow Map
The Underflow
The Forgotten Man
Magicant's Exit
EVENT CHECK POINT
The Entrance to Magicant
Perform Telepathy with your Great-
Grandfather's Diary in one hand, and...
After sensing the uneasiness in the policeman's words, knowing you, you'll decide to trudge the rugged gorge and find a certain cave. And all who enter therein wonder at the tranquility they experience, as though they've entered their mother's womb.
[Photo: A wooded canyon, possibly the Grand Canyon in Arizona.]
▲Your first look at the outside world.
The Land of Magicant
If this place is part of a dream,
where is my host, the dreamer?
When you awaken from your dream, you find yourself dropped into a world you've never seen before, a world like a sea of clouds, clouds of unbroken pink. Is this land the very country of the god mentioned in the mysterious words: "Where is the god's tail?" as recorded in your Great-Grandfather's Diary? Well then, the "god's tail" had to have been the pink rock.
The likes of this world have never been depicted in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, or Through the Looking-Glass, or even in Ende's Momo. And yet, you're becoming aware, aren't you, of that confusing sense of nostalgia at the bottom of your heart. As you hear, in the utmost depths of your memory, something with a mysterious timbre, high as the cloud tops, deep as the ocean floor, you can't shake the hunch a warm voice is calling you. To a boy who's fortified his resolve to fight unseen enemies, this unexpected peace of mind is a mighty source of comfort, isn't it?
You get the feeling you've stumbled into somebody's dream. Going inside another person's slumberland shouldn't be possible, yet this country is like the replicant¹ (the reproduction) of a dream.
But feeling relief is forbidden. After all, even dreams vary from terrors that cause night sweats, to things so overwhelmingly joyous they make you shout and wake up.
MAGICANT TOWN AREA
- Area: Unsurveyable
- Pop.: 27
- Main Industry: Philosophy
[Photo: Palace of Versailles in France.]▲Queen Mary's favorite color is a soft pink. ...
Magicant Town
A safe and mysterious town fenced in
by twisted, pale blue pickets
Is it misfortune that you've wandered into this place? The answer lies all about town. Let's start by walking around here and there and talking to the townsfolk and the animals.
The first person you'll encounter in this mysterious burg is a girl standing near the bridge. An odd girl, from your point of view. And from her point of view, you're an odd foreigner. Just be casual and try striking up a conversation with her. Really, there's nothing to be nervous about.
The Homes of Magicant
Mysterious pink houses that
await a traveler's knock
■ The Inn
It's on the north side of town. There's no sign or anything, but finding out things by the seat of your pants is also one of the pleasures of travel. There's no chance you'll feel dissatisfied with the cooking here, no chance at all. ... Accommodations are free (and that's with the tax and service charges!).
■ The Guy who Gives You the Ocarina of Hope
An expert ocarina-maker lives on the east side of town. The Ocarina of Hope he makes is a mysterious instrument that can be played even by those who don't know how. Try playing a melody you know. Of course, that's if you're able to get your hands on this thing.
■ The Baggage Check Girl
In this town, where mysteriousness is the norm, there lives a very mysterious baggage check girl. Look for a house with a blue-green door, in the heart of town. The goods she takes charge of go to Minnie, and vice-versa. Maybe there's a connection between Minnie and this girl. ...
■ The Guy who Gives you the Big Bag
To distrust. To cheat. To swindle. None of these three verbs are in Magicant's dictionary. Once you get that in your head, we recommend you pay the house in the southwest corner of town a visit. A man who harbors a dream of the real world is waiting for you.
■ The Hospital
You may also have those dreams we call nightmares. If you dream (?) about fighting monsters outside of town and receive injury to your body or heart, head for this hospital. They've established a dream (?) care system that doesn't charge for treatment. Even if you've brought a cold with you from outside the dream, I expect they'll cure it here.
[Photo: Shāh Abdol-Azīm Shrine in Rey, Iran.]▲So many things you've never laid eyes on before.
MAGICANT MAPQueen Mary's FountainFlying Man's HouseHospitalInnForeigners' ShopsGuitarist's HouseInnEast Well SystemGuy who Gives You OcarinaBaggage Check GirlBoy who Does ImpressionsGuy who Gives You Big Bag
The Foreigners' Gift Shops
These stores are the only places in
Magicant Town you'll need dollars
You aren't the first foreigner to stray into Magicant. Three opportunists "yearning for earnings", who came from the same world you did, have unashamedly set up shop on the north side of town, doing business on the sly. You needn't worry about any goods you buy from these opportunists disappearing, in case you were worried.
■ Coin Shop
There are a selection of mysterious Coins here, which are said to have the same effect as armor in that one home console game you were obsessed with just before your adventure... Dragon Something-or-Other. This is one mysterious, money-charging shop.
--------------------GIFT SHOP-----------------Magic Herb: $30.00Coin of Serenity: $260.00Coin of Protection: $648.00Coin of Sealed Magic: $1,200.00-------------------------------------------------------
■ Bracelet Shop
If Coins are armor, the mysterious Bracelets this shop sells are shields. Both fall into that category of "equip for a defense boost". If you want to enjoy this adventure as if it were a game, it's important that you shop here.
---------------GIFT SHOP----------------Magic Herb: $30.00Fairy Bracelet: $460.00Angel Bracelet: $825.00Goddess Bracelet: $1,510.00-------------------------------------------------
■ Pendant Shop
The Pendants sold by the last of the Opportunist Bros.² come in three varieties. Respectively, they protect your body from the heat of flame, the chill of ice and the shock of lightning.
---------------GIFT SHOP----------------Magic Herb: $30.00Droplet Pendant: $700.00Flame Pendant: $700.00Earth Pendant: $700.00-------------------------------------------------
Queen Mary's Fountain
A mysterious, perennial spring
in a land devoid of rainfall
Queen Mary's famous fountain can be found by leaving town and walking northwest. The water that gushes out of this spring is never missed in the townsfolk's way of life. Magic Herbs, which you could say are like bread to them, are made by taking the Red Weed that grows on the plain and placing it in the fountain.
Also, the fountain's caretaker, popularly known as the Helpful Old Man, is always disappearing to have tea-time, but he will lend aid to those in need. I hear the townsfolk use Telepathy when they want to call him.
Queen Mary's Fountain appears to be a well-cherished spot for Magicant's monsters. It makes you wonder if perhaps these monsters who swarm all around the outside of town were on their way to the spring, or maybe they're just coming back from it.
[Photo: the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain.]▲It makes you ponder the very meaning of "mysterious".
Flying Man's House
The dream of Flying Man lives in your heart. ...
A house sticks out lone and random on the outskirts of north Magicant. Here live five brothers both birdlike and humanlike: the Flying Men.
When you were still little, your mother used to sit by your bedside and softly tell you the story of the Flying Men. You probably don't remember this sad tale, but it was invented by your great-grandmother.
You should pay them a visit. You should have a talk with them. Because you just might remember the story. ...
Westwood
A mysterious forest that doesn't resemble
the one in Mother's Day one bit
Immediately west of town is a forest. It should no longer be the least bit mysterious to you to find that mystery is abundant here as well. For a boy who was surprised when he first came to the circular river through town and saw a cat swimming in it, you ought to be quite thoroughly used to this country by now. You can swim through the very ground if you want to. You'll surely think so after seeing the cat in these woods. Maybe it's significant.
A lonely guitarist is another inhabitant of the woods. He absorbs himself in the writing of music while pondering philosophy. "Come back here when you're stronger," he tells you. There's no doubt about it, that's significant. We don't care if you vandalize this book, so you should underline those words of his.
You'll also meet a girl here who will give you a Friendship Ring. Take it or leave it, it's up to you. In addition to all this is something you may hear from a monkey while in the forest, that you look like Queen Mary.
The East Well System
It doesn't seem like anybody draws
water from these mysterious wells
Have you ever seen a sight like this, a landscape that includes 38 whole wells? This well system, east of town, wasn't dug so that the people could draw water from it. All the water they need to keep up their way of life is provided by Queen Mary's Fountain.
So then, what are wells doing here? There seems to be some understanding between the townsfolk that they're there for the sake of being there.
More importantly, what the townspeople — yes, this crowd — find mysterious are the sounds coming from one of the wells. You, though? It's something you're used to hearing all the time. It's town noise. ...
Magicant is the Utmost Depths of My Very Own Dreams
Seiji Takeda
竹田青嗣
Literary Critic
Dragon Quest is a "classical" masterpiece that melds together heroic romance and melancholy, but the virtue MOTHER has that DQ doesn't, in a word, is nostalgia. When I find time between work and press the START button, I usually start from Magicant, but I get a mysterious feeling, like I've returned to the utmost depths of my very own dreams. I hope this feeling hangs in the air through the whole thing.
(N) Shuuji (L) Kisshan (A) Hatori (T) Touma (F) Natto with Onion
QUEEN MARY'S CASTLE
- Year Constructed: Unspecified
- No. of Attendants: 7
- No. of Rooms: 10
[Photo: the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.]▲A dream country you can return to any time life gets tough, like you do in your dreams every night.
The Entrance to Queen
Mary's Castle
You know the answer without him giving it
If you're tired of all the questions and answers with philosophical people, head for the castle where you'll find Queen Mary, who the townsfolk haven't seen for a long while. On either side of the straight path headed north, there stands in a row a line of cactus-like trees, making one think of the geometric patterns at the Palace of Versailles. All about the castle spreads a grassland where the people enjoy picking herbs on their days off.
At the outer wall of the castle, visitors are greeted by three specialized gatekeepers who never miss a chance to pose riddles. None even among the philosophy-crazed townsfolk have made it past this gate, so they'll probably wallop you with some outrageous stumper. But that's not reason enough to be afraid: you can read minds.
Queen Mary's Castle
A castle of lamentation, whose
queen has forgotten her song
What do you see when you look at this castle? A soft-serve ice cream castle? A pink cloud castle? A cotton candy castle? A candle castle? A castle that looks like intestines? Ask ten different visitors what they picture here and you'll get ten different answers.
That's probably because it's a castle so vexingly mysterious you could never hope to properly convey it through words. When you awaken from a dream, even though you know you were there a moment ago, you can't remember what you saw in it. The feel and touch of your dream you can sense with your whole body as plain as day, but trying to picture it, any of it, turns out to be a different matter, for some reason. ... This feeling of being unable to remember, so heartrending it hurts, will rain cats and dogs over your whole frame when you enter this castle. What's that all about?
Inside, walking around gingerly, are chamberlains in peculiar dress, as though they're wearing a sack from head to toe. The emerald floor, transparent as the water's surface, holds like a lake a deeply submerged sorrow.
The chamberlains may quietly whisper to you the reason for this sorrow. Mary, the Queen of the castle, moans in her sleep every night. She'll get angry like she's punishing a naughty child, then she'll cry out: "I'm scared, I'm scared!" And then she'll start to sing a tiny bit of a song, but right away cries painfully: "I can't remember!!"
Then, they say, she'll wake up, drenched to the bone in sweat. It sounds like Queen Mary had something really sad happen to her a long time ago.
It sure seems like the vaguely sad atmosphere that pervades this place is an outward reflection on how the lady of the castle has been feeling, wouldn't you agree?
QUEEN MARY'S CASTLE: LAYOUTEntranceThe Queen's Throne Room
Queen Mary's Throne Room
A chamber of mercy, where you'd be forgiven for
not taking your hat off before the Queen
The castle interior is, in all directions, made up of a series of connected, emerald-colored chambers that conceal a stillness like the ocean floor. There's a room where six present boxes are lined up in an orderly row, and if you pick a box and open it, all the others turn up empty. But with the chambers that press a decision on you, there also come fruit-bearing chambers, lavish with gifts in each and every box.
As you're looking through said chambers, you may just arrive at the Queen's throne room before you know what you're doing. You're entering the room of a lady not even this country's inhabitants are allowed to look upon³, so you may want to take off your hat, but you probably have a special pride and joy in it, so use your judgement. Once in the room, you'll first give the Queen a bow, then step forward, proceeding straight along the red carpet until you stand before the Queen; if possible, show respect by kneeling down on your right knee. Upon seeing your face, the Queen will bear a smile of bygone, longed-for days; what she then has to tell you will likely give you the secret of your journey.
Then her attendant has a few last words for you: "You need only find the Agate Fish Hook, and the people of this land will receive you at any time." When you hear that, odds are you'll end up deciding to visit Magicant again before giving the Queen a parting bow.
[Photo: the San Nicolò l'Arena Church in Catania, Italy. Interior shot looking down the nave toward the altar.]▲Once upon a time, Queen Mary's beautiful singing voice would resound through this room.
THE UNDERFLOW⁴
- Area: 6,026 m² (about 3.74 mi²)
- Pop.: 1
- Temp.: Fixed at 16.5℃ (61.7℉)
[Photo: Grotta dei Cordari in Syracuse, Italy.]▲The past is riddled with holes, and oh how I've fallen into them a time or three. ... ⁵
The Subterranean Labyrinth
The utmost depths of the dream, where you'll be
helped along by the tragic Flying Man
You caught the information in town, didn't you? "East of town, there's a hole you can hear otherworldly sounds coming out of." Knowing you, I'll bet you're headed there already, figuring one of the many holes has to be the entrance you're looking for. By your side you have Flying Man, so reliable it's tragic, whose eyes have lit up at the inexplicable hunch of upcoming battle.
A cool air comes out of the countless wells surrounded by the river. Leaving a garden of tranquility for battle town once more, I'm sure your courage will be more tested than ever.
Descend the hole once you've found it, and you'll find yourself in a subterranean labyrinth with many floors leading further underground. After recalling Queen Mary's parting words, you must not forget to make a memo, in a notepad or even the margins of the map, of the path you've chosen. For that reason, you'll want leeway to adopt the principle of "detourism" and try all the rooms in the labyrinth. Especially since even here, you'll have the unexpected joy of discovering presents. When your search of the basement is complete, pleased with your loot, you'll probably realize you've just stumbled into an enormous cavern on the lowest floor.
UNDERFLOW MAP[From left to right, upper to lower] Box, Nothing, Box, Box, Nothing, NothingTo UnderflowForgotten ManMaster of the UnderflowB6B5Sleeping Dragon
The Underflow
In the space between this life and the next,
there is a deep, dark river
A great river of darkness. Nobody knows where it runs from or where it's running. At its heart, there upon the surface, is an enormous, labyrinthine stronghold. With strange apparitions flying all about, if there were ever such a thing as the bottom of the world, it would, without a doubt, look like this desolation of immeasurable loneliness. You can't help but think to yourself, is this really how lonely Queen Mary's sorrow is?
The Forgotten Man
You can stay, in fact, I think
I'd like you to stay
After obtaining the long-awaited Agate Fish Hook from the Master of the Underflow, who dwells further still beneath the Underflow, you'll become aware of a man nearby, standing there avoiding people's gaze. He introduces himself, not as Socrates of the Cave⁶, but the Forgotten Man, and he might invite you to a philosophical back-and-forth.
Magicant's Exit
Like the unpredictability of a dream, what's on
the other side of an exit is always a surprise
Once the loneliest man in the world disappears, a hole will open up gaping in the wall. This, and none other, is the exit from Magicant. Battles in the real world await you on the other side. And I suppose from now on, however many times you come to this exit, your thoughts will return to the now-deceased Forgotten Man.
- Maji Kanto⁷, Matsuo Haizen
真面完人・松尾ハイゼン
EVENT CHECK POINT
[Screenshot dialogue box:]Oh? You want to hear mysong?I'm sorry. I don't knowwhy, but I just can't seemto remember it.
Magicant is a treasure trove of information and goods. At any rate, make sure you talk to all the people and open all the present boxes. Because they sell valuable goods at the shops that can boost your defense, also make sure you purchase these early on and power up your companions.
By the way, the Dragon has a melody.
Area's Main Enemies:
Big Woodoh, Dragon, Master of the Underflow, etc.
❏ Did you meet Queen Mary?
❏ Did you meet the Philosophical Man?
❏ Did you meet the Sleeping Dragon?
❏ Did you get the Dragon's melody?
❏ Did you meet Flying Man?
❏ Did you get the Dragon's melody?
❏ Did you meet Flying Man?
❏ Did you get the Ocarina of Hope?
❏ Did you get the Boomerang inside the castle?
❏ Did you buy defensive goods at the shops?
❏ Did you defeat the Master of the Underflow and get the Agate Fish Hook?
❏ Did you meet the Forgotten Man (and carry on a successful conversation), and were you then able to discover the escape exit?
❏ Did you meet the Forgotten Man (and carry on a successful conversation), and were you then able to discover the escape exit?
Agate Fish Hook
[Screenshot dialogue box:]Ninten opened the present box.Found Agate Fish Hook.Ninten took the Agate Fish Hook.
It's inside a present box. You'll get it if you defeat the Master of the Underflow.
The Philosophical Man
[Screenshot dialogue box:]This is a secret betweenjust you and me: come backhere when you're stronger.
Visit him after you defeat the Dragon and he'll give you a hint about the melodies.
The Sleeping Dragon
[Screenshot dialogue box:]The Dragon is asleep.Ninten can't wake it upjust yet.
He'll awaken if the hero is at level 25 or higher. Defeat him to get a melody.
The Forgotten Man
[Screenshot dialogue box:]Yeah. That's what Ifigured. Yep.Now just hurry and ignoreme already.Good. Thanks.
Answer YES when he says "ignore me already", and the man will leave and the exit will appear.
¹ Replicant, a word invented for the 1982 film Blade Runner to describe a perfect replication, in android form, of a specific human being, may be the origin of the -cant in Magicant, here meant, perhaps, to describe a dream that's been perfectly replicated. Another possibility I've considered over the years is that the -cant may come from the English word "country", based on how it's spelled in Katakana, making the name a portmanteau of magic and country.
² The term used here is 「願望」ブラザーズ, which means "Opportunist Bros.", and is sort of like their company name (or rather, it's the writer of the entry derisively calling their company that). They may literally be blood relatives, or they may not be (even though they all use palette swaps of the same sprite).
³ This seems like a strange thing to say, considering the monkey in the forest knows what Queen Mary looks like. But also remember, the book said earlier that the townsfolk haven't seen her in "a long while", not that they've never seen her.
⁴ The header in the book says MAGICANT UNDERGROUND in English, but right next to it is its Japanese name, 地下大河 Chika Taiga, or "The Great Underground River". Until now I've ignored these secondary names (they're next to every header in the book), but since in this case something significant would be lost in translation (the fact that there's running water down here), I'm choosing in my translation to call this "The Underflow".
⁵ Lyrics from an Akiko Yano song, "Greenfields". From her 1986 album Oh Hisse Oh Hisse (not her 1981 album Tadaima.; see Ana's Favorite Things).
⁶ Possibly a reference to Plato's Allegory of the Cave (Plato was a student of Socrates).
⁷ A pseudonym using kanji characters which, when read aloud, sound like "Magicant".
Thanks to Biozilla for identifying three images for me, the Shāh Abdol-Azīm Shrine, the San Nicolò l'Arena Church and the Grotta dei Cordari. Reverse image search was failing me. He's also provided me with evidence for his speculation that the photo meant to represent the gorge leading to the cave is in fact the Grand Canyon.
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