Please explain me some plot-holes (SPOILER WARNING)

[Riliru]

So, I've just finished Alka and Pocket and feel a bit confused about certain things. The main story-line is clear but some stuff isn't adding up.

Summer Pockets is trying to do the same thing as Rewrite, by saying, that all the previous routes were part of repeated summer vacations but here's the problem. Why would Kamome, Ao or Tsumugi's route lead to Shiroha's pregnancy? From what I got, Umi stared to repeat her summer vacations in order to avoid the future where she was born and Shiroha dies.

Or she was just trying to run away from that future and repeated her summers (which would still pose the question, she didn't mind that her daddy never picked her mommy and went for three other mistresses instead? (Assuming, Umi was running away from that ending by just repeating her summer over and over again with her power.)

Then here's the other thing the visual novel mentioned. Umi wasn't the only one who was jumping back, Shiroha was doing it too. She wanted a future, where Umi wouldn't have that power it seems. If you think her goal was it to never get the power herself, you might as well throw pocket out of the window, because Shiroha knew what'd happen if she never got that power. Shiroha needed her power but wanted Umi to grow up as a normal child without power. She was trying to achieve that somehow. While doing that, Umi did her thing and freed Shiroha from her power. Umi had success. Shiroha had no time to try more.

Well, these are just my thoughts but some questions still remain:
What is the point of the other routes?

Do you want to consider them part of the main narrative or would you say, the "Summer Pockets-story" consists only of Shiroha, Alka and Pocket. With Ao, Kamome, and Tsumugi working as additional side info but they aren't part of the main storyline per se.

What exactly is the power of the Naruse bloodline in the end?

I never quite got it. But if we add it up to its basis, it's the power to travel back in time. Shiroha had future "visions" which are essential things which really happened but from which she jumped back, making them to just "visions." Umi clarified that later by having basically the same power, although she was aware that she was jumping back and that it wasn't just a prediction of it. You receive the power by being part of the Naruse blood-line. You end up in that eternal field of flowers and that one tree with the butterflies swarming around you. There, you receive the power. I guess that's the place of the "Tale of the White Feather" comes from.

This also makes you wonder what Tsumugi-chan’s storyline was about. The “spirited away” incidents, where you end up in a lighthouse which gives you a view of that field of flowers. But I assume they didn’t fully intend to connect all stories into one main story-line in the first place. They had different writers working on different routes and chose to make Shiroha’s storyline to the “true route.” Similar to how Nagisa was Clannad’s “true heroine.”

[KrowSea (黑白羽未)]

To be honest you got quite a few stuff right and wrong(may just be my opinion), and I won't say I have everything correct either. But let me give you some interesting homework before I spoil you some more. Becareful, though this is mostly speculative.

Ao's route, August 9 > Just replay it.

So who is Nanami? Additional hint: Who is the silhoette?

What is the relevance of Nanami to Shiroha in the first place?

What is the purpose of the storehouse? So, why was the storehouse really set up?

Did Shiroha really travel back in time? Hint: Pocket route and AlKA route

Well these are just a small proportion of questions that you may want to find yourself. If you are bored I can tell you what I speculate.

[KrowSea (黑白羽未)]

Oh and to your question about the relevance of Shiroha's pregnancy to the other side heroines. That is because you are playing a 'Hairi', but if you were to be playing a different character that was always there at the beginning, it would have made perfect sense. Just like I said in my previous comment.

Edit: Oh wait you got that part. But did you remember about the tragic fate in Shiroha's route, assuming you completed Shiroha's route first...how many time did you think Umi tried to do so before Hairi 'coincidentally' chose another heroine.

[KrowSea (黑白羽未)]

And to be honest here like this is can sound kind of offputting. But what makes you think that Shiroha's route is the true route? Yes she was the one chosen by Hairi in the end, but did that even matter? My definition of a happy ending is the epilogues of every heroine. Why do you think Hairi even managed to clear the storehouse in the epilogue?

[KrowSea (黑白羽未)]

The function of the side routes are like pieces of a puzzle. Let me give you an example.

Ao: Ordinary Butterflies are remnant memories and desires of the dead, inanimate and fully unconcious.

Tsumugi: Spiriting away...hmm this one is a pretty nasty speculative one. All I can say is try watching the opening movie. It will show you the relevance.

Kamome: Pretty Simple, unconcious people can become butterflies. At least that was the most I got from that.

Umi: Naruses can travel back in time? So did Shiroha travel then or was it somebody else?

Shiroha: Fate will always come and get you and those around you.

[KrowSea (黑白羽未)]

Maybe the puzzle is a bit too messy at the moment, so how about the first piece of the puzzle which you did not really get in my opinion. If Nanami did not exist(since Umi does not exist) in the prologue(like way before) to the 1st summer, who stopped Shiroha from going to her parents. This in my opinion should be the very start of this hodgepodged mess. I really hate giving this out because I refer to her as the 3rd protagonist really. 1st is obviously Hairi.
If you really are confused, then all I can ask you is who is Hitomi that Kyouko mentions at the ending of pockets. It is 3.20am and I have to go and sleep so good night.

[Riliru]

To: HowToLoseWithKnight.

Homework:
Ao’s route, August 9 > Just replay it.
I’m a rare species who make summaries of vns. So nope.
I have no clue what you’re referring to, there are two things which look differently after playing Alka and Pocket.
→ The butterfly which made Hairi almost jump of the cliff, the one about a guy losing his wife and daughter in an accident, you think that’s Hairi from another timeline?
→ The shichiechou specimen in the storage shed, this glowing butterfly, do you think that’s Umi? Proving that Ao’s route actually happened after Alka and Pocket? Well, that would also mean that Shiroha had never her power and wouldn’t need any reason to be a loner.

So who is Nanami? Additional hint: Who is the silhouette?
This voice dreaming while playing around on a field of flowers. The first voice you hear when you start the game and the voice which you hear when you finish a route. She is also a different version of Umi. A change version. She is Umi but different because it’s Umi who lost her memories and got transported with the power of other butterflies.
The silhouette might be… Hitomi I think. It would be weird if it was Shiroha. As Hitomi, its also this other voice which gave Umi “her wings” so she’d be able to reach Shiroha one more time before Umi started her journey over the ocean (and landed in the time one month after the death of Shiroha’s father.)

What is the relevance of Nanami to Shiroha in the first place?
There are two Shiroha’s in connection with Nanami. (Shiroha mother and Shiroha child) Only one if you’re really honest.
She’s there to give Shiroha happy memories. Maybe also parent-stand in. Fun summer vacation will prevent a Naruse from taking the powers, that’s how the legend goes.
At the same time, she is Umi, Shiroha’s daughter who Shiroha had tried to save somehow. (Again, still don’t understand what Shiroha has been doing. I know she was doing something similar to Umi but she obviously failed since she didn’t manage to do what Umi did, an actual ending where Umi had no abilities. The joke is, Umi will appear again as Hairi and Shiroha’s daughter but that person will be someone disconnected from the Umi who time traveled. At the same time, that Umi won’t have any abilities because Shiroha didn’t pick up any abilities either.

What is the purpose of the storehouse? So, why was the storehouse really set up?
If I really had to assume, then Kyoko set it up to help Hairi to find a timeline where he had a fun summer vacation or where he meets Shiroha and gives her happiness. Kyoko is Hitomi’s ally. Hairi is a stranger. So Kyoko would be a Hairi x Shiroha shipper. The sad thing about Alka and Pocket is, you can’t help but notice how hard Hairi gets ignored during the whole time travel-existential mess. Sure, he gets a last performance at the very end but only again as a tool in order to fulfill Umi and Shiroha’s wishes. (you can ask yourself which Umi and which Shiroha, since by now, there might be multiple ones.)

Did Shiroha really travel back in time? Hint: Pocket route and AlKA route
You tell me, I have no idea what Shiroha did. Some lines elude to the fact that she did something similar. Yes, she did travel back because he happens to be the one touching Shiroha child in Pocket out of nowhere. A butterfly touches Shiroha child and Shiroha mother is there and recognizes Nanami as Umi.

Edit: Oh wait you got that part. But did you remember about the tragic fate in Shiroha's route, assuming you completed Shiroha's route first...how many times did you think Umi tried to do so before Hairi 'coincidentally' chose another heroine?

I ask you a better question. Why is Umi jumping back? There are two answers. If you have more, tell me, because I don’t know. “Run away” and “Save Shiroha” Do you get the problem with these answers? Both kind of don’t work out if Umi possesses memories of other routes.
Saving Shiroha only works if Shiroha is in danger. The only danger we know is the drowning incident and the pregnancy incident.
Running away is actually tricky. My first idea was, she runs away and that’s why it makes sense that Hairi suddenly meets another heroine. But here’s the point. From what is she running away? A terrible future? What terrible future? All the endings of the other heroines were happy. Only Shiroha’s ending was left open and was then revealed to be sad in Alka/Pocket. So form what is she running away? Shiroha’s pregnancy and her birth as always? Because no matter how long she repeats the summer, nothing changes? Yes, nothing will change if Shiroha and Hairi date. But if its another heroine, how the heck does Shiroha get pregnant with Umi?
I’m not here to ♥♥♥♥ on the vn, I’m just here to point out a loophole in the plot. You can fix it by simply adding a line like: “Umi accidentally landed in another timeline and lived there with Hairi but still repeated anyway.” Something like that is enough.

And to be honest here like this is can sound kind of offputting. But what makes you think that Shiroha's route is the true route? Yes she was the one chosen by Hairi in the end, but did that even matter? My definition of a happy ending is the epilogues of every heroine. Why do you think Hairi even managed to clear the storehouse in the epilogue?

I call Shiroha “the true route” because the plotholes which don’t add up with the other heroine. I’m perfectly aware that Shiroha can’t be the true route per se because, in Pocket, we see memory fragments of Tsumugi and Kamome’s route, where Shiroha was goofing around with her friends or was interacting with Hairi. (I’m not her friend - to Tsumugi) and (I’m not sure if I can draw - To Hairi who asked her to draw Catbeard.)
If you know Key, you know they tend to have this ExMachina thing like in Clannad, where everything gets solved by super magic power for no reason. You can make your nice interpretation of everything, in the end, there are still holes left. Summer Pockets reminded me a lot of Rewrite, which was completely conclusive.
The idea is, you have different routes written by different writers yet merge them into one big narrative and make everything make sense. Rewrite’s Lucia route was written by the guy who made Higurashi. It felt vastly different from all the other routes but still managed to fit in the greater narrative because they paid attention to the small details. That’s why I want to be picky with Summer Pockets. It is damn good but if you look at some small deteils, something isn’t adding up. Or I’m too stupid to see it and that’s why I ask others to help me finding the details which vow together everything.

Last question:
Shiroha’s route:
“Who is the weaver of time?”

Kek. I assume it’s some amalgamation of all people who used the Naruse power but it might be something else.

[KrowSea (黑白羽未)]

Well sorry if some of the questions appear slightly offensive. Anyways before I start making any statements.

Can you go over to the other thread where I probably did a more detailed explanation of the sequence of events which I believed happened. I agree there are still a few holes here and there and maybe I have mistaken some parts, would love to see your opinion on that, thanks. It gives my views on the relative roles of Hairi and the other heroines. To be honest I haven’t played rewrite and I was hoping for an official translation before I start. All I can say is that I personally feels this ties better than Clannad, well that is my point of view.

I guess I will try to explain a bit of something else I may not have addressed there which is what is the Naruse power?

So the Naruses from my point of view can spirit away (go missing) to become a butterfly into the past without being able to return to their original timeline. They also of course can read the future and across all timelines (Shiroha can see Umi even if she was not there, so she and Hitomi can see Umi before she was first born).

Next, Tsumugi route is here to explain the mechanics of partial spiriting away (where she can still appear in the novel) and complete spiriting away (can no longer appear which is similar to how you can no longer see Umi, Tsumugi and Kamome after summer in Shiroha route though it is not really the same in each scenario but this is the general concept). I would say Tsumugyu has always been in partial spiriting away as she does decide to return by Hairi’s side at the end.

So this is of course an assumption, but I believe that Shiroha cannot have travelled in the past because she would disappear from that timeline and thus be unable to sing lullabies and be by Umi’s side when she is young. She chose to follow Hitomi’s initial words to never travel into the past (which Nanami repeats once again) and to live by Umi’s side up to the point where Umi spirits away into the past as a butterfly.

This is another theory which I picked up from the internet somewhere that Umi’s ending in the pocket route is similar to Tsumugi and Tsumugyu in the opening movie, which may make it more likely that they are at the spirit away zone which is the field with the tree.

Sorry, I am kind of attending to something atm. So if I missed any question from this post and the one in the other thread do tell me, thanks!

[KrowSea (黑白羽未)]

Yeah here is the thread, my bad.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/897220/discussions/0/1747896717437082443/

[хорошо]

Ok, first things I will to try explaining what other route heroine means like ao, kamome and tsugumi. The other route function is basically represent many other possibility in the future and that thing is very important because that many possibility of the fun summer time that shiroha can have in the future and that memories makes shiroha didn't regret her past anymore and can hopes the better future. This make her curse or power is gone because shiroha bloodline curse is awaken when they cant enjoy the summer or we can assume that after nanami(umi) vanished, shiroha is never cling or regret her past anymore and about what you said that “another heroine route lead to umi birth”. I guess if we take all heroine route except shiroha, umi didnt born and why she still need to repeating the summer, we assume that umi can just shipped hairi with someone else except shiroha and why she not doing that.
I can guess a few possibility:
1. Shiroha maybe still die in different way because of the curse
2. She want to prevent a possibility where shiroha die when umi is born
3. This is a hitomi grand plan to save both of them and make umi through the different fun summer time, so umi can give her fun summer memories to shiroha (to prevent the curse) Pocket Route

Next is your question regarding is umi running away or try to change the future.. At first when we in the ALKA route this is when umi really going to the past accidentally in both body and soul and after this route umi really want to prevent shiroha from dying and umi just running away to the past just in soul because of she is so sad and alone.
This will make timeline like this :
1. Umi is born and shiroha die
2. Hairi is depress when shiroha die and never play with umi
3. Because umi is never spent happy days in summer, umi power awaken and she running away to the past.. just her soul
4. 13 Year after shiroha die, hairi go to torashimajima island once again. 13 Anniversery of shiroha die
5. umi found out where hairi go and decide to go to island alone, meet kobato and find the last CG picture/photo in shiroha route
6. Hairi found out umi found the picture about shiroha and umi running away. She now go to the past both body and soul
From there is ALKA route start and when umi decide to change the past. Repeating summer again and again (normal route) until in pocket

Next is the thing about your question about why shiroha seems don't do anything to the past even she have the power to go back to the past.. The future is set dead on when shiroha have the curse and if she want to give birth umi she need to gain that power because shiroha can meet with hairi when she have the curse and if she didnt have that kind of power you can see what really happen in the epilogue of the pockets route. Hairi just barely chance to interact with the heroine because he need to clean out the shed and have maybe another possibility (my guess) where shiroha meet another man. We can assume that umi is never born because umi can only born if shiroha is with hairi. That is way shiroha seems to do nothings and just hope and try so umi cant get the powers because (what shiroha want is just umi happiness) the course of fate is dead on like if you want to have umi you need the curse but if you dont have the curse, umi is never born (Pocket Route)

And thats why the shed is very usefull, why? Because the fragment of umi that hairi found in shed make shiroha and hairi meet again in the form of rainbow paper plane. And that make the ending is so good because finally umi and hitomi sacrifice is not in vain and umi can reborn again as umi because hairi meet shiroha once again and another heroine like kamome, ao and tsugumi never in despair again. That because kamome is still sick but not in comatose state (we can see she is still trying to complete the pirate ship with his mom), ao save ai and still awake not comatose, real tsugumi come back to real live(so in pocket we see a real tsugumi not the teddy bear tsugumi)

Naruse power bloodline I think is not to see the future but you can go through to the time, basically we could say that naruse bloodline can journey to the past and future and I still dont know why the first time we in shiroha route, shiroha only explaining that she only can see the future because she want to time go so fast and if this is true then I can guess that shiroha can go to past after she see the future of umi when shiroha bear umi

The eternal flower field is what I can guess from what kyouko told to nanami about cage of time, then I can assume that place in someplace that boundary between time didn't exist in there basically you can go to the future and past in that place and because of that if you have curse or power obviously you can go to place because the place is like the starting point to travel in different time. That's why after you finish one route, we always see the scene in that eternal flower field, my guess it means that nanami (umi) go to travel to different timeline after we finish one of the route to another route..
This theory will explaining a lot about what happen in real tsugumi, why? Because she is trapped in cage of time a place that boundary between time didn't exist in that eternal flower field

yeah I agree with you that all of the route like didnt intend to have full connection because what happen in every route that we read is in a different time line and stories