As random as it can be!

Right. Noumi Kudryavka from Little Busters!. As part of the blog restoration project, this entire post will be dedicated to an in-depth coverage of her. There is an underlying assumption that you have completed the Kudryavka route of the visual novel Little Busters! by Key. If you haven’t done so and do not wished to be spoiled, stop reading at this point. Otherwise, do not blame me for the massive netabare ahead.

General Information

Japanese name: Noumi Kudryavka - 能美 クドリャフカ

Russian name: Kudryavka Anatolyevna Strugatskia - クドリャフカ・アナトリエヴナ・ストルガツカヤ - кудрявка Анатольевна Струга́цкий

Nick names: クド (Kud), クド公 (Lord Kud), クーちゃん (Kuu chan), ミニ子 (Mini one), クーニャ (Kuunia)

Mother: C Ivanova Strugatskia - C・イワノヴナ・ストルガツカヤ - C Ивано́ва Струга́цкий

Catch phrase: わふー~ (Wafuu~)

Height: 145 cm

Weight: 45 kg

Three sizes: 69/51/72

Likes: Milk tea, picture book since young and still do

Initial title: Exotic (self-styled) mascot - えきぞちっく（自称）なマスコット

Nationality: Japanese/ Russian, one quarter Japanese and three quarter Russian

Theme song: Exotic Toybox - えきぞちっく・といぼっくす

Weak subject: English

Countries visited: France, England, Italy, Belgium, Romania, Holland, Germany, America, Canada, India, Sri Lanka, Israel, Brazil, Denmark, Norway, Sweden

Mis: Dislikes aircon, has a collection of keyholders from different country, dislikes having early lunch (早弁), trained by her grandfather to use the chopsticks through picking up red beans from one plate to another, dislikes tests, skipped a year in grade because of credits obtained through distance education

Kudryavka and pets

Kudryavka has two dogs, a female Siberian huskie named Strelka (ストレルカ) and a Schipperke named Belka (ヴエルカ). Both of them work under Futaki Kanata (二木 佳奈多), chairman of the school’s public morals commitee (風紀委). Their jobs usually revolve around patrolling the school premises as well as hunting down a certain character when she causes trouble. Belka also appears to have a strong liking for seaweed, which is a pretty weird food for a dog.

Kudryavka at school

She belongs to the an apparently new home economics club under the invitation of the head of dormitory. With a membership of two and the fact that the head of dormitory is extremely busy, all club activities are on hold and Kudryavka is basically the only member that is active. However, this also means that the club is on the verge of being disbanded. In addition, Kudryavka used to be in the Furniture club before it was disbanded.

Origins of names and symbolisms

The entire Kudryavka route and its characters involved are based heavily on Russia ideologies as well as the Russia aspect of the Space Race. First, lets take a look at her Russian name - Kudryavka Anatolyevna Strugatskia. This can be divided into three seperate parts. Firstly, Kudryavka is the first living creature in orbit on Sputnik II. However, she died during the flight due to stress and overheating. Secondly, the middle name Anatolyvena is possibly a reference to one of the first female Heroes of the Soviet Union - Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya. This theory is further supported by the notion that she has two asteroids named after her, which complies with the entire space related aspect of Kudryavka’s route. Thirdly, the last name Strugatskia is a reference to the Strugatskia brothers, who are both Russian science fiction writers. Incidentally, the brothers too, have a single asteroid named after them, much like Zoya.

Strelka and Belka are both, like Kudryavka, Soviet space dogs. However, they fared much better than their elder sister. Sent into orbit onboard the Sputnik V, both of them were able to return to Earth safely. All these bring up a very interesting question - why did Kudryavka’s mother name the pets after the space dogs that survived and her own daughter after the space dog that didn’t? After lurking around the Japan blogscene, I would have to go with the theory of this blog. For a cosmonaut like Kudryavka’s mom, names such as Kudryavka and Sputnik should be a bad omen for her. However, from the fact that she named her daughter Kudryavka and her rocket Sputnik, we can logically deduce that she is extremely proud of her Russian bloodline. One of the central themes in Kudryavka’s route is identity. Kudryavka is constantly concerned about fitting into the Japanese society with her flaxen hair and her weird actions, as a result she tries to act foreign in an attempt to cover up her concerns, in her own words, 外国ぽい. It is perhaps therefore with a strong sense of national pride that her mother named her daughter after Kudryavka - the honorable dog that brought glory to the entire Soviet Union by being the first living creature in orbit. In conclusion to this question, it might also be interesting to note that Kudryavka is a cross breed dog. I daresay naming someone who is of a mixed race after a cross breed dog is no mere co-incidence. Or at least in the mind of the scenario writer’s naming convention anyhow.

Another repeating symbolism in Kudryavka’s route is the gear. Yes, the gear in clocks and mechanisms, 歯車. One way to interpret it as the gear that drives the society forward, which is by connection, potentially seen as a reference to the Proletariat. One example would be the Hammer and Sickle, the symbol of communism. The hammer refers to the working class, which is synonymous in meaning with the gear. The other way to interpret it would be on a more personal level - it symbolizes Kudryavka’s desire to be the gear of her beloved ones and be with them through the time and be of use to them, much like how the gear in a clock is reponsible for moving the hands in it. For example, Kudryavka has always looked up to her mother since young, this combined with her mother’s deference to the Russian culture might have possibly left a big impact on her. As a result, she has always tried to be like her mother and be her pride by developing a strong interest in Physics, especially in space related topics. This is also the reason behind her worries over her weak subject of English. During the space age, the two major languages in space were English and Russian. Assuming that Kudryavka was aspiring to be a cosmonaut like her mother, the inability to speak either language fluently would render that dream unachievable. Another possible example would be during the symbols drawing ceremony with Riki on her birthday, which basically means that she officially recognizes him as her boyfriend and loved one. Her symbols was thought up by her mother, which means to “be a good gear of the world” (世界の良き歯車となれ). This would roughly transliterate to her mother’s wish for her daughter to become a driving force of the world, much like the dog that she was named after. By drawing the symbols over Riki, it symbolizes her desire to be with him and support him through the time. The act of drawing the symbols and the meaning of the gear in this case both point to the manifestation of a bond between them.

Conclusion

Personally? I -hate- the way that Kudryavka’s route developed towards the end. Not only does it reeked heavily of Muv Luv Alternative with all the bombing by the United Nations forces, it was also brutal. It is hinted that in the real world, Kudryavka chose not to return to her home country and consequently witnessed the public execution of her mother, which was broadcasted over the TV when rioters took over the local TV studio. Key also chose to be devastatingly cruel to the player in the Good Ending route by having Kudryavka make a final phone call to Riki just as the rioters stormed the embassy that she was in. The ever closing sound of doors being knocked down and gunshots…the panic in her voice…the desperation of her tone as she pleaded for Riki’s help while all he could do was listen helplessly as the rioters reached her room and the line was cut off… Even though I am fully aware that Key loves to use trauma or some sort of suffering as a plot tool to develop their characters, I will say this.

城桐央? I hate you, you bastard. Die in a fire, kkthxbai. Do you base your level of torture on how frail the character is or something?

Personal hatred aside, the scenario was very dramatic to say the very least. The last section of Kudryavka’s route had me literally glued to my seat with my eyes focused on the screen intensely. Time allowing, I will do an analysis on the composition of Little Busters’ world. However, with the release of Altered Fable, I don’t think I will be able to do that anytime soon. GC, over and out.

Non-game screenshots courtesy of Akibakko.