Silent Hill preorder booklet translation

[The Adversary]

The Japanese preorder of SILENT HILL included a 20ish-page booklet that someone from Reddit has translated. It includes tips on weapons and the flashlight, etc., character profiles for Harry, Cheryl, and Cybil, and short mini-stories about some of the characters. I've transcribed it into text here, and you can download the .pdfs here.

The stories are pretty interesting, really. Some are pretty obvious who they're about, though a couple are ambiguous.

I've fixed the spelling errors from the original document, also, but otherwise I kept the formatting as close to the translation as possible.

~~~~~~~

STORY

< FIRE IN CENTRAL SILENT HILL >

A fire broke out in the northeastern part of Central Silent Hill in the middle of the night. As of 5:00 a.m., the fire was almost completely extinguished, and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Six buildings were almost completely destroyed. At present, 6 people are seriously injured and 1 is missing. The fire department is calling on citizens to take thorough measures to prevent fires.

~~~

Mind you, I was alone. Nobody is here.

What happened. She had no way of knowing. Where are the others? I don’t even know how long I’ve been here, or how long I’ve been hiding like this.

She was alone. Nobody is here.

She hugged her shoulders, wrapped in a red cardigan. It was as if (s)he was trying to shrink the body (s)he hid under the desk.

“somebody help”

A mutter mixed with sobbing leaks from her lips. . . . Click.

After a few moments of silent, as if in response to her words, the sound of the door being unlocked resounded inside the examination room.

“Why did you start doing it?”

“Out of curiosity. Not that it never happened, but that’s why I didn’t think about quitting. You know, it actually feels good.”

“Do you feel guilty?”

“It’s not that I didn’t do it at all. But that’s why I didn’t think about quitting. You know what? It feels good.”

“Didn’t you think of quitting before it became an addiction?”

“I’m okay with this. I’m still okay, it’s not a big deal. At first, I kept repeating to myself while making excuses like that. Before I knew it, I couldn’t stop.”

“Why did you try to commit suicide?”


“I’m sick of my weak-willed self. . . . this time I thought it would be better if I didn’t leave, because even if I did, it would only cause trouble for my family and friends.”

“Wouldn’t it have worked out somehow if you tried hard enough to die?”

“I’ve thought about it so many times. And each time it didn’t work. It’s better.”

When I woke up, I felt very strange.

~~~

But what you see is the same as usual. He soon realized the reason for the strangeness. It was too quiet. I can’t hear people’s voices, signs, or the noise of the city that should normally be there. The building is holding its breath so quietly that if it weren’t for the light coming through the windows, it would be the middle of the night.

What happened?

What the hell are they doing?

After cursing, he wandered around the hospital alone to check it out.

But no one. And instead of a human, I met something that can only be described as a monster.

When the monster sees him, it flaps its bird-like wings and attacks him.

A reddish-brown skin that looks like a burn scar, and a beak with fangs resembling a pterosaur.

Surprised by the monster, he pulled out his revolver and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

“What kind of joke is this? No way, they. . . .”

~~~

~Welcome to Silent Hill!~

Wouldn’t you like to forget the hustle and bustle of the city once in a while and spend a relaxing time in the clear breeze that crosses the lake?

Beautiful scenery, rustic townscapes, this is Silent Hill, a resort town on the shores of a quiet lake. This town will surely give you peace of mind.

Fragmented dream. . . A house in flames. Small towns and big lakes. A dark hospital corridor. Attic room without windows. An empty school classroom. Dirty sheets and ceiling. A doll thrown on the floor. A little bit of nostalgia. Heartbreaking terror . . . . and darkness. Darkness darker than night.

“Something” in it. I felt like I had to go.

“Papa, take me somewhere during the next vacation.”

Someone was crying, asking for help. In a dream, maybe it was me.

~~~

< SILENT HILL MAYOR DIES >

Silent Hill Mayor Thomas Johnson died of a hear attack yesterday at 3:42 pm while touring Midwich Elementary School with the principal. The mayor suddenly held his chest and collapsed.

By the time people around him rushed to help, he was already dead.

Mayor Johnson was particularly interested in the eradication of drugs circulating in the city and the development of the city as a tourist city.

He is highly regarded for his positive attitude and ability to take action. There are many who lament his untimely and sudden death. Dr. Gibson, Mayor Johnson’s personal physician , said, “He was a healthy man. He rarely got sick or injured, and if there is even the slightest problem, he pays close attention to me and tries to fix it as soon as possible. I didn’t know that something like this would happen. . .”

~~~

Brahms is the town closest to Silent Hill. Cybil picked up the phone with an effortless motion. “Yes. Brahms Station.”

Slightly distort the eyebrows.

It was a call announcing an incident in Silent Hill.

However, there is no seriousness in the voice on the other end of the phone, this phone.

Her slightly low, unsweetened voice seemed to represent her personality.

It’s as if he thinks that the reason for the lack of communication is a trivial everyday trouble.

“Okay, I’ll go check it out just in case. On my way.”

And she, who is heading to Silent Hill, still doesn’t know what happened in that town. There was no hesitation in Cybil’s steps.

~~~

As if there was a grudge against the door, the boss slams the door shut, and the young man in the room spoke lightly as usual with a childish expression on his face.

“What’s the matter, did you panic? Did your wife cheat on you?”

“This is not the time to say such things. The investigator was killed.”

The man who entered the room glared sternly at the young man, an expression he doesn’t usually show.

The young man stiffens at those words.

“Huh, is that Detective Gucci?”

“Look, considering the situation, no matter how you look at it, it’s nothing more than a murder. . . . Well, that’s fine.”

As the man prepares to go out, he turns back to the young man, “You’re the answering machine. Wait for the phone.”

~~~

It wasn’t that she was a particularly conspicuous child. Rather, if anything, she was inconspicuous and quiet. She seldom smiled and was rarely seen playing with friends.

But I remember it well. About that child. Do you know her nickname?

That child is that kind of child. At first, I thought it was silly, too. There is no was such a thing could actually happen.

A long time ago, when I was young, there was an old man in the town I lived in who was called a “murderer.”

We were all afraid of him because of rumors that he would roam the streets at night, killing people he found and burying them in his cemetery.

But, of course, no one was killed or disappeared.

Isn’t that what rumors are all about?

So don’t believe her rumors either.

I didn’t. . . .

. . . . until that incident happened.

~~~

“Cheryl, are you awake?”

Cheryl smiled at her father's voice.

“Yeah. It’s already dark outside. Papa, haven’t we arrived yet?”

Looking up through the windshield of the car at the jet-black, starless night sky, Harry mutters something.

It was a night like a lid on the sky.

“We’re almost there. It’s almost Silent Hill.”

“This wreck of a car. . . .”

“Exactly,” Harry laughs at his daughter’s sulking remark.

~~~~~~~

[Burning Man]

Someone commented on a misspelling of the town Brahms. Brahma with an 'a' was the original name for the town. The Japanese script still calls it [bu-ra-ma]. I believe the name was inspired from the Bermuda Triangle. I don't remember what caused the name change to eventually become Brahms.

Amazing work by the translator.

[Droo]

Wait, so Silent Hill was the destination, not just a place they were passing by?

[The Adversary]

>Wait, so Silent Hill was the destination, not just a place they were passing by?<
Yeah, Cheryl suggested they go to Silent Hill because she was called by Dahlia's "magical spell" and Alessa's suffering.

Q: Did Cheryl know that she was Alessa's "other self?"
A: She was completely unaware of it.

Although Cheryl was Alessa's "other self," she was not conscious of it. When she told Harry she wanted to go to Silent Hill, it was because the sensation of Alessa's suffering—"Someone help me"—had reached her.

"Feeling this child's pain (Alessa), it's sure to come (Cheryl)."

>I don't remember what caused the name change to eventually become Brahms.<
I assume it was to keep in line with the horror author schtick since it's named after Bram Stoker.

[Droo]

Harry wasn't concerned or alarmed by her request to go to a nowhere place like Silent Hill right near where he and Jodie found her?

[phantomess]

Harry wasn't concerned or alarmed by her request to go to a nowhere place like Silent Hill right near where he and Jodie found her?

I checked the game case and game booklet to refresh my memory on exactly what it says since I remembered it mentioning their vacation. The back of the case says, "Harry Mason and his daughter Cheryl are driving to their favorite vacation spot." That combined with the quote from inside the booklet "Harry Mason prefers to take late vacations with his daughter Cheryl. This year they've made plans to visit Silent Hill" actually kind of makes it sound like they've vacationed in SH before and it's their favorite vacation spot!
But that's . . . not right, is it?

"Feeling this child's pain (Alessa), it's sure to come (Cheryl)."

^ makes it sound like them visiting SH wasn't a regular occurrence, although I suppose it could be and Cheryl was just being summoned back again now that the time was right . . .

[Droo]

I don't think it's possible for Cheryl to have returned there before without triggering a reunion of the souls like what happened in SH1.

[phantomess]

Why does the game case blurb refer to SH as Harry and Cheryl's favorite vacation spot? A marketing fluke that no one who worked on the story caught/fixed?

Btw, Adversary, thanks for sharing those little stories.

[LittleNightma]

The mayor walked by the wrong classroom, that's for sure.

[Burning Man]

> Why does the game case blurb refer to SH as Harry and Cheryl's favorite vacation spot? A marketing fluke that no one who worked on the story caught/fixed?

I couldn't find anything in my rather extensive Silent Hill Japanese materials that Harry and Cheryl have visited Silent Hill before. However, it is almost always Cheryl that begs to go to Silent Hill with the official novel being the most recent one. (Harry was more interested in taking a break in Maine's outdoors.) Interestingly enough, Heather in Silent Hill 3 remembers that Silent Hill used to be a tourist town or something to that effect. I don't think Harry would have ever taken Heather to Silent Hill considering all that's happened in the first game, so Heather's comment when reading the brochure is a bit curious.

[The Adversary]

If Heather has Alessa's memories, then she would have known Silent Hill is a tourist town.

[Droo]

You also don't have to gone somewhere to know if it has a reputation as a tourist/resort destination.

[leftshoe18]

For the printable version of the pdf would you just do a double-sided print and the pages should be correct?

[Arsonist]

Great find. It always bugged me how little characterization poor Cheryl got, it's nice to see her show some of Heather's snark.
Also, how many possible causes of death does Lisa have at this point?
*Suicide, as implied by the booklet.
*OD, I'm not positive, but I think that's what Ito stated on his twitter. I suppose it could have been intentional, tying it up with suicide.
*Murdered by Kaufmann. The novelization illustrates her undead monster-form having a gunshot through her forehead.
*Murdered by Valtiel, as see in Cage of a Cradle.
*Infected by a parasite. I was never too fond of this theory, as I'm not sure that the staff we see in the game were actual people. But if they were, her statement of "I'm the same as them", would imply that she died/became possessed in the otherworld alongside of her colleagues.

Harry wasn't concerned or alarmed by her request to go to a nowhere place like Silent Hill right near where he and Jodie found her?

To be fair, we were never told what Harry was thinking or feeling. Maybe he did think that it was a really spooky coincidence, but as far as any rational person would assume, nothing paranormal. She did just see/hear a commercial after all.

[The Adversary]

I'm a firm subscriber of—and I think the guy who helped form—the Lisa is parasitized theory. Silent Hill Chronicle further suggests the nurses and doctors are parasitized.

"'Puppet nurse.' A nurse that has been parasitized by something. This parasitized body is the same as Cybil's after she becomes possessed.'"

It appears that being parasitized is like being knocked unconscious, which is exactly what happens to Cybil when she's attacked. In Lisa's case, she also says she was "knocked out" and eventually woke up to this.

Her remark that she's "the same as them" is coming to terms with the sad reality that she cannot be saved after she finally ventured out of the waiting room and into the basement, all while the puppet nurses and doctors, her colleagues, just lumbered past her. Much like walkers in The Walking Dead: they don't go after each other, only threats like Harry.

[Arsonist]

Don't get me wrong, the logic behind the theory is perfectly sound. I just arbitrarily don't like it .
The only two holes I have to poke at aren't that strong. Questioning how Kaufmann avoided the same fate, and pointing out that Lisa's transformation is unlike anything we've seen.
And hell, I can dismantle those on my own: Kaufmann has been in proximity of and working with aglaophotis. Lisa's situation is already unique, thus her transformation is unique too.
So I go back to just personally not liking it, and having enough leeway to interpret the situation however I want. Hell, as I've pointed out, Team Silent can't seem to decide on what happened to her either.

[The Adversary]

Don't get me wrong, the logic behind the theory is perfectly sound. I just arbitrarily don't like it :D .

That's fair. People have perpetually disliked my theories for a long time. :(

In Kaufmann's instance, I think his being dragged into the Otherworld is a different scenario, as he was one of the key people involved in Alessa's misfortune.

Two different types of bodies are seen around town: the robed ones, which are in retrospect in honor of Valtiel, and the skinned and strung-up bodies. As I recall (and this is coming from someone who hasn't played the game since maybe 2006) there are only two of those skinned bodies. One is at the beginning of the game, Harry's first nightmare. The other is in Midwich Elementary where Harry finds the shotgun.

There are also only two other voiced characters in the game: the unknown cultists/doctors in Alessa's flashback in Nowhere, responsible for the nightmare Alessa has had to experience. I believe these two strung up bodies are them—dragged into the Otherworld like Kaufmann, only they didn't get so far.

Lisa may have been tasked to take care of Alessa, but can I tell you something? I've been in and out of the E.R. and hospitals countless times. I want to remember the nurses. I want to be able to thank them on the street if I happen upon them. I most recently went at the onset of the pandemic, April 2020—the last place I wanted to be—and, still, the faces are all the same. The nurses are all the same. Every time. Forty years later and I have no specific memory of a single one of them.

Lisa, to Alessa, was probably just another nurse, just another "puppet" to her.

[Malzarre]

These stories are interesting, thank you for sharing them.

One that stands out is the death of the mayor. If Alessa was the one to kill him it makes me wonder why. The fact that it says he was wanting to eradicate drugs from the town makes me wonder if Dahlia told her daughter to kill him?

As for Lisa's death, is there a chance that Lisa died by another mean, and it was her corpse that was parasitized?

Also, wait, I was always under the impression that Alessa remembered Lisa rather fondly? Granted it's also been a while since I've played the games

[Whatever]

The pdf download link is dead. Can anyone helṕ me with that?

[The Adversary]

>I was always under the impression that Alessa remembered Lisa rather fondly?<

Pretty sure this stems from the very early plot guide written by President Evil (Dan Birlew). As I recall, it was his theory that Lisa was being kept alive because she specifically took care of Alessa, and Alessa felt like she was the only person she could trust.

There's nothing in-game—or in-series, even—to really suggest that, though. I mean, I guess it makes sense in a way, but Silent Hill Chronicle, regarding Lisa being seen with Valtiel, indicates "her spirit must continue to endure endless suffering.*" The official explanation for this scene, also, is to show that Valtiel is preparing her for metempsychosis.

I personally don't see any reason to believe Alessa held Lisa in any regard. She was just another person responsible for her suffering—and, worse, Lisa was the one who specifically couldn't make her better. Alessa might resent that especially.

The pdf download link is dead. Can anyone helṕ me with that?

Yup.

* Note. This is one of those answer-with-a-question moments. The full quote is, "Lisa appears along with Valtiel. Could it be that her spirit must continue to endure endless suffering?" We all know what that means, though.