Raid on Takao Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Background
• Introduction
• Components
• Object
• Setup
  • Map board
  • Character boards
  • Scenario and others
• Game Play
  • Survival Phase
    • Actions
    • Free actions
    • Types of the Resource cards
  • Scenario Phase
  • Air Raid Phase
  • Consumption Phase
• Map Icons
• Entanglement Cards
• Flow Chart of the Gameplay
• Scenarios
  • Doom Port
  • The Fallen Tainan Aircraft
  • Sea Rescue
  • The Takao Tokko Incident
  • Run Animals, Run
• Building Introduction
• Character Introduction

Background

During the late period of World War II, the Allies, led by the U.S. military, had naval and air supremacy in the Pacific War. Hoping to end the war fast while minimizing damage, the Allies implemented the "island hopping" strategy, in which they accelerated the suppression of mainland Japan. Instead of landing on Taiwan directly, they carried out comprehensive air strikes.

Due to the Southern Expansion Doctrine held by the Empire of Japan, its colony Takao, now the southern city of Taiwan known as Kaohsiung, was designated as a fortress city and the base for southern expansion. Lots of factories for refining, shipbuilding, steel rolling, ammonium sulfate fertilizer producing, and papermaking were built in the city. Also, in Okayama, a town of Takao, there were facilities for producing aircraft and military machinery. Therefore, Takao became one of the main military industrial bases in Asia, only second to mainland Japan, and thus was destined to be bombarded by the U.S.'s intensive air strikes. During World War II, the total number of bombs used in Takao by the U.S. military was the highest in Taiwan.

Introduction

Raid on Takao brings you back to Kaohsiung during the late period of World War II, where you experience a cooperative game that feels like living in a cruel life shattered by wars. Each player plays a character who faces complex entanglements and hard life choices, all while bearing the mission of guarding their homeland.

"This time, not only must all of you survive, but you also have to achieve greater goals in your life."

2-6 Players / 60 Min / Age 15+

Components

• A. Character Boards x 8
• B. Map Board x 1
• B. Character Standees x 8 (the manual prints the letter "B" twice; transcribed as printed)
• D. Animal Buddy Standees x 4
• E. Entanglement Cards x 24
• F. Resource Cards x 60
• G. Player Reference Cards x 6
• H. Miracle Cards x 3 (Holy Mother, Mazu, Omononushi)
• I. Health Tokens x 6
• J. Despair Tokens x 6
• K. Stamina Tokens x 12
• L. Round Token x 1
• M. Starting Player Token x 1
• N. Bomb Shelter Tokens x 6
• O. Skill Tokens x 6
• P. Bomber Tokens x 3
• Q. Ruin Tokens x 30
• R. Food Tokens x 16 (1 Unit / 2 Units)
• S. Die x 1 (1/1/2/2/3/3)
• T. Scenario Boards x 5
• U. Scenario Tokens (Tokko Tokens x 4, Endangered Animal Tokens x 4)
• V. Scenario Cards (Bane Cards x 12, Fighter Wreckage Cards x 10, Shipwreck Cards x 16, Political Prisoner Cards x 6, Endangered Animal Cards x 4)

Object

Raid on Takao is a story-based cooperative game. First, all players discuss and select a scenario. Once they meet the goal of the scenario, they win the game. If they do not achieve the goal within the given rounds or even one character dies, they fail.

Death of the characters: whenever a character's Health and Despair are next to each other on their respective tracks on the Character board, that character immediately dies.

Setup

Map board

1. Place the Map board (B) at the center of the table, and place Miracle cards (H), Ruin tokens (Q), Food tokens (R) and the die (S) next to the board as the supply.

   Hard Mode: Keep Miracle cards in the game box. These cards will not be used for hard mode.

2. Some Resource cards (F) have a number on the top right corner of the cards. Return to the box all Resource cards that have a number greater than the number of players. Then, shuffle the remaining cards face down and place a number of cards equal to the number of players on all the locations that have a magnifying-glass symbol on the map board.

   For example, for a 3-player game, return the Resource cards that have 4+, 5+, or 6+ on the top right corner back to the box. Shuffle the rest of the cards, then place 3 cards on each location that has a magnifying-glass symbol on the map board.

3. Place 1 Bomb shelter token (N) on each location that has a bomb shelter symbol on the board (See the example illustration 1).

4. Place a Bomber token (P) on the location that has a bomber symbol, and return the rest of the tokens to the supply. (See the example illustration 2).

Character boards

5. Each player selects a Character board (A) and takes all 3 Entanglement cards (E) of that character. Stack the Entanglement cards with the order of Stage I, II, III, indicated on the top right corner of the cards, from top to bottom, with the side of the character's face up. Place the stack next to the Character board.

   See Page 9 for the details on the Entanglement cards.

6. Each player takes out the corresponding Character standee (C) and places it at Takao Station.

   Hard Mode: Instead, each player rolls the die and places their Character standee on the location based on the result of the roll: 1: for Takao Girls' Senior High School; 2: for Tenkokyu Temple; and 3: for Shinyo Shrine.

7. Each player takes 2 Stamina tokens (K) and places them on the Satiation space on the Character board.

   For a 2-player game, each player takes 3 Stamina tokens instead.

8. Each player takes 1 Skill token (O) and places it on the Skill space with the colored side up.

9. Each player takes 1 Health token and 1 Despair token and places them on the top of the Health track and the bottom of the Despair track respectively.

Scenario and others

10. The player whose birthday is the closest to October 12 becomes the starting player and gets the Starting player token (M).

    The bombing of Okayama: On October 12, 1944, 130 American B-29 bombers raided 61-Naval Air Technical Arsenal in Okayama, Takao and dropped a total of 650 tons of explosives.

11. Each player takes a Player reference card (G).

12. Select a scenario on page 10 to setup.

The setup is over and the game is about to start.

Game Play

There are four phases taken in order each round: the Survival phase, the Scenario phase, the Air raid phase, and the Consumption phase. Once the four phases are finished, advance the Round token 1 space, and pass the Starting player token clockwise to the next player.

Enemy reinforcements: After advancing the Round token, if that round has a Bomber token symbol, add a new Bomber token from the supply below the bottom right corner of the map board that has a Bomber token symbol.

Survival Phase

Starting with the Starting player, each player takes their turn, proceeding in the clockwise direction, by moving 1 Stamina token from the Satiation space to one of the action spaces (aka "spending" 1 Stamina), and then performing the indicated action(s). After that, move that Stamina token down to the Hunger space. Once a player cannot perform any more actions or has passed their turn, their Survival phase ends. Then, move on to the next player to perform their Survival phase. Once all players have no Stamina tokens in their Satiation space or have passed, the Survival phase ends.

• Players may perform the actions on the chosen Action space in any order.
• Players may choose not to spend any Stamina. Once a player has passed, they are not allowed to spend any Stamina for the rest of the round. However, the Stamina tokens will be reserved for the next round.
• Players may repeat the used Action areas.

Actions

• Move: Players may spend 1 Stamina to move their Character standee to an adjacent location horizontally or vertically. Moving diagonally is not allowed.
  • Special moving rules: See Map Icon on page 9.
• Clean up: Players may spend 1 Stamina to return 1 Ruin token from their location or from an adjacent location to the supply.
• Search: Players may spend 1 Stamina to search the current location and draw a card from the Resource card deck of that location. Then, place that card on the corresponding space in the Equipment area on their Character board. Players can only place 1 Resource card with a certain type(s) on each corresponding space in the Equipment area.
  • Player may discard unwanted Resource cards into the discard pile at any time.
  • Players must perform the required actions listed on the card in order to gain its enhancement effects.

Free actions

Share and Play a Card are considered free actions. Players may perform as many free actions as they wish only during their turn in the Survival phase.

• Share: Players may select a player in the same location and then redistribute both yours and their Resource cards and Scenario cards that have a "!?" on the top as they wish.
  • Sharing Food tokens directly is not allowed. You must share the food-typed Resource card along with all the Food tokens on top of it.
• Play a card: Players may play a Resource card on themselves or on a player who is in the same location. Once an item-typed Resource card is used, discard it into the discard pile.
• Skills: Players may use their character's skill once per round. After using the skill, turn the Skill token from the colored side to the black and white side, indicating that the skill is not usable for the rest of the round.

Types of the Resource cards

• Food: When a player draws a food-typed Resource card, place the number of Food tokens mentioned on the card onto the card. Each time 1 food is consumed, remove 1 Food token and return it to the supply. Once there are no Food tokens left on the card, discard the card.
  • If an Animal buddy card is turned into food-typed, it is regarded as an animal carcass.
• Item: Players may use item-typed cards during the Survival phase. Once used, discard the card.
• Gear: Any gear-typed Resource card in the Equipment area is activated permanently. Players may switch to different gear by searching for more equipment or by using Share action.
• Animal buddy: Each Animal Buddy card can only be used once per round. Once used, turn the card onto its side, indicating that the card cannot be used again for the rest of the round.

Scenario Phase

Any scenario-related effects that have a Scenario phase symbol will be activated during this phase. After resolving all the effects, the Scenario phase is over.

Scenario cards: When players gain a Scenario card that has a "!?", place that card on the scenario space of the Equipment area on the Character board. A player can only have 1 Scenario card at once.

Air Raid Phase

1. The starting player rolls the die once.
2. All bomber tokens move a number of spaces equal to the result of the roll. The bombers move clockwise along the edge of the board.
3. After they move, every location that is on the same straight line of the Bomber tokens suffers from air raids. Place 1 Ruin token on each raided location. All the characters in these locations lose 2 Health and increase their Despair by 1. After dealing damage, the Air raid phase is over.

• Locations that have the Ruin token lose their map effects and cannot be moved into or be searched.
• If the raided location already has a Ruin token, no more Ruin tokens will be added.
• If a player suffers from more than one air raids, deal the damage individually.
• If a location that has a Bomb shelter token and already has a Ruin token suffers an air raid again, flip the Bomb shelter token to indicate that it loses the effect permanently.

Consumption Phase

Players take turns performing Consumption, Drain (Stamina), Recover and Reset. After that, the Consumption phase is over.

• Consumption: Players may spend any number of Food tokens to move that same number of Stamina tokens from the Hunger space to the Satiation space. Also, Players that are in the same location may spend each other's Food tokens.
• Drain (Stamina): Players may perform Drain by losing any number of Health points to move that same number of Stamina tokens from the Hunger space to the Satiation space.
• Recover and Reset: All players flip their Skill tokens face up and reset all the tapped Resource Cards.

Example: spend 2 Food tokens.

• Once the four phases are finished, advance the Round token 1 space, and pass the Starting player token clockwise to the next player.

Map Icons

• Railway Station (station symbol): Players may spend 1 Move to move from a station to another station that is linked with the railroad.
  • If there is a Ruin token on the railroad between two stations, players cannot use the effect of the railway station symbol to move.
• Port (anchor symbol): Players may spend 1 Move to move from a port to another port.
• Bomb shelter (bomb shelter symbol): During the Air raid phase, players that are in the location with a face up Bomb shelter token may resist the damage from the air raid once.
  • If a location that has a Bomb shelter token and already has a Ruin token suffers an air raid again, flip the Bomb shelter token to indicate that it loses the effect permanently.
• Mountain (mountain symbol): Players must spend 2 Moves in order to enter a mountain location. However, leaving a mountain location or moving between two mountain locations does not require additional Move.
• Religious (faith symbols): If characters end their Survival phase in a religious location that matches their faith, their Despair level goes to zero.
  • Example: the religion's location of the Musician is Tenkokyu Temple.
• Takao Lighthouse and Takao Port (red minus symbol): These two locations are NOT considered to be adjacent.

Entanglement Cards

There are three ways to progress the goals on the Entanglement cards: Fulfillment, Regret, and Persistence. Players can only work on the next Entanglement Card after they achieve either Fulfillment or Regret for the current Entanglement card.

• Players can only work on 1 Entanglement card per round.

• Alone: A character stops in a location that has no other character.

• Fulfillment: Once players meet the condition for Fulfillment, flip the Entanglement card and slide it under the corresponding slot of the Character board until only the Fulfillment's half is revealed.

• Regret: If players do not meet the condition for Fulfillment, they may choose Regret. If they do so, only resolve the card effects for Regret. Flip the Entanglement card and slide it under the corresponding slot of the Character board until only the Regret's half is revealed.

• Persistence: If players do not meet the condition for Fulfillment, they may choose not to move on to Regret. Instead, after resolving the effects of not achieving Fulfillment, players may keep working on this Entanglement card during the next round.

Example: the player chooses Regret.

• The effects of Fulfillment and Regret are permanent and mandatory. Players must perform the required actions listed on the card in order to gain the enhancement effects.

Flow Chart of the Gameplay

1. Survival Phase: Choose one of the three Action spaces to perform action(s). Next player's turn. If not all players have no Stamina tokens in their Satiation space or have passed, return to choosing an Action space (No). If all players have no Stamina tokens in their Satiation space or have passed (Yes), go on.
2. Scenario Phase: Resolve all scenario-related effects.
3. Air Raid Phase: Deal damage.
4. Consumption Phase: Start a new round.

Scenarios

During the game setup (See SETUP step 12 on page 6), players may select a scenario based on Difficulty and/or Story for this game.

Doom Port

Difficulty: 1 star.

This scenario focuses on the inner exploration of the characters. The air raids from the U.S. military are getting more and more intense. You have been suffering and tortured both mentally and physically. In addition to life entanglements on your shoulders, because of the impact of the war, you are also experiencing various negative emotions that may cause mental trauma in the process of striving to survive. Before the end of the war, you must end these torments brought by the doom of life. At the end of the last round, all players win if neither of them have any Bane cards.

Scenario setup

1. Flip the Scenario board of Doom Port to the side that matches the number of players indicated on the top left corner of the board. Place it above the map board.
2. Place the Round token on Round track 1 on the Scenario board.
3. Separate the 12 Bane cards into 2 piles, 1 to 3 Rounds and 4 to 6 Rounds, according to the number on the back of the cards. Shuffle both piles face down and then put them on their corresponding spaces on the Scenario board.
4. The game is about to start.

Additional rules

1. At the start of every Survival phase, the Starting player draws 1 Bane card from the deck that matches the current round and places it next to their Character board.
2. If any player uses Search and draws a Resource card that has a "!?", immediately draw 1 Bane card from the deck that matches the current round and place it next to their Character board.

FAQ

• Q1: Can a player own more than 1 Bane cards? A1: Unfortunately, yes. It never rains but it pours. A player can sometimes have more than 1 Bane cards.
• Q2: If I meet the conditions, can I remove more than 1 Bane cards? A2: Yes. Players may remove more than 1 Bane cards as long as they meet the conditions.

The Fallen Tainan Aircraft

Difficulty: 2 stars.

This scenario is inspired by a real event. Remember the character Older Sister in the previous game Raid on Taihoku? The main character in this scenario is her seriously injured fiancé. During the Japanese colonial period, the Tainan Air Group was the ace of the Japanese Navy in the South Pacific. At that time, the Tainan Airport military aircraft was called "Tainan Air." There was once a pilot whose airplane was hit by the enemy in the battle. With his right eye pierced by the shattered windshield and bleeding badly, he managed to fly hundreds of kilometers to get back to base. In this scenario, the aircraft crashed in Takao, and the fuselage was seriously damaged. Nevertheless, the injured pilot insisted on flying back to base. Our mission is to collect all parts of the aircraft in order to help him get back into the clouds for his return trip. At the end of the last round, all players win if they collect all the corresponding number of Fighter wreckage cards.

Scenario setup

1. Flip the Scenario board of The Fallen Tainan Aircraft to the side that matches the number of players indicated on the top left corner of the board. Place it to the right of the map board.
2. Place the Round token on the Round track 1 on the board.
3. Shuffle the 10 Fighter wreckage cards face down. Then, insert 1 Fighter wreckage card into the bottom of each Resource card deck.
4. The game is about to start.

Additional rules

Players who get the Fighter wreckage card may place the card in the corresponding area in Takao Station.

FAQ

• Q1: If I gain an extra Fighter wreckage card that we don't need, can I just remove it? A1: Yes. You can remove the card from the game in any phase.

Sea Rescue

Difficulty: 3 stars.

This scenario is based on the true story of the Enonura Maru troopship incident. During World War II, Japan captured some U.S. soldiers in the South West Pacific theatre and kept them in a troopship as prisoners of war. However, the ship got attacked by the U.S. military afterwards which caused hundreds of prisoners of war to be killed. Even after the war, many American veterans came to Takao to visit their fallen comrades. In recent years, the city government also set up a monument to commemorate the event.

On the bottom right of the Scenario board of Sea Rescue is the illustration of the troopship docked in Takao Port right before it was sent to Tokyo for trials. In this scenario, the Japanese ship is unfortunately bombarded by the U.S. air strikes and is about to sink. Hundreds of people are about to lose their lives. There are people on the ship that you know of and you must save them as fast as possible. At the end of the round, all players win if they rescue the required number of victims from the shipwreck (based on the number of the players) from the shipwreck area, bring them to the bomb shelters, and then place them in the rescued area.

Scenario setup

1. Flip the Scenario board of Sea Rescue to the side that matches the number of players indicated on the top left corner of the board. Place it to the left of the map board.
2. Place the Round token on the Round track 1 on the board.
3. Place the Shipwreck card that has the Rescued area next to the map board.
4. Some Shipwreck cards have a number on the bottom left corner of the cards indicating the limited number of the players. Return to the box all cards that have a number greater than the number of players. Then, shuffle the remaining cards face down and distribute them equally into three piles in the Shipwreck area on the board.
5. The game is about to start.

Additional rules

1. While being in ports and the Shipwreck area, players may spend 1 Move to move to adjacent ports or the adjacent Shipwreck spaces.
2. During the Air raid phase, if Takao Port and/or Saei Port are under air raids, players in the Shipwreck area increase 2 Despair.
3. Once you move to the Shipwreck area, you may spend 1 Search to look for survivors. In order to do so, you must roll the die and get 2 or 3. Once you pass the check, flip the card and read the description. The content of these cards includes the victims of the shipwreck, scattered junk, and broken iron doors.
4. Players cannot place the victims of the shipwreck in the rescued area while being at a permanently damaged bomb shelter.

FAQ

• Q1: Can I remove the Ruin token in a port if I am on the Shipwreck space that is adjacent to the port? A1: Yes. For example, you can remove the Ruin token in Takao Port if you are currently at the Shipwreck area that is adjacent to Takao Port. You can also remove the Ruin token in Port Saei if you are currently at the Shipwreck area that is adjacent to Port Saei.
• Q2: Can I perform clean up scattered junk if I am currently in Takao Port, Port Saei, or the other Shipwreck spaces that are adjacent to the scattered junk card? A2: Yes you can perform clean up the scattered junk in those places.
• Q3: Can I use Black Cat's effect to share with players on the map board if I am in the Shipwreck area, and vice versa? A3: Yes you can. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this cat from the swift completion of its appointed rounds.

The Takao Tokko Incident

Difficulty: 4 stars.

This Scenario is based on a real incident. Every authoritarian system has institutions that oppress the people. In the 1940s while Taiwan was under Japanese rule, Tokko, or the Special Higher Police bureau, arrested and tortured roughly 500 elites in Southern Taiwan solely with the excuses that they were "colluding with rival countries, such as Britain, the U.S., and the Republic of China" and "advocating the independence of Taiwan." Meanwhile, there were similar incidents happening in Northern Taiwan too. In this scenario, your friends are under arrest by Tokko for unknown reasons. You have petitioned several times but to no avail. On top of that, you also heard about the police extorting confessions through inhumane means. Therefore, you decided to come forward and help set them free. At the same time, the Special Higher Policemen will also chase you down. At the end of the last round, all players win if they rescue all the political prisoners from the prisons and bring them to the safe area.

Scenario setup

1. Flip the Scenario board of The Takao Tokko Incident to the side that matches the number of players indicated on the top left corner of the board and place it on the top to the map board.
2. Place the Round token on the Round track 1 on the board.
3. Shuffle the Political prisoner cards face down and place them in the corresponding space on the Scenario board.
4. Randomly take out 3 Tokko tokens from the game box and put them in the supply. Return the rest of the 1 token back to the game box.
5. The game is about to start.

Additional rules

1. Search: Whenever players Search and draw a Resource card that has a "?", immediately draw a Political prisoner card and place it face up in its indicated location.
2. Tokko Appears: Whenever a player gains a Political prisoner card, after the action is done place a Tokko token from the supply on the same location as the prison. That Tokko moves in the direction that player did when they left.
3. Tokko Moves: During the Scenario phase, each Tokko token moves 3 spaces according to its moving direction. For more details see the Rulebook.
   • a. When moving the Tokko tokens, if the destination is on the edge of the map or has a Ruin token, rotate the token 90 degrees based on the direction of rotation indicated on the token, and then move the token according to the direction indicated on the token.
   • b. If the Tokko token is only adjacent to either the edge of the map or Ruin tokens, it cannot be moved.
   • c. Once the Tokko token starts to move, it may pass a location containing a Ruin token.
   • d. Every time a player draws a Resource card that has a ! icon, all the Tokko tokens move once immediately.
4. Arrested Again: Any time a player who has a Political prisoner card is in the same location as a Tokko token, immediately move that card back to its indicated prison.

Tokko token diagram (captions as printed): Red Arrow: Moving Direction; White Arrow: Rotating Direction. When Hitting the Edge of the Map. When Hitting a Ruin Token.

FAQ

• Q1: If I gain a Political prisoner card while the Tokko token appears, is that prisoner immediately arrested again? A1: It happens only if you stop at the prison location. Otherwise, you immediately move and leave the prison after gaining the Political prisoner card. The Tokko tokens appears after you finish your move.
• Q2: Can the Tokko token move according to the special moving rules of the map icons? A2: No, the Tokko tokens cannot move by using the special moving rules of the map icons.
• Q3: Are the Tokko tokens affected by air raids? A3: No. Air raids do not affect the Tokko tokens.

Run Animals, Run

Difficulty: 5 stars.

This scenario is based on real history. During the late period of World War II, Taiwan was under air raids constantly, and the zoos were also under the threat of the warfare. In order to save food and prevent the animals from getting out of the cages and accidentally hurting people, the zoos in Taiwan had either electrocuted or shot their animals, such as Formosan Black Bears, since the end of 1943. In Japan, Ueno Zoo has similar records, too. The Japanese manga series Doraemon and Osamu Tezuka's manga also tell related stories. In this scenario, a group of endangered animals know about their doomed fate and have escaped. However, the outside world is much more difficult than what they imagined. Can you help them avoid air raids and hunger? In this scenario, players cannot turn any Animal buddy into food-type. At the end of the last round, all players win if none of the Endangered animals dies.

Scenario setup

1. Flip the Scenario board of Run Animals, Run to the side that matches the number of players indicated on the top left corner of the board and place it on the top of the map board.
2. Place the Round token on the Round track 1 on the board.
3. Shuffle the Endangered animal tokens face down. Randomly take the tokens with the number corresponding to the number of players and place them as follows. Put the rest of the tokens back in the game box.
   • For 2-3 players: 2 animal tokens; for 4 players: 3 animal tokens; for 5-6 players: 4 animal tokens.
4. Place each Endangered animal token in the order they were drawn on the indicated locations on the illustration to the right.
5. Flip the Endangered animal tokens face up. Take out the corresponding Endangered animal cards and place one card face up on each animal space on the Scenario board.
6. The game is about to start.

Additional rules

1. Hunger: In the Scenario phase, if any Endangered animal is not in the same location as any player, and/or players do not spend 1 Food from their board for the animals, flip that animal card to the Hurt condition.
2. Air raids: If any Endangered animals are under air raids, flip the animal cards to Hurt.
3. Death: If a hurt animal gets hungry or is damaged by air raids, they die and the players lose the game immediately.
4. Self-feeding: Any Endangered animals that are in mountain locations during the Consumption phase will not get hungry.

In the example illustrations, the Endangered animal icons indicate where those animal tokens are on the map board. The Endangered animal cards indicate the status of the animals, which is called animal status in the game.

Example illustrations: Black Bear Moves; Leopard Cat Moves; Chinese Pangolin Moves.

FAQ

• Q1: Do Formosan Black Bear and Leopard Cat (unhurt) move after all the players move, or do they move every time a character moves? A1: They move every time a character moves 1 space.
• Q2: Can you explain how Chinese Pangolin moves when players search? A2: See the example on the right.
• Q3: Can the Endangered animals move according to the special moving rules of the map icons? A3: No, the Endangered animals cannot move by using the special moving rules on the map.

Building Introduction

Takao Port: Takao Port is currently known as the Port of Kaohsiung. After 1900, Japan launched multiple expansions of the port. In 1939, its capacity reached 3.2 million tons. During World War II, the U.S. military carried out large-scale air strikes, which almost completely destroyed the wharf and warehouses.

Takao Church: The church is located just east of the Love River in Kaohsiung city. Established in 1859, it is the origin of the modern Catholic Church in Taiwan. The statue of Holy Mother at the center of the altar was brought from Spain and can be traced back 140 years.

Takao Butokuden: The building was constructed in 1924. Before World War II, in order to introduce their police system and martial art culture, Japan built martial arts (or "Wude" in Mandarin) halls in every district. The Takao Butokuden served as the main one in the Takao prefecture. It was abandoned after the war and was restored in 2004.

Mt. Juzan: Mt. Juzan, meaning "long life hill" in Mandarin, is also commonly known as Chaishan or Monkey Mountain. Due to its special geographic location, it has been used as a military base since ancient times. Its military functions were further strengthened during World War II. After the war and the Nationalist government came to Taiwan, it was listed as a military control zone for a long period of time. It was gradually opened to the public after 1989.

Takao Prefectural Office: Takao Prefectural Office was established in 1931 and is located by Love River. It was the administrative center of the Takao prefecture during the Japanese Colonial era and was known as one of the three big buildings in Takao during that time, along with Takao City Hall and Takao Station. Its right wing was bombed and heavily destroyed during World War II.

Kyoshito Sugar Manufactory: Kyoshito Sugar Manufactory was completed in 1902 as the first modern sugar refinery factory in Taiwan. During World War II, several buildings were damaged by bomb raids. The brick bomb shelters in the factory are still preserved. The factory closed in 1999 and was turned into a cultural and creative park.

Takao Ginza: Takao Ginza was a shopping arcade opened on Ginza-dori Street of Yancheng District (now known as Wufu 4th Road) in 1937 during the Japanese Colonial era. It was built mimicking the pattern of the Ginza shopping mall in Tokyo at that time. It was once the main business district of Takao but has declined in recent years.

Takao Bank: This building was completed in 1907 as the Bank of Taiwan's branch and the first modern financial institution in Takao. Its onion domes with a sharp point on the left and right sides of the building were extremely splendid. After World War II, it became a port command and then was demolished.

Tenkokyu Temple: Tenkokyu Temple is one of the most historical Mazu, a sea goddess, temples in Kaohsiung. It is documented that the temple has existed since 1764. According to folklore, the Mazu statue in this temple was made from the same piece of wood that was also used for the Mazu statues in Grand Matsu Temple in Tainan city and in the Chao-Tian Temple in Beigang Township. Thus, these three statues are knowns as "Sister goddesses."

Takao Lighthouse: The lighthouse is located on the top of the Saracen Head Mountain in Qijin District of Kaohsiung. Europeans had built a Western lighthouse in 1883 at the same location, but the current lighthouse was built by the Japanese in 1916. Its height is 15 meters and thus provides an excellent view for navigation. It was partly damaged during World War II.

Saei Port: Saei Port was formerly known as Bangtan port. It was a small commercial port during the Qing dynasty, and then turned into a small fishing port due to siltation. In 1937, it was transformed into a military port by Japan and is still the biggest naval base in Taiwan after the war.

Shinyo Shrine: Shinyo Shrine was built in the old city of Zuoying in roughly 1945. The Shinyo, meaning "Sea Quake," refers to Japanese suicide motorboats, which were part of the Japanese special attack units. When the units were shifted from Japan, they divided the Shinto spirit to be re-enshrined to Zuoying and then built the shrine. After the war, the shrine was burned down by the Japanese and all that is left are remnants now.

Hukuteikin: Hukuteikin is an ancient cemetery which can be traced back to the Qing dynasty. It includes various cultures and religious styles such as Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Japanese and Western cultures. Numerous celebrities were buried there. It was banned from more burial in 1985, and then the site got moved due to a lack of aesthetic appeal.

61-Naval Air Technical Arsenal: The factory was constructed in 1941. With more than 10,000 workers, the main purpose of 61-Naval Air Technical Arsenal was to assist Japanese government's southern expansion doctrine. With the technology of aircraft assembly, modification, repair, and maintenance, it was the biggest aircraft factory in Taiwan at the time. After the frequent air strikes in the late period of World War II, it was completely destroyed. The current site is the Republic of China Air Force Academy.

Takao Shrine: The Takao Shrine was built and located on Mt. Juzan in 1929. It enshrined Prince Yoshihisa, Omononushi (a kami in the Japanese Shinto tradition), and Emperor Sutoku. After World War II, the shrine was transformed into the Kaohsiung Martyrs' Shrine. During the reconstruction in 1973, most of the shrine construct was demolished.

Post Office of Takao: The Post Office of Takao was built in 1913 as the first modern post office in Takao. It was formerly located on Kojimachi, Block 1. The red brick hall of the building was spectacular. During the late period of World War II, the building was completely destroyed by the U.S. military. Later on, the Gushan Post Office was built at the same location.

Takao Station: The Takao Station was opened in 1941. It had the Imperial Crown style roofing which was a well-known design at the time. During World War II, its railways and the train garages were both damaged by air strikes. Due to the construction project, the building was moved and preserved in 2002. In 2018, the rail system of the new station went fully underground, and the old station got moved back to its original spot.

Yoshi Department Store: The Yoshi Department Store, commonly called the "Five-story Building" was built in 1941. It was known as one of the three big department stores during the Japanese Colonial era, along with the Kikumoto Department Store of Taipei and the Hayashi Department Store of Tainan. Even though it was attacked by air raids during World War II, it continued to operate after the war. Later on, it was bought by Hua Nan Bank and then was demolished in 1994.

Takao Girls' Senior High School: Takao Girls' Senior High School was founded in 1924 and was first named Takao Prefecture Takao Girls' Senior High School. Its auditorium and swimming pool were both built during Japanese rule. The school was largely rebuilt due to serious war damage. Its current name is Kaohsiung Municipal Kaohsiung Girls' Senior High School.

Takao Senior High School: Takao Middle School was established in 1922. The design of the school was influenced by Victorian era red-brick buildings. After the breakout of the Second Sino-Japanese War, there were many conflicts between Taiwanese and Japanese students due to ethnic. Its current name is Kaohsiung Municipal Kaohsiung Senior High School.

Character Introduction

The relationship diagram on the page links the characters as follows.

• The Journalist and The Engineer: Couple.
• The Journalist and The Volunteer Soldier: Sympathetic.
• The Volunteer Soldier and The Priest: Spiritual Guide.
• The Priest and The Engineer: Uncle and Nephew.
• The Musician and The Student: Siblings.
• The Musician and The Cook: Guard.
• The Musician and The Doctor: Unrequited Love (from the Musician to the Doctor); Childhood Sweethearts (from the Doctor to the Musician).
• The Cook and The Doctor: Father and Daughter.

The Musician: The Musician was born in Takao. He is a musical genius and the older brother of the Student. However, he feels that he is useless during wartime. He loves the Doctor because they've been close friends since childhood. His one and only dream is to write a song for her, even though she was married once.

The Student: She was born in Takao and is currently a student in Takao Girls' Senior High School. She is also the Musician's younger sister. She is sentimental and responsive. She hates everything about wars. Since a fainting incident after an air raid, she began to have a special sense of gods and spirits.

The Doctor: The Doctor was born in Shoka (Changhua City nowadays). Her parents separated when she was young, and the mother took her when she remarried a rich doctor. Under the step father's cultivation, she became a Western female doctor which was rare at that time. Because of her childhood experiences, she has longed for a complete family. Unfortunately, a U.S. air strike took away both her husband and daughter. She and the Musician were childhood sweethearts.

The Cook: He was born in Shoka. Earlier in his life, he actively participated in the peasant movement and the petition movement for the establishment of a Taiwanese parliament. Since he was regarded as a troublesome person by the authorities, he was alienated from his family. After his imprisonment, his wife took away their daughter and remarried. He is the biological father of the Doctor. He came to Takao after hearing about his daughter's unfortunate situation.

The Engineer: He was born in Hiroshima, Japan but got dispatched to 61-Naval Air Technical Arsenal, in which he is in charge of repairing Navy Type 0 carrier fighters. The Priest is his uncle. He fell in love with the Journalist when she studied in Japan. He holds a strong belief in militarism.

The Journalist: She was born in Taihoku (Taipei nowadays). She works as a journalist which is rare during the time. Even though she is in a relationship with the Engineer, she has had many arguments with him due to her belief in humanitarianism. She is good at observation and has a strong sense of justice. She met the Volunteer Soldier while she interviewed the soldiers returning from Southeast Asia.

The Volunteer Soldier: He was born in Heito (Pingtung County nowadays) as an aboriginal named Paiwan. His experiences in Southeast Asia as a Takasago Volunteer Soldier caused him great trauma. Afterwards, he was baptized by the Priest and converted to Christianity. He happened to be interviewed by the Journalist. Also, he has once played baseball with the Younger Brother from the game Raid on Taihoku and hit a homerun.

The Priest: He was born in Nagasaki, Japan. He is the uncle of the Engineer and a devout Catholic. He was once in Kwantung Army base in Northern China. After the battle in Nanjing in 1937, he used sick leave as an excuse and has been living incognito as a priest. He has enlightened the Volunteer Soldier and baptized him when he was young.