Live action Catherine trailer asks if you want to get married

The latest live action trailer for Catherine seems to suggest that Atlus’ upcoming RPG has something to say about the state of the modern Japanese man. Taking a departure from the scandalous trailers released previously, the latest teaser asks men and women on the street about their thoughts on marriage.

“So anyway, do you want to get married to him/her?” That's what the Japanese text at the beginning of this new Catherine trailer asks.

“I do, once in my life,” “Mmm, not yet,” “I really, really want to,” “I have no interest,” “I want to,” come the replies. The man in the last couple is asks, “Get married? Married? Getting married is good, isn't it?”

The text pops back up, “Well, do you want to marry your current girlfriend?”

“Just spit it out!” lectures the woman as she pushes her boyfriend away.

Above: The latest trailer for Catherine

The text, accompanied by an hourglass, pops back up, “You're like a wandering sheep... who's going to get stabbed by her.” Cue image of bridal Katherine with a knife, and another story montage. This time, all the characters' conversations relate to marriage, with Katherine on the pro side and Catherine on the con. Meanwhile, Vincent seems confused.

The message of the trailer seems to be something along the lines of, “grow the hell up, you man babies.” The trailers have also sported imagery reminiscent of Murakami Haruki novels. Murakami is a famous author in both Japan and the west who deals with similar themes; his stories tend to revolve around men struggling to mature in some way, particularly in their relationships with women.

How Catherine balances these societal issues with its love for T&A will likely determine the success of its unusual narrative. Catherine is scheduled to release on February 17 in Japan for the PS3 and Xbox 360. No release date has been announced for a localized version in west.

Jan 11, 2011