-so i've been playing this game...
-...mostly because i'm still stuck on this fight in suikoden 5, but also because it's adorably cute. anywhoo, i've come to the conclusion that song dynasty china was terrorized by chickens and their ilk. the first three levels of monsters to kill are chickies, chicks, and chickens, and the first few missions all involve you killing these foul vermin. at level 9, i'm happy to say i've since moved on to the next level of monsters: pastries. unfortunately, this makes getting killed rather humiliating. very soon i hope to have moved on to rabbits (tho they admittedly look much like pastries with bunny ears) and who knows? maybe one day i'll move on to real enemies!