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VN of the Month March 2012 - '&' - Sora no Mukou de Sakimasu you ni -


kivandopulus

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There are two masterpieces - Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas and '&' - Sora no Mukou de Sakimasu you ni - , but my personal preference leans to second one. By the way, one is supported by Zen and the other one by Micchi . They also anticipate Dracu-Riot and some other stuff.

 

1. Friends [120323] Aile Soft
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Hashirajima Gakuen is a historic girls’ school which turned co-ed due to the declining birthrate. However, the school remained overwhelmingly female. Kei is a boy who transferred into the school and started living at the Saiunryou dormitory for out-of-towners and students with special circumstances. The girls at the dormitory had been preparing for a cute new kouhai to join them and were shocked to find out that the new resident was a boy.
Scenario is short, uninteresting and unfinished, with horrible conversations. No cuteness can save that.

 

2. Material Brave マテリアルブレイブ [120323] Team Baldrhead 1 2 3 4 5 
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Kamioki-jima is an island close to Japan which was recently formed due to volcanic activity and is home to one of the rarest minerals, enigmatite. Living beings which fuse with enigmatite gain great powers. Such humans are known as "unleashed", while animals and plants are known as "neoplasm" (NP). To research the hidden powers behind enigmatite, the island was designated a special area with a school to train the unleashed, called the "Unleashed Nursery".
Ayumu is a rare male unleashed who has a special ability, ‘engage’, which boosts the powers of his female partner. However, to activate his power, there must be an exchange of bodily fluids. The school president pairs him up with the most powerful student, Kanae, who always maintained her distance from him. One day, the island was attacked by NPs and in order to defeat them, they activated his "engage" ability with a kiss.
Action has English reviews

 

3. Mizu no Miyako no Patisserie 水の都の洋菓子店 [120323] Studio Ciao
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Jun was a pâtissier who opened a sweets shop L’Oiseau Bleu in his hometown, the water capital. The future looked bright with a dependable staff and positive reviews, but there was one obstacle which he could not overcome. The memory of the sweets created by the late pâtissier Koutarou, which were said to bring happiness, still lingered on the minds of the town’s citizens.
One day, Koutarou’s daughter Mika, who worked at L’Oiseau Bleu since it was in the same building of her father’s shop Abeille, revealed to him the secret behind the candy: they were enchanted with a magic which brought happiness to people. She also told him that she was a witch and that she could use some of her father’s magic.
Atmosphere and setting are plausible, but heroines lack individual charm, so it becomes a usual moege.

 

4. Sousouki Reginald 葬送鬼レギナルト [120323] Ocelot 1
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Black shadows lurk in the smog-filled city of Fatedelhi. They are known as pagans (ghosts), beings who were not able to be reborn and remain on Earth without a soul. Reginald Urbane is a vampire who joined the pagan-hunting group Twanbach after meeting two mysterious twins Vanessa and Veronica.
There is an English impression

 

5. Phase-D: Kokusei no Shou Phase D 黒聖の章 [120329] BOOST ON 1
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Phase 😧 Kurosei no Shō is the third chapter in the four-volume Phase D sci-fi visual novel series. There are four phases of human existence. From conception to birth is called Phase A. From birth to death is called Phase B. From death to disappearance of the corpse is Phase C. And last, remnant after the death, separate from the corpse, is referred to as Phase D. Protagonist in this chapter is a young woman, Sachika Kuze (久世幸花) and the story revolves around her as she starts to uncover the strange power she possesses.
Did you miss new episode of phantom limbs drama? Well, it came, anyway.

 

6. Dracu-Riot!  [120330] Yuzusoft 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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The story begins with Mutsura Yuuto accompanying his friend on a holiday to Aqua Eden, an artificial island city where gambling and the sex industry are legal.
However, his holiday plans are laid to waste after he gets involved in a kidnapping; to make matters worse, he ends up getting turned into a vampire.
As a vampire, he can no longer leave Aqua Eden; so with nowhere else to go, he decides to enroll in a special school for vampires on the island — and thus, his new night life begins!
Game is localized and has English reviews.

 

7. Eiyuu*Senki 英雄*戦姫 [120330] Tenco 1 2 3 4 5 
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In a world where powerful nations run rampant and heroes battle one another for supremacy, the great nation of Britannia seeks to unite the world through peaceful means while the European Union had adopted an aggressive policy and the seafaring nation of Vinland thrives on pillage and plunder. Far in the East, the small nation of Zipang is stuck fast in a quagmire of civil unrest.
In the midst of all this, our memory-loss stricken main character has a fateful meeting with a hero of Yamatai, Himiko. Together, they settle Zipang's internal disputes and set off into a world covered with the burning embers of war.
TBS has English reviews

 

8. Koi Mekuri Clover ~Itsuka no Kimi e, Yakusoku no Ashita o~ 恋めくりクローバー ~いつかの君へ、約束の明日を~ [120330] Clip☆Craft
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Arata returned to his hometown due to his father’s work and was reunited with his three osananajimis after 10 years apart. They were the cheerful and innocent Yuuka, the reliable ‘onee-san’ Ayami and the once-small Mikana who had now grown to be very beautiful. Adding another osananajimi Yuusuke and his moodmaker imouto Mahiru, his school life is full of enjoyment like in the past. Then they received a strange e-mail inviting them to play a game. If they did not accept it, they will lose something precious.
There's no distinctive story, and scenario is so banal that it makes readers want to sleep.

 

9. Okujou no Yurirei-san 屋上の百合霊さん [120330] Liar-soft 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
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Kokonotsuboshi Girls' Academy of Commerce, a school built on the site of an old castle, nicknamed "Shirojo." One day, the timid Toomi Yuna, who had been living a quiet life at this school, suddenly met two ghosts on the roof during lunch:
Enoki Sachi, who died in an accident before the war, and Nagatani Megumi, who died of illness 30 years ago. The two "kindred spirits" died with unrequited feelings in their hearts, met, and fell in love. They ardently wish to experience their "first time" together before their eternal rest.
...But they don't know how.
The two who are bound to the site of the school enlist Yuna to help them create more "yuri" couples at the school so that they can glean some sexual insight from observing them, and to assist the girls struggling with their hidden feelings
Game is localized and has English reviews

 

10. Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas 乙女が紡ぐ恋のキャンバス [120330] ensemble 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Shin was instructed to record a TV program as usual by his sister Hatora, who was a famous artist. When he turned on the screen, he saw a photo of himself dressed as a girl being auctioned for lots of money. Hatora quipped that next time she’ll take a nude photo of him. Sensing danger, he ran away from home... only to realize later that he was still dressed as a girl.
He ended up in front of the art gallery and a seemingly rich girl Rena asked why he was there so late at night. Mistaken for a student at the nearby girls-only art school Oukou Gakuen, he was taken inside to observe a bunch of paintings being brought into the gallery. Suddenly, he noticed some thieves and ended up getting taken hostage. After being saved by Rena’s bodyguard Chiharu, he thought he was free to go... but then Rena ushered him into the waiting limousine and took him to her mansion!
Rena questioned him how he had known that the paintings were fake and demanded to know his name, upon which he replied Mizuki, which was his surname. With the help of the head maid Akie, he managed to not have his identity fully blown. Then Rena presented him with a school uniform and told him that she had signed him up at Oukou Gakuen after hearing that he didn’t attend school. He will also serve as her maid. Unable to return home, how will Shin..., no, Mizuki fare in this new setting!?
There are English reviews

 

11. Princess-Style [120330] Meteor 1
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Madoka’s family were descendants from the nobles, but they have fallen on hard times. However, due to his father’s financial successes, they’ve regained some of their wealth. His old-fashioned father was strict about speech and appearances and arranged his transfer to the prestigious Ookusu Gakuin to help him become a proper man. On his way to the dorms on the first day, he came upon a beautiful girl in the school’s courtyard, who looked like a princess straight out from a children’s book. While he was entranced by her beauty, she suddenly opened her eyes, looked at him and let out a scream, causing him to run away startled.
When he reached the boys’ dormitory, he found the same girl from before, Orfina, in his room. She is the princess from a small Northern European country who came to study at the school. However, she refused to live at the embassy and snuck into an empty room (which was now his) with her servant Kanon. Even though it was against the rules, she was determined to stay there and ends up taking over most of his room. Thus began his strange co-living with a proud princess. Over time, he became closer to her. Madoka had a difficult time adjusting to the high culture at the school. There is a group known as the Reijinkai where those in the nobility gather. They invited Orfina to join them, but were turned down. After some commotion, he ended up creating the Shakoubu with Orfina to oppose the Reijinkai. Which group would be able to gather more members?
There is an English review

 

12. '&' - Sora no Mukou de Sakimasu you ni - ‘&’ - 空の向こうで咲きますように - [120330] Akatsuki Works 1 2 3 4 5 6 
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On a summer night, a bunch of kids ventured out by themselves on a big adventure. Not just around the city, but into the mountains… no, to the other side of the mountain! Reaching a clearing, the self-proclaimed ‘Kaerangers’ saw two beautiful moons in the sky. That was the last time they would explore together as they all went their separate ways.
Eight years later, Kou looked up at the night sky and once again saw the two moons. No one else seemed to be able to see them. Searching for an explanation, he returned to his hometown and reunited with his childhood friends who had all came back for the same reason. But eight years is a long time and some of them weren’t as close as they used to be.
They gathered underneath a strange tree that they remembered from the past and a magical glow enveloped them. Soon after, each of them received a magical item. Kou’s item, ‘Grayswandir’, allowed him to grant someone else’s wish. However, one day it was stolen from him and he vowed to get it back to prevent it from being used improperly. And so their new adventure begins…
There are English reviews

 

13. Strawberry Feels [120330] Rose Liese 1
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This is the debut title by Rose Liese. Natsuki attends Ryoutou Gakuen, the lone school on the distant island of Harumi-jima where students are free to attend at their leisure. He mainly goes every day to chat with his classmates. His class is full of students with special abilities and is watched over by Mayuki, who he lived with since he was small and is like an older sister or mother to him. Also around him are his boyish osananajimi Kotori, his kouhai Aoi who is quite attached to him, and the somewhat unsocial genius Kanna. Five people with five different viewpoints of love and so begins this romantic tale during his last spring at the school. Love is like a strawberry, sweet but also slightly sour.
There is an English impression

 

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1. Remember Saiai no Tsuma ga Hoka no Otoko no Ude no Naka de Hohoemu, Mou Hitotsu no IF Remember 最愛の妻が他の男の腕の中で微笑む、もう一つのIF [120323] Atelier Sakura 1 2
When he was in college Kotarou’s fiancée, Maki, was hit by a car and killed. With time he is able to eventually get over her death, mostly. Ten years later he’s married to another woman, Tomoka, with whom he has a daughter, Moeka. On the ten year anniversary of Maki’s death Kotarou himself is hit by a car. He wakes up in the hospital, in a world where Maki is alive, and where he’s married to her, rather than Tomoka; Moeka is nowhere to be found.
Nukige, but with English reviews

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Dracu-Riot holds an odd place in my heart, being Yuzusoft's best VN overall, with the addition of me helping with the final translation.  While I find the nerfed vampires in this story a bit absurd, I liked the setting in general otherwise.  The protagonist is one of the better ones Yuzusoft has made, and the story is excellent, the writing about as good as it gets outside of a plotge specialist's work.

Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas is easily one of the best charage ever made.  I don't say this lightly, having played literally hundreds of charage over the years.  It is also the single best game Ensemble has ever produced, with a massive gap between this one and Ojomasu and the rest of their games.  That the protagonist is a trap will put some of you off, but I still recommend this to you anyway.

Princess-Style is a mediocre charage made as Meteor's last work.  I can't really say that much good about it, as all of its elements fall just short of being acceptable.

&... is Akatsuki Works most oddball game, a less dark and lonely version of Ruitomo, when it comes down to it.  That's why it has mostly been forgotten by fanboys, despite it being a halfway decent game.  However, it does channel too much of Ruitomo, making it impossible not to compare the two.

Strawberry Feels is probably the game 90% of you will overlook from this month... which would be a massive mistake.  While Koi no Canvas and Dracu-Riot both linger at the top of all VNs in my opinion, Strawberry Feels is one of the hidden gems I started VN of the Month to find.  It has a first-class story, excellent characters, and an interesting setting that, while it doesn't necessary do a whole lot that is unique in and of itself, nonetheless manages to make it feel unique.

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& - Strange title aside, the opening was sung by Kanako Ito in which it's quite nice to hear.

Material Brave - Less knows VNs from GIGA that was overshadowed by Baldr Sky Dive, but then again all of their VNs after Baldr Sky didn't reach the fame of it. Well at least the fans won't mind if GIGA didn't want to localized it, mostly because we already get Baldr Sky Dive translated and that GIGA prefer to censor their overseas release just like Pulltop.

Dracu Riot - It did have crossover video with Hatsutyuki Sakura, and that Sekai did localize it before Nekonyan did took over the license. Before that it's translated by Insem in which he did hold the 80% translated patch for 31 months before released it at April 2016, and since Miu's route is still untranslated of course a team did continue to translate it. Six months after 80% patch released, there's a leaked path with fully translated dialogue that was immediately pulled out because it's still unedited although it's too late because the patch was already available on the internet. In any case, at least people can either chose to play it immediately or wait until Nekonyan did release it, in which there're some people who prefer to do the latter. Oh yes it has vampire with the MC turned out into vampire and must live in the resort island, and there's unique setting in that basically the vampire life was reversed in which the MC and the heroines will attend the school at night. Of course just like any other Yuzusoft VNs, expecting this as charage should be the best course of action.

Yurirei - At first I immediately dismissed it because the graphic is not quite well polished and that the premise is sounds like GL couple of the week just like usual Liar-soft VNs. Turned out that it has more than that in which we'll going to see on how the couples will be developed, and that we also see on how Yuna's effort to help the couple will affect her positively even though she was at first was forced by the ghosts to do their bidding to match several girls. The original version here is partially voiced, although there's Full Chorus version in case you want to play Yurirei full voiced (Both version are already localized by Mangagamer). While all in all it's one of better GL VNs, back then people was also interested with on how it was released in Steam uncensored which telling on how lax and less random Steam when it come to the censorship back then.

Eiyuu Senki - The writer of this VN is also the one who wrote Rance in the past, and it show in the story seeing that the end game story did resemble a certain arc in Kichikuou. Although even with the writer did write Rance, she (Yes the writer is female) did write it lighter in that the MC is pretty much a nice guy compared to Rance. Also while the battle was said to did resemble Sengoku Rance, actually Kichikuou is more fitting seeing that you only need to win once to take over the territory while in Sengoku did need several turn to take over the territory. As for the translation, it's quite hard to write up so long story short it was released for PS3 back at 2015 with the patch for PC version was immediately released (Minus the sex scenes obviously), then JAST did re-released this with the sex scenes available. For the premise, it's about the world with the famous people was became all female, and that you'll conquer the world with the help of them. There's also GOLD as well in which it's the improved version of this, and it's also just recently localized by JAST.

I see that we start to get well known translated VNs at his month, and so that's all for my comment in regard of March 2012 releases.

Edited by littleshogun
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