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Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier


Clephas

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First, this VN is done in a similar vein to that of the Chuushingura VN, in that it is historical fiction with elements of fantasy.  In this case, the protagonist is Okita Soujirou, the infamous Shinsengumi swordsman (in this case a trap, lol, since the Shinsengumi are all women). 

For those wondering how they chose to do this VN, it is pretty interesting.  I have so far played three of the four end-story arcs (Hijikata and Kondou share the same arc, as do the Saitou/Sanou and the Sakuma/Higo pair).  The 'true history' arc is Kou's ending, which follows the same basic story as the original history, with the minor addition of the fantasy element.  In this one, the protagonist's fate follows history exactly, as does that of the Shinsengumi.  The other paths I've played are the Sakuma arc and the Sakamoto Ryouma arc.  Sakamoto Ryouma, who was infamous for his (in this case her) neutrality and what were considered wild ideas by many, was assassinated after he succeeded in making arrangements that might have brought about a peaceful end to the Shogunate, were it not for certain events.  This arc is something of a what-if story, where Ryouma wasn't assassinated and you get to see how that alters history.  It is a threesome ending, with the infamous Tosa assassin Iori as the other part of the triangle, lol.  Sakuma was a famous scholar and scientist who advised the Shogunate in the years leading up to the war and was eventually assassinated, leaving the shogunate without its primary scholar of foreign technology.  This is also a what-if story, where Sakuma survives to alter the fate of Japan.  Sano and Saitou's ending is basically an alternate epilogue that is a part of the same path.  The last arc, which I'm playing at the moment (I will edit/update this post when it is done) looks like it focuses on a Hijikata and Kondou, and I'm interested to see how they'll handle that. 

A few comments on the story in general... one thing is that this VN, like Chuushingura, gives you a lot of insight into an era that is a bit overly romanticized, retaining a strong element of that same romanticism while at the same time going into the gory details of what went on (both political and literally gory details, lol).  The degree of detail in this VN will probably be overwhelming for the average person, and I can see that they are lining the story in general up so that they can later create a 'true ending' fandisc, if the VN is well-received.  To be honest, the linguistic difficulty of this VN stays around a 7-9 throughout its length, and I honestly can't see it being comprehensible for someone who isn't at least familiar with the historical outline of what happened in Japan between 1861-1868. 

Another thing to understand is that anyone who reads this with even a slightly objective point of view should be able to see how this era eventually resulted in the birth of the insane nationalism that defined Imperial-era Japan before and during World War II, and it does indeed touch on many of the underlying issues that created the antagonism toward the West in Japan.  It doesn't gloss over economic or political issues (in fact, those are central to the progression of the story), and as a result, it can be a bit confusing if you've only heard one side of the story (the average western textbook doesn't mention the unequal treaties, the bombardment of Ezo, Satsuma's brief conflict with Britain, or the element of proxy war between France and England involved in their internal civil war). 

For weaboos, this is pure crack, just like Chuushingura.  Sure, it is bloody, violent, and shows off the less romantic side of the fall of the shogunate... but the Shinsengumi fights are as wonderfully violent as you would expect from the legends (even up to the recreation of the infamous Ikeda-ya incident).  As a VN, it is also probably the most solid VN, from a literary perspective, written this year, simply because they simply added on and breathed life into the existing history and romanticized events of the era.  What-if stories about Sakomoto Ryouma surviving aren't uncommon in jidaigeki historical fiction, but this is the first time a VN has gone into this much detail on the era.

PS: Will update this later.

Edit: Ok... first, the Hijikata/Kondou paths are both split out of the Kou path (so naturally, the protagonist's fate doesn't change), but in exchange, the endgame changes greatly, diverging from history (where Kondou was executed and Hijikata died in the battle for Hokkaido).  Nonetheless, the story is definitely a tearful one, with the more traditional 'tragic hero of the losing side' feeling that you generally expect from Shinsengumi-related stories.  The actual storytelling between Kondou and Hijikata's paths doesn't change much, though the actual end result does indeed change. 

Overall, this VN was a good experience for me... I got deeply emotionally involved with the characters, weeping over their suffering and glorying over their triumphs, and I honestly felt that it did justice to the writer's expressed intent 'Shinsengumi with an element of steampunk fantasy'.  Shuuri's path (Sakuma's arc) touched the most deeply on the steampunk elements, for those who are interested, and honestly, I preferred the Ryouma and Sakuma arcs over the Shinsengumi ending arc.  Nonetheless, the VN as a whole was immensely enjoyable.

However, I do think this needs a true ending arc, and I honestly hope that Takaya Aya (the main scenario writer for this VN and most of Caramel Box's other VNs) will produce a fandisc to fulfill that desire for me, lol.  That said, this was an immensely satisfying VN with no real downsides, save that the protagonist was only partially voiced (probably due to budgetary constraints). 

Edit 2: Just so no one mistakes my feelings about this VN, the endings and the paths themselves are satisfying.  My single complaint - that there isn't a unifying true ending and it felt like there should have been - is mostly because I was put into that kind of mood after an experience that was in someways similar to Chuushingura (except the protagonist kills LOTS of people, lol).

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Wow, I didn't expect this VN was going to be a full blown jidai-saku. Takaya Aya, you've out-done yourself.

I have a question though. Do you think one can enjoy it without missing to much one doesn't have much knowledge about historic Japan?

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Mmm... it helps if you study up a bit.  It is quite possible to enjoy it without pre-existing knowledge, but at the very least, I would suggest getting a good grasp on the role of the Japanese Emperor vs the role of the Shogunate.  The Emperor/Empress (Empresses only being able to legally ascend to the throne prior to WWII) role is perhaps the most unique aspect of Japanese national continuity, and the Japanese royal family is literally the oldest sitting royal family in existence.

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Considering that I'm hooked on Chuushingura right now (despite it's obvious flaws) I'm going to make this the next game to play :D, thx for the review. Would you recommend the main Chuushingura fandisk btw? Also, how good is the portrayal of foreign characters in the VN?

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