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So, I've been reading a lot of short to very short VNs lately to get back into rhythm after all the RL crap prevented me from reading anything for a while. I decided it'd be fun to summarise my experience a bit, so: Phenomeno was quite a cool experience and actually a lot more robust than some opinions led me into believing. It's disturbing exactly in that way horror VNs excel in, with vague, creepy visuals and graphic descriptions working in wonderful harmony with unsettling music and sound effects. It has a little bit of that "prologue to a bigger story" feel, but still left me plenty uneasy and plenty satisfied. 7.5/10 Soundless had a lot more artsy vibe to it and got straight-up bizarre by the end, but in general, it was just as good as people made me believe. It'll get a full review from me soon, but I was absolutely captivated with its doujin feel and how interestingly it tackled its main themes – and there's a ton of them, with the primary one being mental illness, but with bullying, scapegoating, religion following close by... Quite easily in the top 10 VNs I've read to date. 8.5/10 40 Days & 40 Nights of Rain is an old, rather highly-rated doujin VN about a soldier in an apocalyptic war who takes into his care a strange orphaned girl. There's a lot of meandering and religious symbolism in it and honestly... It felt quite pretentious to me. Maybe the translation has something to do with it, as it felt very clunky, just as the game's structure (NVL text display can be confusing when done poorly and here I often had to wonder who's saying what). There were some really good moments in it, but with me it definitely failed to achieve the emotional/thought-provoking effect it was aiming for. The visuals were cool I guess, I really like these crude artstyles. 6/10 A Midsummer Day's Resonance, on the other hand, was quite a lovely coming-of-age story with a touch of sci-fi and yuri. It communicated quite a lot with a short story and limited assets, ending on a somewhat sad, but ultimately hopeful note. Kind of a bite-sized nakige. 7/10 The Dandelion Girl is one of those rare literary adaptation VNs... And it's probably a really good way of experiencing this short story. It's something of a sci-fi classic, so I won't spoil anything, just say you should really read it if you haven't already in some form. It's short and sweet, and it's referenced in Clannad, so there are no excuses here. 7.5/10 April was a Fool was quite a surprise to me. It's one of those free EVNs I barely expected anything from, at least beyond being a cool distraction... But it proved to be a lot more. It's a humorous, RPG-themed VN about a barmaid that is randomly picked by a team of famous adventurers to stand in for their recently-deceased companion, as she resembles her physically and they don't want the news of her death to spread. The core story is mostly about how that loss destroyed the team's unity and it's up to the protagonist to learn their backstories and patch things up. The premise is used surprisingly well and the heroes prove quite memorable – it's not a particularly deep experience, but I had a lot more fun with it than I expected.7.5/10 I've also finished the prologue part of Maggot Baits and read a little bit beyond it. Quite a strong start, although the first h-scene made me chuckle a bit with how over-the-top it was, even if one particular description really grossed me out too. The first gore scene feels a little bit like the class rep electrocution at the beginning of euphoria: a signal of how far the game is willing to go and a warning to drop it if you're not ready to see that another 50+ times. I'm not yet engrossed in it quite like I was in the death game parts of euphoria, but on the other hand, I immediately liked the three "good" witches. I'll be reading it in short bursts in the next few weeks, we'll see how quick I can finish it and whether it can change my mixed feelings about clock-up stuff. :]

You want them to be imprecise about their shades of red? What a shameful attitude...

Usually when you see something that distinct, and even more so a relatively uncommonly used word, it's in the original Japanese, and the translator has kept it there.

Hello again. Ever since the last update, I have some great news. We have found a translator willing to do the branch school routes. They've completed a few projects in the past, and are capable of helping us finish this project. That being said, don't expect the pace that Ittaku had when he was working. They're gonna take their time and do the best job they possibly can. We're also still searching for a second editor who is good enough to work on either the branch school section or the main school section. If you think you have the capabilities to do so, please contact me here or on Discord at VS#1496. That's all for today. I don't know when this will be updated again, but look out for some positive progress in the future.