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hi hi! Not new, but stumbled onto this site again by accident. I was randomly active throughout 2014-2015 until my interest in VNs faded out and I decided to focus on academics instead. My classes and my work is on pause for the meantime, so hopefully I'll be able to talk to everyone here!

I know right! Shocker, huh! Thank you~ Thank you! Thank you! Don't remind me! I'M HALFWAY TO 50 NOW, SRJSRELGKJSELRKG!

Mashiro does a lot of puns at least. Havent gotten to any other routes so I can't vouch for them.

Haruuru's translation of the Main routes is long-since done. I was mostly working with @ittaku in an advisory capacity (details, colloquialisms, other stuff that requires a ridiculously long background). It is true, and we both agree, that the Main route is much, much better than the Branch route. Not only are Tonoko, Shino, and Miyabi much better heroines, but everything from the protagonist's personality to how the heroines' emotions and characterizations are handled are so dramatically different in quality that there is no possible comparison. The only real exception is that Yuuna's route has some good drama/story, probably more as a coincidence than anything else (Misaki and Sumika's routes were... basically somewhat above average charage fare at best). I don't quite agree with the reviewer in this case, as I always reviewed based on the Main path and ignored the Branch entirely, simply because my first experience of it was enough to put me off permanently. The Main routes have some truly epic feels, great character interactions, and are the truest to the 'nature' of the school's purpose, which is confinement and segregation from the larger sister school's population and the general population in general. This is ironic, since the Branch school girls are supposedly more of an 'embarrassment' to their powerful families, whereas the Main School heroines are supposedly only problem children after the fact. Perhaps the way the Branch school's writer screwed up the most was that he quite simply didn't manage to match two of the three heroines to the school's purpose. Neither Misaki nor Sumika had any business being in the Branch school at all, considering that they were both capable and had personalities that were not necessarily 'embarrassing' to their families (in both cases, they are loved deeply and don't have any traumas or major issues that should have resulted in them ending up there). Yuuna's route stands out from the other two Branch routes... to a degree that you have to wonder if the same writer had anything to do with it. It is also the most overtly morally distasteful of the paths (not in the teacher-student relations sense though), which is probably why it has such impact. Yuuna's presence there also makes a great deal of sense once you've done her path, which is different from the two redheads. Miyabi's path tends to get deified by fanboys, which I can understand. Tsukasa's actions, the characters' reactions, and the feels are all so well coordinated that it is impossible not to cry numerous times throughout the path. However, it needs to be said that both Tonoko and Shino's paths are of the same level of quality, if having someone different tracks (the last part of Shino's path had me rofling, though).

Right, the first episode feels like another silly comedy, but it's also fun with the protagonist's over-the-top approach at correcting the mistakes of her character... And seems really wholesome, which is what I was hoping for. Maybe even this kind of story fits the anime format better than a WN or manga? It's just exactly the kind of show I want to watch when too tired/stressed out to even look at text longer than anime subs. :>

Hey guys, how the hell did we miss the Otome Villainess Isekai? It sounds lovely and the voice cast looks pretty awesome. I think it randomly became my most-anticipated series along with Kaguya-sama S2 and maybe SNAFU S3 (if I manage to catch up with that series before the lockdowns end). :3

Even the artstyle looks really nice. I guess I'll add it to my massive "to watch" list. ^^ Anyway, I guess it's a nice moment to summarize my last week of anime watching. Tsukimonogatari was a pretty cool prologue to Final Season stuff, although it had the usual problems of an intermission/side story episode. The massive incestuous fanservice section at the beginning was just bonkers. On the other hand, I deeply appreciate the premise of I also very much like Yotsugi, so every episode that focuses on her is a good one in my book. Generally, it was a good spin on the formula, outside of the excessive middle-schooler-ogling. 7,5/10 Hanamonogatari (which I watched out of airing order, but it's Suruga's epilogue story, so it doesn't matter) was very good, in my opinion not very far from the Second Season stories (which are as good as this series ever gets). A serious story focusing on Kanbaru was kind of missing from every season outside of Bake and this explored her character really nicely. The plot was relatively straightforward and meaningful, with a melancholic, but satisfying conclusion. At first, I was kind of disappointed we won't ever get a real yuri subplot in this series, despite all the lily imagery and the title, but at least what was actually there was satisfying enough. 8/10 Owarimonogatari was pretty meh, to be completely honest. Oikura's arc came out of nowhere and was too over-the-top, without any satisfying mystery or solution. I guess its purpose was primarily to expand Koyomi's story, but I can't say I find his motivations or personality particularly compelling. I don't hate him as a character, but the lesson I took from Second Season is that the less of him there is in the story, the more interesting and enjoyable it becomes. And a whole arc about the roots of his self-righteous asocial tendencies? Borefest. The second arc was... OK, but felt strangely rushed. I think it needed a lot more time to develop the First Servant as a character and make the reader care about the rivalry with Koyomi. As it was, it felt empty despite clear attempts at creating some emotional impact/meaning. Ultimately, the season was a 7/10 for me, probably the weakest one alongside Kizu. Koyomimonogatari was nostalgic fun in the first episodes and I enjoy the idea of failed investigations without paranormal elements, showing that those grand events from previous series are not the only things happening in the characters' lives. The thing is, while it acts like a cute side story for the most part, it throws some crucial lore bombs and ends with a massively important arc leading straight into Owari S2. It seems there's no such thing as side story in the Monogatari Series, at least if you want to understand anything about what's going on... Anyway, a weird season, but I didn't hate it like some people. 7,5/10. This leaves me with Owari S2, which I already started watching, but to be honest, I have little drive to go forward. While I see all the story threads coming together... I kind of can't be bothered to care? I'm not even sure if I want some grand conclusion and I don't find Ougi that interesting as an antagonist. In a way, it's kind of antithetical to what I enjoyed in Monogatari to have so kind of grand resolution focusing on Araragi. Maybe it's just me, but while superfans really adore those late instalments, I don't think it can get even close to Second Season... Maybe I'll be proved wrong, but probably will switch to something else before I continue. Maybe it's just fatigue with the overall formula and I'll enjoy it more after a break. I've also finished the first three instalments of Initial D with my GF. I really like this series and while the first season was kind of slow in developing stuff, with the "clueless genius" protagonist and tons of other cliches kind of lowering my enjoyment, it really only got better over time. Second Stage and Third Stage were pretty awesome in my opinion, with characters being treated more seriously and showing more depth, animation and use of CGI improving massively, races getting genuinely intense... There are still some silly flaws, like over-the-top foreshadowing for some plot developments and overdone romance drama, but generally, a really fun, unique series that goes quite deep into its subject matter and generally strives for realism (that by itself is pretty refreshing). Overall, a solid 8/10 series. I think we're going to watch the cursed Extra Stage OVAs today before going to Stage Four, I wonder how that will go.

All Best Wishes to @Dergonu! Though I feel like I was writing this just a few months ago? How it's a full year already? Time is passing disturbingly quickly...

You can also try Seabed, in which while at first it looks uneventful you'll be rewarded by the end of the playthrough.

Happy 25th birthday to our mod @Dergonu, and I hope you'll have a good birthday here.

Happy birthday to @Dergonu!

You have a birthday, @Dergonu? I never would've thought! Let it be the best one under the current circumstances.

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Enigma is great, you should read it first

Uhhh so far didnt see that many, there are a lot of comedic moments though There was more puns in Lee’s route in A-3 (which i didnt finish since this came out )

So, I started watching The Twelve Kingdoms, a 2002 isekai anime, based on a light novel with the same name from 1992. You know, based on the first two episodes, so far it seems pretty amazing! It's strange that I had never heard about this anime until recently. You know, one of the interesting things when you watch old anime like that is how you recognize some tropes that still appear in the modern media, but are often handled a lot worse and turn into irritating cliches.

I am of the same opinion. Only the part (main school) written by Takehaya is great and the partial patch should just be released for everyone to appreciate Miyabi's greatness. I loved her path and would give a 9 just for her. Unfortunately, the VN isn't only about her, which bring down the whole thing. Though I think most of the good reviews are people rating the good side of the VN instead of the bad. By the way, while Miyabi's route and without question my favorite from the VN, I always give a special mention to Shino for saying one of the most romantic thing I have seen in a H scene. EDIT: Wait, just noticed you linked me in the critical reviews. lol

Depending on the type of VN it could have been any other bodily fluid, so I'm glad they clarified.

http://imageshack.com/a/img923/28/ys2vPY.png Good thing they're being specific, or else I might have thought it was miso soup or something.

I won't lie, I think one of the reasons I enjoyed Bakemonogatari is how excellent most of the OPs and the ED were...