Dreamysyu

Well, it's going to be really hard to find something like that. Honestly, these three parameters make me wonder that maybe you should really find some other way to spend your time. The majority of (male-oriented) VNs that come out in Japan are 18+, and, honestly, it is not the best medium if you are looking for realism, so the recommendations are going to be pretty limited. I'd say, either lower your standards and try reading an 18+ VN while skipping the actual H-content (though it may or may not work, considering the reason why you avoid it in the first place) or stick to censored releases. Also note that the censored releases may also skip some questionable content considered inappropriate for their age groups. And due to that, I noticed that originally 18+ VNs, actually, tend to cover more serious and 'realistic' topic than VNs that are originally all-ages (though my experience is pretty limited, and I only read English-translated VNs, so don't quote me on that).

Well, Fate is overall better, though Grisaia is also pretty good. Both a extremely long VNs, by the way. I'd say, just choose randomly, and read the other one later. Basically, it changes nothing. If you want an exact answer, I'd say Fate.

Good luck!

It's true. Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime are good examples. Though I'm not exactly sure why you quoted that part of my post.

Well, if we are completely honest here, a 'classical' route system isn't that good at making consistent stories. In general, a VN with multiple routes is just a collection of different what-if scenarios with a same cast of characters, and in many cases these scenarios could easily be separated into different stories. This format works well for usual charage/moege, but if you want to create a story with some kind of an overarching plot, you will almost definitely need to enforce playing order in some way (at least partially). The main problem here is that in many stories (especially in something with an element of mystery) it matters in which order you see different plot points. True routes, in general, are a nice way to give some conclusion to a story and make it feel complete. Or, in case of ladder-style stories, it's usually the only way to include h-scenes with different heroines to a story that originally should be linear. Though, I believe, it's still can be a good way to give an additional depth to a story, and though I still haven't read the original VN for Stens;Gate, I think it may actually do this right. Edit. Also, I hate it when a route is, basically, only stated to be true, but isn't different from the other routes in any other way.

I'm reading It's My own invention, and, really, how messed up in your head you need to be to write something like SubaHibi? Though it's still pretty great so far.

Huh. You got me intrigued. I guess, I'll give it a try at some point.

What? Is it... actually worth reading?

Honestly, I don't remember it very well, but I think all the other chapters were adapted quite faithfully. Also, animation and music in the anime add quite a lot to the overall enjoyment, so the LN as a whole is probably not worth checking out if you've already watched it. The sixth chapter is an exception though. I think that this chapter was actually one of my favorite ones when I read the LN, so I was kind of pissed off to see it butchered (I can see why they decided to do it though). Also, I don't think it's licensed in English, and I read a fan-translated version. (and I'm not sure if the translation is even good)

So, how is it on the other side?..

Happy Birthday, @littleshogun!

So, SubaHibi, finished Down the Rabbit Hole I & II and stopped right at the beginning of It's my Own Invention. Well, I can't really say that I formed a solid opinion about the actual quality of this VN, but I'll make a list of things I liked and disliked so far. + The peaceful atmosphere at the beginning of each chapter slowly gets thrown into a complete mindfuck by the end (espetially at the second chapter) and it's done really well. + References to philosophy, classical literature, and a lot of other things make a feeling that the author knows what he writes about (though it may be just a feeling). ++ Overall, I often enjoy trying to make sense of seemingly nonsensical stories where everything makes sense in a long run. So far, it looks like this Vn is exactly this type of story. It feels like it throws quite a lot of little hints about the bigger picture (though I'm pretty sure that I miss almost all of them). +++ Yuki. I mean, I would totally be fine if she was the only protag in the story. She is quirky, smart, and overall quite enjoyable to watch. + The art is a bit strange, but it works. The music is also pretty good. +- The philosophy references are great, but I wouldn't exactly call them mindblowing. I mean, they mostly are pretty basic stuff so far. Though it will still work if they are well utilized in the actual story, so we'll see. - Honestly, some parts in Down the Rabbit Hole I are pretty boring (the main reason why it took me so long to actually start reading this VN). I mean, it's probably just another case of "The beginning is done intentionally badly to contrast with the later parts of the story," but honestly I'm pretty tired of this trick after I see it in every second plot-based VN. * Also, it's just a suspicion now, but Takuji might be a bit annoying when the story is told from his perspective. Now, several speculations about where the plot is going. Obviously, spoilers.

Technically, they are already banned in my country, so I have nothing to fear anymore.

I'm playing this: It looks like I finally regained my faith in VNs. Ps. I'll make a more serious post after I finish Down the Rabbit Hole II.

The pictures don't appear for some reason.

It's not like I'd have a crush on a 2D girl, baka! I'm honest. Really...

About Kara no Kyoukai: By the way, I'm not sure if it's a common knowledge or not, but as a person who actually read the original LN, I can say that Episode 6 takes the source material much more liberally than the other episodes, and it does it in a very wrong way. Honestly, I don't remember the details, but I think they even changed the main villain and cut down a lot of important content, including some insight into Hokuto's character which was never done in the anime. My guess is that they decided to cut the length of this episode due to budget constraints or something like that.

Source?

I'm pretty sure it isn't. Though it has a partial patch, I think. Just look it up on vndb.

Rewrite is really different than the other Key games. It has a different main author, different style of humor (kind of), and more focus on the actual plot rather than on 'feels'. It's still a good VN though (and my personal favorite by Key). Honestly, Clannad seems like a safer choice, and it's much more similar to LB!, but, since I also watched the anime adaptation before I tried to read the VN, I personally felt it was pretty boring and couldn't get through more than one route, so...

As for Little Busters, there is this video: So, apparently, it's being translated, but still has a long way to go... Edit. Though he says the game is in early beta, so it probably implies that the game is already translated, no? Well, at least, we can say that the project is not dropped or something like that.

You know, I had the same conviction about Kajitsu when I was starting it. I was wrong, and I deeply regret reading the censored version. I think, somebody mentioned that the h-scenes in Rakuen are actually important for the story in some way, but I haven't played it yet so don't quote me on that.

Well, I don't want to spoil the route since you haven't read it yet, but I think you won't be disappointed.

More or less. She certainly plays a big role in this route.