irishdog

I can't believe you shared that piece of Rise with the unwashed normie masses... Unforgivable. Although, you do have great taste. So kudos, kudos.

Love atmospheric tracks like these. Haven't listened to many, but my favorite so far is probably Autumn Changes.

Koichoco is one of my favorites thus far. The only VN where I've gone through all the routes. https://vndb.org/v4028

Ok. Done. Girls (best to worst) Chisato (9), Satsuke (8), Mifuyu (7), Isara (7), Michiru (6) Routes (best to worst) Satsuke (9), Chisato (8), Isara (7), Michiru (6), Mifuyu (6) Satisfaction at end Satsuke (9), Chisato (8), Isara (7), Michiru (7), Mifuyu (5) Chisato's ending had a much lower ranking when I originally finished her route. However, replaying the ending after I had finished the whole VN was really satisfying. In fact, I'm probably going to replay Chisato's whole route (include common) in the near future. order I played the routes: Chisato, Michiru, Satsuke, Mifuyu, Isara minor spoilers/summary of thoughts for each character below Anyway, those are my thoughts having just finished it. For some reason, although it might be simple for a VN, Koichoco has really caught my attention (and feels). Very memorable and nostalgic.

Majikoi and Majikoi S are great. Still playing through them. Some good waifu feels while also being very 'feel good' and entertaining. (Miyako best girl? with Chris close behind)

Hey, I just wanted to thank you for your recommendation. I just finished my first run of Princess Evangile (with Rise) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Will probably elaborate on my thoughts later in another thread. edit: tfw the fandisc translation release date is 'TBA'

Hey there. Katawa Shoujo was my first VN and more recently I finished Tomoyo's Route in CLANNAD and then finished Tomoyo After, which was incredibly moving and powerful for me. However, currently I'm looking for something similar to CLANNAD/Tomoyo After (slice-of-life with romance), preferably with more of a 'feel good' story/ending instead of the tragic experience that I went through in Tomoyo After. It can be any setting, really. I'd like something with medium-long length where I can just enjoy living another life and falling in love with a 2d cutie. It can have sad parts. It can have ups and downs, some drama and conflict. But I'd like to avoid those with straight-up purposefully tragic 'true endings' I want to check out Fate/Stay Night eventually, because it sounds great, but right now I'm just looking for more recommendations.

Yeah, it was a linear story. But the "bad endings" do exist and they are arguably 'better' than the true ending because Tomoya goes on to survive in that universe. It's just impossible to accept them as canon, as much as I would like to, etc. That's the upsetting part, because they're valid options. It would have been so easy to give us a 'good ending' where Tomoya and Tomoyo adopt Tomo. Instead the only the 'true ending' is a tragic ending... Of course a 'good ending' would have taken some of the impact away from the tragic true ending. But a man can dream. Glad someone agrees with me. Tomoya and Tomoyo really are the ultimate couple

Warning: This rant contains spoilers concerning Tomoyo’s route in CLANNAD and of the entirety of Tomoyo After: ~It’s A Wonderful Life~ I finished Tomoyo After yesterday. It's one of the most powerful and emotional experiences that I've ever had. I literally spent a few hours crying my eyes out, and then felt like bawling for the next 24 hours. This rant is just something that I need to get out of my system. If you've played Tomoyo After, please feel free to read and chip in. If not, don't spoil the story for yourself. I don’t know where to start. The ending of Tomoyo’s route in CLANNAD was beautiful. The whole segment where Tomoya broke up with Tomoyo (for her own good) had me tearing up. It was depressing. I would have never left her. And when they finally reunited, it was perfect. They had loved each other the whole time. But still, the idea that they had spent those 8 (?) months separated. She had saved the sakura trees, yet lost all that time that she and Tomoya could have been together. At their reunification, they promised to never leave one another even again. They swore their eternal love. And this idea of eternal love stuck with me all the way through Tomoyo After as well. Now, I had a lot of fun with the first two thirds of Tomoyo After. The prologue dragged a bit but it was cute. I think I would have actually enjoyed the h-scenes. I watched them afterward and I didn’t think they detracted too much from the story. They were fun. Then, the first part of the story: Tomoya and Tomoyo getting situated as a couple. Tomoya focusing on improving in his work. They suddenly were stuck with taking care of Tomo, a little girl who they quickly came to love and more or less ‘adopt’. Tomoya had to strengthen himself as an individual, fighting would-be agitators that still had beef with Tomoyo given her past. Tomoya wanted to be just as strong as Tomoyo, able to protect her and stand his own in the relationship. He wanted to be worthy of her love. I resonated with that, self-improvement is always a big positive. The second part focuses on Takafumi and Kanako. Tomoya, using his improved will and strength, helps Takafumi face his past. The accident and his coach’s death, who also happens to be Kanako’s father. I had fun here as well. Some sad moments, but also good interaction between all of the characters. It turns into one big happy family when Takafumi and Kanako resume their relationship. Now, the third and final part. The part where I disagree with the writer’s choice of direction and in consequence, Tomoya’s decisions. For some reason, Tomoya thinks it’s of utmost priority to find Tomo’s mother. The time that they spend tracking her down was entertaining, but once they reach the sleepy village where Tomo’s mother resides, the story takes a turn for the worse. It was interesting, but totally forced and unnecessary. The story becomes about helping others. Tomoya decides to randomly build a school to create hope for the village, so Tomo can be educated and live with her mother, who is already dying. In hindsight, after these events are concluded, Tomo lives in the village for less than a month before her mother is on the verge of death. As well, this is also where Tomoya receives the head injury that gives him the blood clot that eventually leads to his death. Aka the tragic bullshit ending. On top of that, the writer seems to set the absurd pretense that Tomoya and Tomoyo were somehow unfit to simply adopt Tomo (she was already becoming a part of the family). Tomoyo’s stubborn behavior is on display during this part of the story. She desperately tries to convince Tomoya that Tomo can live happily with them. There’s no reason for her to live in the village with her dying mother who is unfit to raise her. And the sad part is that, I, the player, totally agreed. Yet the writer forced this path, which would eventually lead to Tomoya’s death. At the same time, one of the ‘bad endings’ is where Tomoya sleeps with Tomoya and eventually agrees to stop building the school. He feels sorry about the whole situation, but goes back home and gets used to ‘a humble, lovely life’ with Tomoyo and Tomo, who quickly become a happy family. It can be presumed that Tomoya went on to improve at work and Tomoyo became a housewife. They probably had kids and lived happily ever after. And somehow this is considered a ‘bad end’ because he didn’t stick to building the school, so Tomo could spend another month with her dying mother. I wish I could convince myself that this was the true end, but the writer’s intended true end is so tragic that I can’t wipe it from my damn memory. Back to the original route. Tomoya finishes the school and Tomoyo copes with the situation, saying goodbye to Tomo. They head back home and spend a few weeks together. Then Tomoya passes out due to the blood clot on the way to visit Tomo and her mother who is about to die. Soon after, waking up in a hospital, we find out that Tomoya has amnesia and doesn’t remember Tomoyo at all. He spends a week with Tomoyo, who tells him of all the time that they have spent together and how they once met. Despite his memory loss, he feels a strong connection with Tomoyo and tells her that he loves her. Tomoyo tragically reveals that Tomoya has had the amnesia for 3 years now, passing out at the end of every week and losing his memories, once again repeating the cycle. Tomoyo has spent all this time with him, but reveals this info because Tomoya confirmed his love for her and thus cemented their ‘eternal love’ for each other which knows no bounds. With this said, Tomoya tells Tomoyo that he’ll undergo the life-threatening surgery because he never wants to forget her again. The surgery has less than a 50% chance of succeeding, but it might stop his memory loss. They decide to get married and spend the night together. The next week, he wakes up and immediately remembers their love for one another, given the matching wedding rings that they wear. They spend the rest of the week together before his surgery. In Memorial Edition, the ending is more open ended. In the original (18+) version, it’s assumed that he regained his memory but the surgery was a failure in terms of saving his life. He spent a few weeks of rehabilitation with Tomoyo before passing away as they watched the sunset. In the Memorial Edition, it’s very similar, however there’s a chance that he survived the surgery and made a full recovery. Overall, however, I think it’s strongly implied that Tomoya dies. Tomoyo then spends the rest of her life devoted to helping others. She writes under a special pen name that goes back to the time she spent with Tomoya, Tomo, Takafumi and Kanako. Once she passes away, she is reunited with Tomoya in heaven. Their eternal love never ceased to exist. I guess you could take the stance that Tomoya survived and he lived happily ever after with Tomoyo. I think I’m too much of a cynic to truly make myself believe that, no matter how much I want to. There are just too many suggestions that Tomoya passed away. I think the ambiguous, ‘happy ending’ of Memorial Edition was just to appease fans. It was nice to get that out of my system. So, I guess my gripes are… 1. Disagreed with writer concerning path direction (for some reason had to build school instead of adopting Tomo), which lead to Tomoya’s death 2. The one ‘bad ending’ is way better (imo) than the ‘true ending’, in which Tomoya decides that adopting Tomo is no worse than her living with her blood mother and proceeds to live a humble life with Tomoyo It’s too fucking tragic thinking about the 3 years that Tomoyo spent with Tomoya, who had no memory of her. Then, the years after, that you can assume she spent alone till she died and was reunited with Tomoya. Maybe I’m selfish? The school made no sense to me. Even then, it led to Tomoya’s death. It’s obvious that Tomoya would have done a lot more good if he had adopted Tomo and spent the rest of his life with Tomoyo, living a humble existence instead of rashly building the school like it would somehow fix the village of misfits and bring Tomo happiness. Ok. I didn’t agree with the story direction. But the writing was powerful and despite how tragic the ending was, I can appreciate it from a thematic approach. The themes of eternal love, becoming stronger, moving on, etc. I guess that’s Key for you. I fell in love with Tomoyo’s character. Her strength, resoluteness, motherly charm, innocence. I’m even attracted to her flaws, her iconic stubbornness and her lack of humor which just makes some of the dialogue that much funnier. It’s upsetting in the sense that these 2d girls are too perfect. They set my expectations way too high and I’m bummed that I might never find a woman like Tomoyo. I guess that’s life, but this VN really threw it in my face. Damn. These feels. sorry about if this was jumbled Alright Fin

Hey there. Was never too into anime, but I've always loved visual novels since my first experience with them. That was back in 2012 when Katawa Shoujo was released. I was introduced to feelings that I never knew I had before. At the same time, heartache and tears were spilled. I still frequent /ksg/ every now and again. Since then, I've played a few minor English VNs and more recently, I played through Tomoyo's route in CLANNAD and then yesterday I finished Tomoyo After ~It's A Wonderful Life~ . Really, I signed up here because I found a few discussions that helped ease my sadness over Tomoyo After and the ending, but I'm still just mainly looking for a place to discuss the VN (and future VN's that I experience). Hit me up if you want to talk about Tomoyo After or something. Anyway, cheers. Oh, and I'm 19 and currently living in Texas.