snowbell55

Actually 3 titles: Irotoridori no Sekai, Irotoridori no Hikari, Akai Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai

That's a really fantastic collection :D. It's always nice to look at collection pics, and VN collection pics especially since they seem to be relatively rare. I said it before in a thread of yours a few weeks ago but the PE physical copy is the one I'd want most but I think I've missed the boat on that one .
If you don't mind sharing, what did you think of ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two and Gin'iro, Haruka? And also, what are the two Favorite titles in the second Japanese PC VN pic?
It's also surprising to see how many of those VNs have animes as well... 

I haven't played them yet, while I have a big collection I haven't really played that many of them. Regarding the japanese titles I have so far played 5 titles on vita and 1 on PS4 and haven't really started on PC, kind of wanted to use the console ones to get better in japanese before going to the PC ones, but pretty sure I should be able to read Hanasaki Work Springs easily so will probably start reading it in not too long. Gin'iro Haruka will probably take me a while considering the length of it.
The collection is a result of a trip I had to Japan (all the physical PC titles), importing lots of VNs based on anime since they are rather easy and a good way to practise japanese + being fun and also just collecting the titles I wanted that were available in english in case they went out of print.
So ye I have a very long backlog, slowly getting through them though.

Some of my english visual novels

More of my english visual novels

Grisaia complete box

English visual novels with NSFW cover
 
Japanese visual novels for PC

More japanese visual novels for PC

Some more japanese physicals, some of them have NSFW box
My japanese visual novels for PS Vita

My japanese visual novels for PS3 and PS4

I know Neptunia is not quite defined as a VN, though it does have long VN segments and I just wanted to add it here at the end

 
As you can see I have quite a lot.

Actually, for some they already are, if you look at the discussions, especially after MG's "big shift" away from the galge market in recent years.
It's probably too soon to say this but I'm also surprised that I feel like they are quickly becoming one of the best contenders on the market. Tight release schedule, actual release windows with which they seem to follow through, good announcements. I wasn't terribly excited about the first batch but Hello Lady and AoKana are as top-tier as it gets, save for something like FSN, KKK or SnU. Plus NekoNyan, despite the excessively silly name, seem like literally the only eroge localization company to plan things through. Hopefully they can keep it up, sell well and deliver. 

No matter how you look at it, those are two very notable announcements, I think having way more weight than any of the moege they licenced previously. If they can keep the quality high, they're on the right path to becoming everyone's second favourite VN localizer, just after MG. :3

Steins;Gate felt pretty different rereading it. Not as amazing as when first read it, but I still really enjoyed it nonetheless. The plot twists and shocking moments didn't felt as impactful, of course, but some of the more emotional scenes still felt really effective, having better understanding of character motivations and such.
I also came to appreciate the first half of Steins;Gate more than before. People often complain it's boring and pointless, but I feel like it's really on point with humor and how it characterises everyone, something which went unnoticed and was overshadowed by the rest of the story the first time through. Conversely the latter half, especially the chapters focusing on the side-characters, felt almost pointless at times reading them again. 

I'd actually like to read everything I happened to really enjoy twice, if I had enough time. The second time I tend to focus on and appreciate different aspects of the story better, like atmosphere and thematic elements, since the bit overwhelming desire to see what happens next in the plot is gone. Plus reading a story I already know I like is good stress-free and guaranteed enjoyment, something which is very important at times.
VNs I've read twice: Kara no Shoujo 2, Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning (actually thrice), Steins;Gate, Fate/stay night (Fate-route), SeaBed, Va-11 HALL-A.

Koi to senkyo to chocolate is a good one, in my opinion.

I would recommend Princess Evangile
Btw making a VNDB link is kind of nice so people can see what you have read when asking for recommendations.

As with some others, I don't read the whole thing in full, but do read the common route and my favorite route. The two biggest examples of this would be Katawa Shoujo and Princess Evangile. For KS, I've taken to rereading the common route + the Hanako route (my favorite) every year. It's the route that got me hooked on the medium and even now I still find it fun and relaxing to read. As for PE I haven't yet reread it, but I greatly enjoyed it and plan on rereading the common route and Rise's route, before jumping into W Happiness for the first time. 
I'm also strongly considering rereading the Konomi and Tama-nee routes from To Heart 2 (I really REALLY liked those routes and heroines -
) and also the Chisato route from Koichoco (I'm a fan of her as well).

No love for poor Chisato <sob, sob> Come on, she wasn't THAT bad.

You don't need motivation to read, you're supposed to enjoy it. If you have to force yourself to continue, then just drop it.
For example, I waited years for Clover Day's TL, but in the end, once I decided to read it in Japanese I dropped it after one route because I found it just meh. I don't have to force myself to read everything because I waited years and many people praise it. If I can't enjoy myself I'd rather read something else.
On the other end, reading Baldr Sky Dive (2) right now, around 80+ hours in and I'm still enjoying the hell out of it, so I can read non-stop.
To finish, yeah you might miss something by dropping it because perhaps you'd come to like it later after struggling a little, but if you're reading something else you enjoy instead, the end result is the same. You read to have a great time, it's not a duty, so as long as you're enjoying yourself it doesn't matter what you read.

I think you're supposed to understand everything after refrain. Those other three paths are just for fun. Saya is pretty dang funny though, you're missing out if you skip her :>

As for Da Capo 2, more or less it's a sequel to the first Da Capo although if you more or less it's the same with the first Da Capo though. While the original Da Capo were definitely have the charm, if you've been bored by that feel free to skip it to Da Capo 2 after finished both of Sakura's and Nemu's route. Of course if you've been playing the first Da Capo and took the interest to another girls, then feel free to play the girls route. Hope that it would answer your question here.

I've only done one quick play through of Da Capo 1 so I know almost nothing. I'm excited to get into the series, and wanted to ask - what's the best way to do it?

Is Da Capo 2 a direct sequel that I should start up only after doing every last little bit of Da Capo 1? Or is it a superior rehash of the same thing, and I'd best be served by starting with it or switching to it after doing only a little bit of the original?
I'm terrified of spoilers, so instead of googling it I'm asking this here and hoping somebody saves me.
Love

So, I've finished Wagamama High Spec after what feels like an eternity. (Technically I already finished it a few weeks ago, but I was just too lazy to post.) 
I had already started this in October last year and at that time I finished the common at a rather good pace. The way the protagonist and especially his sister Toa end up in the student council together with Kaoruko and Ashe was actually quite funny. I think the VN did take a lot of inspirations from Yuzusoft, since the sprites are very dynamic with lots of expressions that even change multiple time during a sentence. It's certainly very well done. And the plot arc about Kouki being a secret manga writer and his connection to Kaoruko was also quite amusing. I also appreciate that the VN has several decent support characters with Yukari and Karen in particular being almost more interesting than the main cast.
Unfortunately the VN also shares some weaknesses with Yuzusoft titles - the routes. While I had finished the common route comparably fast, it took me almost half a year to finish just Mihiro's and Ashe's route and I didn't really have the endurance for the others anymore. That's not to say they were bad, just very generic. Even the other heroines matter in the routes, so I guess it's fair to say that they were probably better than many other moege routes I've read. The main problem was more that I wasn't really 'interested' in the heroines. The character designs have a certain childish goofyness that make them cute and entertaining to watch, but lack the maturity I need to get the hots for a girl.
It's also common problem of romance comedy's for me, that the comedy parts takes so much seriousness out of the plot that the actual romance is left without the necessary tension to captivate me. And a certain passion and tension are necessary ingredients for a good romance to me. And I guess partly to blame is also my ongoing moege slump, that makes it harder to stomach generic moege plots than in my earlier VN years.
So in conclusion, I'd say this IS a well done romance comedy with decent art, lots of ero and likable characters. But besides that it doesn't offer a particular outstanding plot like Dracu Riot's action loaded vampire slapstick comedy for example.
Heroine rating: Yukari > Karen > Mihiro = Toa > Ashe > Kaoruko
Overall rating: 6.5/10 (feel free to add a grade if you're more into comedy and the cutesy character designs)

I've also started Saku Saku, but already stalled it in favor of Hapymaher. To still throw in a few comments about it, it's major selling point is probably the art. The character designs are attractive, although some like Tina are probably a bit too cute for my taste. The artist also put a lot of effort into drawing background characters. I'm not sure when I had the last time the pleasure to see a class room FULL with different students. I think only some older titles like Clannad, Da Capo 2 and Shuffle put so much effort into it.
Anyway, the plot in the common route is kind of ridiculous at first, but the VN kinda makes up for it a bit with some surprisingly good character interactions. Especially the protagonist is actually a rather cynical dude with dry humor. The plot gets somewhat more interesting when some Shinigami start to show up from nowhere. On the other hand, it declines so fast to comedic level that it looses almost its entire appeal. So far my plans are to play Ann's and Yuuri's route and skip the rest.
Didn't progress in Hapymaher far enough yet to really give a qualified comment about it, but so far it's rather promising with its mysterious dream sequences and Maia a really unique and interesting character as mischivous villain. It's not without flaws though, since the pacing is rather slow and Saki kind of annoying. But I really like that it gives more serious vibes for a change and isn't just light comedy. And Yayoi is kind of super hot - her route will certainly be my first. 

Try checking out Key games, all of their games are nakiges which are drama/romance games.

I think the problem for most western fans is that companies going bankrupt means that it is really unlikely that their existing VNs are ever going to get an official english release. 

Sprite is making excuses.  Their problem is that their parent company hasn't produced anything new since the original Aokana (as opposed to the follow-ups/FDs).   Their other subsidiaries are completely dead, and FDs rarely sell as well as original material (exceptions exist, but they are just that... exceptions). 
To be fair, there definitely is some contraction.  Japan's economy isn't looking good (looking at yet another recession), and the otakus of my generation, the generation that mostly created the 'moege boom' (no, I didn't coin it, I translated it from a friend's sarcastic comment a few years back) by becoming obsessed with SOL have less money to play around with, as they start thinking about retirement.  The generation below us (in Japan) is a lot less laser-focused on SOL (fantasy being the big thing right now), and as a result, more money is going into easily available (and cheap) webnovels and LNs.   Nukige still retain their relevance (there will probably still be nukige until the fall of civilization or the generation of sex VR using neural links), but visual novels increasingly don't have the material the younger generations want for the rest of it.  There will always be a 'core market' for SOL (because nostalgia for youth is an eternal theme), but it is definitely going to shrink. 
The simple reality is that a lot of companies are already trying to adjust to the new reality by testing the waters in new genres (just look at Navel, for instance), but I really have no idea where things are going to go from here beyond a feeling that the current way of things isn't going to last a whole lot longer (relatively speaking, for someone approaching middle age). 
Edit: Incidentally, this is just my opinion, based on what I've seen being put out over the last year and a half... the amount of VNs trying - usually in a really half-assed manner - to break out of the charage/moege mold have been increasing in proportion to the rest.  There are still a hugely disproportionate number of SOL-focused games, but more and more it looks like the producers are trying to grab the attention of a different generation.   My generation in Japan had a toxic level of SOL obsession, and now that they have less money to play with... SOL eroge just aren't as much of a priority.  Of course, chuunige (my favorites) aren't in great shape, either (since chuunige companies are historically reliant on the sale of goods and long-term sales over initial game sales).  However, in absolute terms, this is a much bigger blow to SOL (though in relative terms a bigger blow to my favorite genre).
 

It's kind of unclear who you're worried about getting into trouble with. The law? No. I'm not a lawyer, so take this with the requisite grain of salt, but still, no. You're not going to get into legal trouble for buying The Fruit of Grisaia or WagaHigh off the Denpasoft site (or anything else off the Denpasoft site, or anything off MangaGamer or JAST USA, for that matter) if you live in the US, any more than if you bought High School DxD off Amazon. Some countries have much stricter pornography laws, though.
Are you going to get into trouble with your parents? Who can say.
 
Edit: Actually, a better analogy. You're not going to get into trouble for buying those 18+ VNs any more than you would for buying Lolita off Amazon.

Sure, why not? I don't even think there are lolis in that game.
The US government ain't gonna confiscate your lewd anime shizzle―the day they do, it'll be time to exercise our Second Amendment rights.

Seeing as I've finished To Heart 2, well, the routes I intend to finish, that is, I wanted to ask a pair of questions that've been bugging me. 
1 - Is there a case to be made for calling Konomi the canon heroine? Considering her prominence in the artwork (she features near the center rather often), her prominence in the OP (which focuses more on her than any other character, and shows her both first and last) and the comments about how hers (and Tamaki's) can be considered something of a common route, it seems like it wouldn't be such a far-fetched idea. Plus tbh she's obviously a sucrose-based lifeform. I really liked her haha.
2 - 
I liked this VN though and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lighter and more relaxing read. My biggest issue with it was that the routes were quite inconsistent, but the characters were well done and memorable, and as has been said before, there are a lot of elements that have become commonplace in later VNs so it's nice to see them make their start here. I was also really surprised to see quite a few VAs I've recognized from other works: Itou Shizuka (Amagami), Nabatame Hitomi (Noble Works), and Rikimaru Noriko (Majikoi) being some examples. Plus it has a very very good soundtrack, with a lot of relaxing songs that just set your mind at ease when you listen to them. Feeling Heart is my favorite, but there are two other really good ones I'd like to link here:
 
As far as best route I think it'd be Sasara's or Konomi's, as I felt like
As far as best character I think it'd be Konomi, with Tamaki and Sasara coming in second and third respectively. Best scene has to be Yuma's first rant, with one of the funniest lines I've ever read: "I hate people like you! I hate them so much I could just pour mayonnaise all over them! You pervert!!!". Though, having said all this I get the feeling I might need to reread at least some parts of the Konomi route :D.
Thanks again ittaku for the recommendation, and the translation too, along with all those who helped out along the way. 
 

Seeing as I've finished To Heart 2, well, the routes I intend to finish, that is, I wanted to ask a pair of questions that've been bugging me. 
1 - Is there a case to be made for calling Konomi the canon heroine? Considering her prominence in the artwork (she features near the center rather often), her prominence in the OP (which focuses more on her than any other character, and shows her both first and last) and the comments about how hers (and Tamaki's) can be considered something of a common route, it seems like it wouldn't be such a far-fetched idea. Plus tbh she's obviously a sucrose-based lifeform. I really liked her haha.
2 - 
I liked this VN though and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lighter and more relaxing read. My biggest issue with it was that the routes were quite inconsistent, but the characters were well done and memorable, and as has been said before, there are a lot of elements that have become commonplace in later VNs so it's nice to see them make their start here. I was also really surprised to see quite a few VAs I've recognized from other works: Itou Shizuka (Amagami), Nabatame Hitomi (Noble Works), and Rikimaru Noriko (Majikoi) being some examples. Plus it has a very very good soundtrack, with a lot of relaxing songs that just set your mind at ease when you listen to them. Feeling Heart is my favorite, but there are two other really good ones I'd like to link here:
 
As far as best route I think it'd be Sasara's or Konomi's, as I felt like
As far as best character I think it'd be Konomi, with Tamaki and Sasara coming in second and third respectively. Best scene has to be Yuma's first rant, with one of the funniest lines I've ever read: "I hate people like you! I hate them so much I could just pour mayonnaise all over them! You pervert!!!". Though, having said all this I get the feeling I might need to reread at least some parts of the Konomi route :D.
Thanks again ittaku for the recommendation, and the translation too, along with all those who helped out along the way. 
 

I think it has the potential to do so. After all look how many VNs came to the Vita (even in English) and the Switch is able to offer that portability that no other current console does. Plus we're already seeing publishers like Spike Chunsoft, Aksys, PQube, and Limited Run Games move over to Switch and those are all publishers that've had a hand to play in pushing VNs on Vita (especially if you include otomes in the definition). Couple all of that with a really nice screen and hardware, and a large and growing install base, and it stands to reason that it could wind up being common for VNs to come onto Switch and possibly get more people interested in reading them.
As for me I would enjoy reading VNs on it, and I'm hoping somehow that we get the Switch version of Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm to come over (not sure that that's likely though), along with anything else. I originally liked playing VNs on TV (weird, I know) but being able to combine that with playing while out and about would make it incredibly convenient and easy to play.