Plk_Lesiak

Heart of the Woods and Highway Blossoms definitely deserve to be on the list. I would also lobby heavily for Sable's Grimoire (for doing a really interesting spin on magic academy & demi-human tropes) and possibly Love Ribbon (for doing a lesbian incest story that makes sense). I'll probably make a less half-assed post soon, maybe shill some more ebi-hime stuff. I'm kind of dead though, so we'll see how and when exactly.

I have not heard about that one at all until you mentioned it. This season is so noisy it's pretty easy to miss stuff, but I'll add it to my growingly-desperate to-watch list.

The thing is, the protagonist here is NOT an angel. I'd say she's overall a good person, and it's not clear at this point what the heroine's deal is (likely she's also reincarnated and acting not really from malice but rather selfish disregard for the game characters)... But the protag's ambitious, proud to the point of vanity and at the beginning acting purely from self-preservation and in a rather calculated manner. It somewhat changes after she catches feelings for the demon lord and gets past all the death flags... but I think the charm of the series very much depends on the fact that she's not just a soul from another world inserted into the villainess, she IS the villainess with some memories from a previous life guiding her behaviour. For a female protagonist, I think she's really cool and her personality contrasts with the reserved and brooding nature of the demon lord really well. I feel the reception of this show is a bit lukeworm and I kind of get why but holy crap do I like its main building blocks.

I have shitty taste for sure, so not sure how much my opinion is worth, but while Bakarina quickly got me bored with the repeated jokes and lack of character development, I really like how this series is flowing. It focuses on proper romance (the chemistry between the protagonist and the demon lord is actually quite adorable) and intrigue instead of exploitable gags or meandering harem plots. It also seems to breeze through light novel volumes skipping most of the filler, but keeping all the important stuff, so it's not feeling particularly rushed or disjointed but gets to the point pretty quickly in every story arc. It's not very deep and definitely a lighthearted, feel-good show above all, but so far the plot structure felt surprisingly fresh and the overall experience left me with very little to complain about. I really think it's quite solid, beside feeding exactly into my personal preferences.

I'm not feeling like making a season thread, but just wanted to shill the new otome villainess anime. It's my genuine favourite this season: fun plot without filler, adorable romance between the protagonist and the demon lord, protagonist getting her way not by being OP, but with determination and wit... It's simply all I would ever want from this kind of formula. Obviously not the best anime around, as this season is insane, but deeply enjoyable. ^^

Fragment's Note VNs are generic trash, but for mobile VNs they were unusually content-rich and well put together when they first came out. Wouldn't suggest buying them as the writing is crap and they contain all the annoying tropes you can imagine a "psychological" VN having, but for their defence, if Ullucus actually polished them and added voice acting the new price tag isn't completely unreasonable.

Hello dear readers to the second installment of this new, purposefully-random segment on my newly-undead blog! Since the resurrection of my interest in VNs, I've been coming to a rather horrifying, and equally exciting realization of the massive amount of high-quality, free content the EVN scene delivered in the last year and a half. While game jam entries and similar projects are usually an ocean of forgettable works with a few pearls hidden below the murky waters, the number of decently-sized, quality-looking games in this year's edition of NaNoRen0 alone is overwhelming. And if you look around Itch.io and Steam, it's just the tip of the iceberg... While I have no hope or ambition to cover it all in any kind of systematic and comprehensive manner, it seems like the hobbyist scene is going to provide me with a near-infinite amount of projects to feature in this segment. And as these games are particularly prone to being overlooked and quickly forgotten, I'll do my best to continue spotlighting them in the foreseeable future – and I hope some of you will be willing to join me on this ride. The Gray Wolf and The Little Lamb | Fantasy/Comedy | ~1h 30min The Gray Wolf and The Little Lamb is your quintessential game jam VN – relatively short, stylish and making up for its short length with tons of personality and wit. It tells the story of the Wolf – an outcast hated and feared by everyone around her, and the Lamb, who offers Wolf hospitality in hope of reforming her. Lamb's charity, however, quickly turns into an exercise in mutual misery, with Wolf staying distrustful and destructive, and Lamb's ego preventing her from fully understanding Wolf's stubborn behaviour. While normally this setup would be a nice starting point for yuri romance, the actual story nimbly avoids the most obvious cliches, leading to unexpected story developments and a rather out-of-the-box set of endings where romance is at best a mild subtext. The real focus here is on the struggle between Wolf's negative impulses, formed through her haphazard way of life up to this point, and Lamb's somewhat questionable ambition to "civilize" her. Your choices determine if, and in what way, the two will be able to overcome their differences and find some kind of mutual understanding. Of course, "overcoming" does not mean "negating" and one of the main strengths of this VN is acknowledging that there are limits to how much most people can change, especially in short time, and that finding common ground can often be just as grueling as it is rewarding... Itch.io Page A Field Of Flowers and Stars | Yuri/Sci-fi | ~1h 30min A Field of Flower and Stars is a VN by Watercress Studios, the team behind a long list of quality, free EVNs. While it's not as high-concept or unconventional as some of their other projects, it's both decently-conceived as a piece of sci-fi storytelling and rather ambitious in its execution. Featuring three main characters and full voice acting, it tells a story of Reine, a freelance space explorer who crashes on an unfamiliar planet and bonds with one of its alien colonists while trying to repair her ship. While enjoying the hospitality of the locals and being seemingly in no immediate danger, there's one thing that keeps the protagonist's anxiety high – if she fails, she not only risks getting stranded, but also losing the way of life and freedom she values above all. At least until some events makes her doubt her no-attachment, egoistical attitude... While the story structure itself isn't anything new, it's very solid, with the only thing limiting the game being its length. While we learn quite a lot about Reine, the alien love interest and her colony's history are presented without much context and depth. The game says how the characters talk about the colonists and their homeworld, but probably to avoid infodumps, little of it is actually relayed to the reader. And I really would want to see that infodump, to get a better grasp on the motivations of the aliens and significance of the colony itself, particularly because its safety becomes a crucial plot-point later on. Still, that one complaint aside, the VN looks, reads and sounds very solid and will very likely satisfy fans of yuri romance – just like it did for me. Itch.io Page | Steam Page Graveyard Girls | Psychological/Yuri | ~1h A title like this was bound to belong to some questionable meme game, but in reality, Graveyard Girls is a very serious and surprisingly well-put-together VN. And if that wasn't strange enough, it mixes rather intense depictions of grief with yuri romantic subtext, with an effect much better and more interesting than it had any right to be. Starting with the protagonist, Elle, visiting her father's grave and talking about the struggles she faced after he was gone, for the most of it's length this is a very sombre game discussing the topics of grief and loss in all gruesome details. However, the appearance of the second character, Lucia, adds another layer to it – discussion of long term and short term grief, and of recovery, along with subtle romantic tension between the two. While never losing its focus, Graveyard Girls combine these elements to push the narrative in ultimately positive and hopeful direction – if you make the right choices, even concluding with a straight-up sweet image I won't spoil. The game also looks and sounds very good, with high-quality art, good use of perspective and simple, but very fitting soundtrack. It's definitely on the short side, but for once I won't be complaining about that – it's the kind of short story that achieves exactly what it set out to do and will most likely leave you fully satisfied. If you're in the mood to deal with its heavy subject matter, I highly recommend giving it a chance. Itch.io Page | Steam Page The Life We've Chosen | Psychological/Romance | ~40 min In some ways, The Life We've Chosen falls slightly below quality standards I aim for with these posts – it's rough around the edges and one of the crucial characters, protagonist's best friend, does not even have a sprite or character portrait. However, what it has going for it is the subversion of most obvious tropes and story structures you would expect from this kind of VN. The ominous "demon" which the protagonist interacts with in her most vulnerable moments might be instinctively identified as a metaphor for depression or some kind of malicious influence, but the story consistently avoids giving easy answers about its nature... And it doesn't even bother to identify the "right" path in any clear way. What could be described as the most optimistic ending is not where most people would expect it to be, while every conclusion leaves a lot of space for interpretation and the "good" or "bad" might be more up to the reader's opinion than anything else. Probably not everyone will find it to their taste, but the quality writing and unconventional choices at the very least make this VN into something memorable, that stands out among your typical game jam entries – and this is something I deeply appreciate. Itch.io Page And that's all for today! While I'll not necessarily be prioritized fresh releases for this series, as the randomness here is a feature that allows me to read what I feel like and not chasing the new content, the freshly-conlcuded Spooktober VN jam and the upcoming Yuri Game Jam will definitely leave their mark – and I already see there's a lot to look forward to in both events. In the meantime, my renewed activities convinced me to revive my Steam Cutator page and my Twitter – feel free to follow both for updates on stuff I'm putting out. Thank you for reading and until the next time!

Hey, let's do a small necropost! While the external blog is dead (although preserved as a nicely-balsamed corpse) and won't be updated anymore, I reactivated some of my adjacent projects. The blog on Fuwanovel will receive rare EVN-related posts, but I also resurrected my Twitter and my Steam Curator page. I'll use this thread once more to post updates, probably not every little thing, but once-in-a-while summaries of my activity. Also likely to be inconsistent, because if I go back to my stupid, try-hard attitude I'll just burn myself out again like a moron and fuel my anxiety. So, for the start, some new steam curator entries. Also, did you miss my new blog post with random free EVNs? Probably not, but here is it just in case. There will be a new one coming this weekend.

She's pretty sus as a waifu material though... But I guess that goes to all Misaka clones, they are like 1 year old at best. :s Anyway, I forced myself through the first season of Index, and well... never again. I really don't like anything that has to do with magic in this series and it's kind of weird seeing the vastly less epic adaptation of the sisters arc and its fallout... The parts with Accelerator are basically the only thing I genuinely enjoyed, because even Misaka feels quite muted in comparison to how she's portayed in Railgun. The whole season also felt extremely messy with those disjointed, short arcs and a rather forgettable ending. The thing I've said about Railgun, constantly building up towards bigger events and rising the stakes? Nowhere to be found, unless you count the whole magic vs science conflict that apparently climaxes in the trash-fire that is Index III. Anyway, it's tempting to watch some arcs of Index and maybe I'll look out specific episodes to check out in the future, but with the series as a whole, I'm out. Before going to Railgun T I'll check out the Accelerator series though. Should be a lot of Last Order/Misaka clones stuff in there and while the series doens't seem highly rated, what I read people criticizing it for (mostly lack of character development and high-stakes events) shouldn't bother me much. :3

Finished the second season of Railgun which was pretty awesome, although in quite a different way than the first one. It was a lot more focused and action-filled, with Misaka mostly going on her own and leaving the rest of the crew in pretty much tertiary roles (at least in the first arc, which is massive and goes for 2/3 of the 24 episode season)... Which is not bad, but skips a bit on the things I liked about the first season. The production quality though... It's hard to describe how better the animation and art got in comparison to the early entries in the Index series. Quite excited to see how far the third season of Railgun pushed the whole thing. The problem is, I wanted to catch up a little bit on Index after all, to see more of its side of Misaka's and Accelerator's stories... But holy fuck, after watching Railgun S the original Index series looks HIDEOUS. Characters also feel like infinitely shittier versions of themselves compared to what I've just watched... I'm not sure I can get used to it. :s

Will do!

So, how about some Japanese R&B? :3

Thank you! Honestly, during the pandemic I saw mostly a bit of a downwards trend in game jam stuff and general liveliness of the scene... And then, while I tuned out of it, we got 140+ entries in this year's NaNoRenO, which is just insane. If the coming Spooktober and the Yuri Game Jam go similarly, than yeah, there will be a lot of fuel for this series, alongside some occasional Steam or mobile VNs that aren't game jam related...

Welcome back my dear readers and welcome to this new, irregularly-posted segment on EVN Chronicles! As some of you might know, beyond my general burnout which made me put the blog on indefinite hiatus, late last year I've developed some health problems that pretty much killed my will to read VNs and my ability to contribute meaningful content on Fuwa... For a while. As I come back to life, both physically and mentally, I've decided to resurrect this space and log my adventures through mostly short, free EVNs, sharing with you all the most notable finds among the game jam entries and random passion projects I read through. So, do you want to read some hidden gems, all available for the very reasonable price of $0.00? You're sure to find some on this little list, and the ones that come in the future! Optimal Conditions for a Sacrifice | Yuri/Fantasy/Comedy | ~20 min It's rare for extremely short VNs to charm me, but Optimal Conditions for a Sacrifice has just the perfect combination of humour, wit and well-delivered punchline to made this kind of tiny experience memorable. The game plays on mythological themes and a rich set if metaphors to construct an intriguing narrative about the nature of love – all while never taking itself seriously or trying too hard to be profound. And this last part is crucial – from the game's Ith.io page, through its net of riddles and on-the-nose social commentary and to the purposefully jumbled ending, you can feel the fun the author had writing all of it and molding it into a VN. And while this kind of experiment has always a high risk of missing the mark and becoming an unreadable mess, the genuine-feeling and relatable messaging it ends with makes it better than it had any right to be. And with a nice artstyle as a bonus... It's very much worth it to sacrifice 20 minutes of your time to check it out. Itch.io Page My Dream Is To Be a Model, Not a Maid! | Yuri/Drama | ~1h 20 min Team ANPIM are regular authors of cliched G/G romance, always present for the annual Yuri Game Jam with a new piece of heartwarming fluff. While their output in the past three years was a bit of a mixed bag, often lacking interesting twists to keep the formula fun, My Dream Is To Be a Model, Not a Maid! is what I'd call a return to form. Starting with a silly premise of an aspiring (and awfully unsuccessful model) getting coerced into becoming a lived-in housekeeper for a young daughter of a CEO, it provides a well-paced and fun piece of romance between two people of vastly different backgrounds and live experiences. While the short runtime limits how deep the story can get and the overall structure of the romance plot is utterly typical, the characterisation and humour make it all solid enough to be a very enjoyable, one-sitting read. And with a bunch of really nice-looking CGs added to the mix, it's exactly what you would want from this kind of bite-sized piece of yuri fluff. Itch.io Page My Crush My Bully | Yuri/Drama | ~30 min Written by one of my favourite VN writers on the freeware/game jam side of the market, PunishedHag, My Crush My Bully is a short story about an awkward, nerdy girl who unexpectedly encounters her school tormentor on a trip to library. While trying to stealthily buy the newest book in her favourite fantasy series, she's caught by the titular bully, but there's something off with the interaction that follows... While the game is maybe a bit too short to reach its full potential, its strength lies not only in good characterisation of the main characters, but also in providing two vastly different viewpoints on the relationship it depicts. The perspective shift took me by surprise, providing a sombre, emotional backstory to the somewhat whacky-feeling romantic plot. Without it, the whole story would just be a decently-written piece of yuri fluff, but the additional depth and social commentary it adds makes the whole experience worthwhile despite the short length. Itch.io Page Wolfskin's Curse | Fantasy/Horror/Mystery | ~1h 30 min Probably the most involved and well-produced VN on today's list, Wolfskin's Curse offers a mystery plot about a former priestess and a werewolf running away from tragedy and persecution, only to be caught up in a new chain of deaths and being framed as perpetrators. A very climatic piece of dark fantasy, this short story offers most elements you would expect from the formula: a gloomy setting, tragic romance and a cast of ambiguous and tortured characters trying to survive in a hostile world. It also includes high-quality art and full voice acting – that last part being something I usually avoid in freeware projects due to it rarely being good enough to be more enjoyable than just reading the dialogue yourself, but here it was done with decent quality and care, particularly for a game jam entry. And whether you mute the voices or not, the VN will be an interesting and emotional journey – at least if you don't mind reading something pretty depressing in tone. Itch.io Page | Google Play And that's all for now! As I'm trying to take things slow, this segment will show up at random intervals and likely with different amounts of content. However, I'm going to keep the mission of spotlighting notable EVNs alive as long as I'm able to – if you're interested in those, be sure to follow the blog and if you have recommendations for free EVNs worth checking out, make sure to leave them in the comments. Thank you for reading!

He was looking for something incredibly specific though. Basically a moege with a black protagonist, which indeed might still not exist. Also you reviving this saga threatens to activate my PTSD, this was one of the weirdest chain of threads in Fuwa's history and I indeed hope the OP found some source of happiness outside of his dream game no one wanted to make. I don't think this is even the worst or most confusing/desperate of his posts.

Hey, my favourite shitpost thread coming back to life... Considering my current choice of waifu, this would be fun. Not only I'm a god-tier electric mage esper, I also have a somewhat-insane, but lovable lesbian roommate hitting on me all the time. Only thing left to do is to go on attack next time she starts her antics and observe her absolutely losing her mind because of not being rebuted like she expected. :3

Yeah, that makes sense, considering LNs are likely cheaper to license and very labour-intensive when it goes to translating. I imagine just like VNs, they are niche enough and with thin-enough profit margins that big companies are simply not that interested in scooping them up.

Maybe its just me, but I feel the all-around trend is consolidation rather than new stuff popping up? The English-speaking sector, with Crunchyroll and Funimation merging, seems more consolidated than ever (and honestly way more convenient than it ever was). And with Crunchyroll adding more language version for their subtitles, they make the potential local companies even less likely to rise and be profitable when it goes to anime streaming. Maybe manga is a bit different, as the licensing costs are not as prohibitive, translation isn't as expensive as with LNs and there's still a somewhat-viable market for physical copies... But the earie part about the list in this thread is that it mostly got out-of-day by companies fading away than more stuff popping up.

So I'm not the only one... :') From your description there's not that much this season that would fit your tastes... But I'd recommend catching up on Shadows House, which is now airing its second season. It's quite an interesting mix of light horror, mystery and slice-of-life, rather unique in its premise.

Actually, I find it pretty ingenious how crucial she is for the story. Pairing Mikoto and Kuroko with a character that has no crazy skills whatsoever, going through completely different struggles and offering drastically different perspective on things is a really neat storytelling device... And because of the strong focus on slice-of-life, her presence never feels out of place – as inadequate as she might sometimes feel, she's a dear friend to the lead characters and life is not just about shounen battles. The top-quality voice cast doesn't hurt things either, with Saten in particular feeling very... Real and relatable. ...I'll stop fanboying now, but I couldn't help myself with this one... '^^

I... Actually didn't expect them to make another one! The first season was very hit-and-miss, but it had fantastic moments. With proper directing the sequel could be excellent.