Seraphim

I just finished Muramasa, and, well, it was a worthwhile experience, but not much more than that. It's definitely on the good end of the spectrum; it simply fell short of my, admittedly high, expectations. To say it in clearer terms, I wouldn't place it among my top 10 VNs, as suggested on VNDb; maybe not even my top 30.
To name a few things I disliked about it:
- The protagonist. Yeah, he's pretty much the definition of an antihero and he's expected to grow on you over time, but I still think you'd need to be able to symphathize with him somewhat from the getgo to truly immerse yourself in the story. Sadly, that is something I was unable to do for a good part of the game. I realized there was probably some reason for his actions, but not knowing those, I could only judge him based on the information I had been fed. This made me not really care one way or another whether he lived or died, which made battles, among other things, lose a lot of impact. Speaking of...
- The fight scenes. They're probably my biggest issue with Muramasa, considering the fact that they make up such a large part of the game. Basically, I found them too long and over the top for my tastes. I could accept the premise of "Okay, foe, in order to beat you, I will unleash my ultimate attack, which cannot be avoided. <1 second later> Damn, he avoided it. Let's boost my power although I was already at the maximum and try again. Rinse and repeat." back in the days when I was watching Dragonball or Naruto, but I've kinda grown past that by now and don't find it nearly as entertaining or exciting as I used to. (This also happens to be one of the reasons I haven't read Dies Irae yet.)
- The rape scenes. I can't recall a single one that was actually relevant to story progression in the grand scheme of things, meaning they were all just there either for cheap shock value or to cater to the tastes of the people who actually enjoy that stuff.
- The info-dumping. I realize that many people might want to know every little detail about every little thing, but to me, it just felt tedious and bothersome. At one point, it caused me to literally start nodding off on the couch, so I ended up skipping past that part of the game just so I wouldn't get completely bored out of my mind. I think this is actually the first VN where I've skipped something that wasn't an h-scene, which should speak volumes about how disinterested I was.
- The true ending. This came so out of the blue, I had to take a moment just to realize what had happened. I was entirely convinced I was on one of the regular routes and would later end up on some true route revolving around
but then it just ended and all I was left with were a few missing CGs from earlier choices and the knowledge that all the stuff I thought were just a bunch of sidenotes in pursuit of something greater were actually what canonically happened in the story. It was a cocktail of confusion and unfulfillment.
To not end this post on a negative note, I'd like to mention that one thing that Muramsa deserves praise for is its translation. I remember seeing one person making a comment about this being the new golden standard for localizations, and while I can't attest to the accuracy compared to the Japanese original, which I haven't read, this is without a doubt one of the best VNs I've read in terms of prose.

I just finished Muramasa, and, well, it was a worthwhile experience, but not much more than that. It's definitely on the good end of the spectrum; it simply fell short of my, admittedly high, expectations. To say it in clearer terms, I wouldn't place it among my top 10 VNs, as suggested on VNDb; maybe not even my top 30.
To name a few things I disliked about it:
- The protagonist. Yeah, he's pretty much the definition of an antihero and he's expected to grow on you over time, but I still think you'd need to be able to symphathize with him somewhat from the getgo to truly immerse yourself in the story. Sadly, that is something I was unable to do for a good part of the game. I realized there was probably some reason for his actions, but not knowing those, I could only judge him based on the information I had been fed. This made me not really care one way or another whether he lived or died, which made battles, among other things, lose a lot of impact. Speaking of...
- The fight scenes. They're probably my biggest issue with Muramasa, considering the fact that they make up such a large part of the game. Basically, I found them too long and over the top for my tastes. I could accept the premise of "Okay, foe, in order to beat you, I will unleash my ultimate attack, which cannot be avoided. <1 second later> Damn, he avoided it. Let's boost my power although I was already at the maximum and try again. Rinse and repeat." back in the days when I was watching Dragonball or Naruto, but I've kinda grown past that by now and don't find it nearly as entertaining or exciting as I used to. (This also happens to be one of the reasons I haven't read Dies Irae yet.)
- The rape scenes. I can't recall a single one that was actually relevant to story progression in the grand scheme of things, meaning they were all just there either for cheap shock value or to cater to the tastes of the people who actually enjoy that stuff.
- The info-dumping. I realize that many people might want to know every little detail about every little thing, but to me, it just felt tedious and bothersome. At one point, it caused me to literally start nodding off on the couch, so I ended up skipping past that part of the game just so I wouldn't get completely bored out of my mind. I think this is actually the first VN where I've skipped something that wasn't an h-scene, which should speak volumes about how disinterested I was.
- The true ending. This came so out of the blue, I had to take a moment just to realize what had happened. I was entirely convinced I was on one of the regular routes and would later end up on some true route revolving around
but then it just ended and all I was left with were a few missing CGs from earlier choices and the knowledge that all the stuff I thought were just a bunch of sidenotes in pursuit of something greater were actually what canonically happened in the story. It was a cocktail of confusion and unfulfillment.
To not end this post on a negative note, I'd like to mention that one thing that Muramsa deserves praise for is its translation. I remember seeing one person making a comment about this being the new golden standard for localizations, and while I can't attest to the accuracy compared to the Japanese original, which I haven't read, this is without a doubt one of the best VNs I've read in terms of prose.

Meanwhile, the 9 -Nine- Complete Edition has just arrived in glorious All-Ages 1080p HD

Let's see what all the hype is about

So, the recent release of The Sekimeiya: Spun Glass went pretty unnoticed so far, but currently seems to get some attention thanks to a comment on VNDB. It actually has a rating above 8.5 with over 60 votes there, which is unusually high for an OELVN. There aren't even that many JVN's that high. It's a scifi mystery thriller that actually looks pretty professional. It uses NVL style, which I personally don't like that much, but if the story is good it might not matter that much.
So, for everyone who isn't already jumping on Muramasa and looking more for a SciFi mystery VN in the spirit of the infinity series titles like Ever 17, this might actually be worth a look.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1432500/The_Sekimeiya_Spun_Glass/?utm_source=vndb

I'm currently swamped with other stuff (one of them being Muramasa) so I've had to put this off for the moment, but I'm definitely giving it a read later on. I love Yuzusoft, and the fact that this is their (afaik) first all ages title only makes me more interested.

Okay, it isn't "main" Yuzusoft, but still...
PARQUET

Steam description:
The game is available on Steam in Japanese, English and Chinese. English translation is made by NekoNyan.
 

Guess finally I have to read Bokuten
Meanwhile, I'm currently doing my third playthrough of Princess Evangile - this time it's PSP version (Japanese all-ages). Even though it's the third time, I'm still enjoying it very much. It's definitely my "Comfort VN"

I looked into it a bit as well and it seems like there are some added scenes and CGs in this version, so that should definitely make up for any censored content, to the point where I'm deliberating rereading the VN myself. It's one of my personal favorites, but the h-scenes were awful and way too long (and this was back in the days when I used to sit through the entire scenes to make sure I didn't miss anything plot-related). We're talking a huge time investment though, so I dunno when I'd find the time, considering my current backlog and all the other stuff that's being released.

I looked into it a bit as well and it seems like there are some added scenes and CGs in this version, so that should definitely make up for any censored content, to the point where I'm deliberating rereading the VN myself. It's one of my personal favorites, but the h-scenes were awful and way too long (and this was back in the days when I used to sit through the entire scenes to make sure I didn't miss anything plot-related). We're talking a huge time investment though, so I dunno when I'd find the time, considering my current backlog and all the other stuff that's being released.

Man, Magpie is awesome.

I just started reading Making Lovers and was slightly annoyed by how blurry everything looked compared to the delightful 1440p of Kinkoi, which I finished a few days ago. (It turned out to be a great read; especially the final route. Can't go into any details without spoiling it though, so I'll just leave it at that.)
Aaanyway, the whole "blurry" situation was easily remedied thanks to this wondrous app. I don't know how it works from a technical standpoint, but it basically lets you sharpen the image through upscaling. If you haven't tried it out already, I highly recommend doing so. You can pick it up here, and then you just boot it up, choose which filter to use (Anime4K has some serious sharpening, but I think I prefer the slightly less defined ACNet option), launch whichever VN you want to use it in and hit Alt + F11 when you're in windowed mode.
Unfortunately, the upscaling forces the game into fullscreen, so I think you're out of luck if you prefer playing in windowed mode. For me personally, I always play in fullscreen anyway, so that part doesn't bother me.

In any case, here's a comparison shot of the original image and one with the Anime4K filter I mentioned above.

Original:


Anime4K:


I suggest you open the images in separate tabs and switch between them, as that makes the difference a lot clearer. Also, it's obviously much more apparent on a large screen. I dunno how much of a difference it makes on a laptop or the like.

I love the fact that "Heroine with Jeans" is an actual tag.

Talk about coincidences, and deep roots of some tropes... After finishing Parfait, I just started playing ancient and obscure charage from 2000 (or 2003 for voiced edition) called Hachigatsu no Nostalgia ~the summer with you~ - since it's August right now  
In Parfait one of the heroines was Ema - blue haired sister-in-law, currently widow.

Imagine my surprise when I started playing Hachigatsu no Nostalgia and met Chitose - blue haired sister-in-law, currently widow 😮

 

Yeah, I haven't tried it myself, but the improvement might not be that significant on a 1080p monitor. I usually play on my TV, meaning large screen and 4K, and the upscaling works wonders then. I'm especially glad I don't have to put up with blurry text anymore!

Currently enjoying Kinkoi, but the following dialogue went completely over my head. Does anyone have any idea what it's a reference to?



In any case, it's one of the better VNs I've read lately, although there's a weird (and somewhat creepy) bug that causes face sprites to show up separated from the heads, but it doesn't happen too often. Here's an example:

(I might've added some additional text. *cough*)

Currently enjoying Kinkoi, but the following dialogue went completely over my head. Does anyone have any idea what it's a reference to?



In any case, it's one of the better VNs I've read lately, although there's a weird (and somewhat creepy) bug that causes face sprites to show up separated from the heads, but it doesn't happen too often. Here's an example:

(I might've added some additional text. *cough*)

Currently enjoying Kinkoi, but the following dialogue went completely over my head. Does anyone have any idea what it's a reference to?



In any case, it's one of the better VNs I've read lately, although there's a weird (and somewhat creepy) bug that causes face sprites to show up separated from the heads, but it doesn't happen too often. Here's an example:

(I might've added some additional text. *cough*)

Currently enjoying Kinkoi, but the following dialogue went completely over my head. Does anyone have any idea what it's a reference to?



In any case, it's one of the better VNs I've read lately, although there's a weird (and somewhat creepy) bug that causes face sprites to show up separated from the heads, but it doesn't happen too often. Here's an example:

(I might've added some additional text. *cough*)

This came so out of the blue, I'm equal parts confused and overjoyed.
Honestly, although I understand that they want to build some hype for it beforehand, it would've been pretty awesome if they'd held out until the release date and made it the shadow drop to end all shadow drops.

Wow, this is really insane news. I never expected it to get an official localization.

Oh god I think I'm gonna become hella spoiled by Yuzusoft
I forgot that they actually put in the effort to change character sprites to go in tandem with what whatever the characters are currently saying. Bless whoever they hired that has enough OCD to take the time to do all of that.
It actually makes me want to listen to the entire dialogue rather than doing my whole min/maxing sweetspot reading because it really does amplify the reading experience significantly.
~~
Anyways I ended up going for Riddle Joker, cuz I need me some high school superpowers
Friggen' Himawari, bless its the-whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-cough-Aqua-Best-Girl took a whopping the entirety of Episode One+Two for me to finally settle down and really start enjoying the narrative for what it was, but Riddle Joker was instant hook line and sinker for me and I'm enjoying everything right off the bat.
Protagonist is (first) Satoru Arihara, a combat-capable-but-slacking-in-studies realist high school boy and he's part of a secret organization of "Astrals" who seek to use their powers for the greater good, vigilante style.
His latest mission: to infiltrate the nation's first prominent Astral education/research facility.
He has a younger sister, too. Foster sister. Nanami Arihara. And man, every VN I'm reading lately is making me realize I'm simply the siscon type, godhelpme, Nanami is fantastic. She's the well meaning younger-than-protagonist-but-responsible/mature-enough-that-she-essentially-takes-care-of-him-like-an-older-sister-type, but she's very, very shy/introverted around others and will have her vulnerable moments where she'll call "Satoru-kun" the coveted "Onii-chan" instead. She's also Satoru's partner in crime in the secret organization they're in, so they have that dynamic going on for them as well. Jeez, what more can you ask for in a brother/sister relationship?

I'd go straight back to sleep all day errday, just so I could get awakened again and again and again by such a kawaii sister lel.
 
But step aside Nanami, first impression best girl hands down goes to:

Ayase Mitsukasa.

Anyone who knows me, knows pink is an automatic win, no questions asked. Pink, responsible role model, student council president...all this is about as common and standard as it gets but I shall never tire of it heh.
Now, I would've been fine with Ayase as is because I'm ez, but hoh boy this oughta be fun(SLIGHT SPOILERS):
 

Aaand I feel jipped again LOL 

I finished Himawari.

Asuka's route for me was like
An anthill
Compared to the Mount Everest that was Aqua.
See, there's this enforced playorder thing
So the writers know that you know all about the plot shenanigans that Episode One and Two foreshadowed, with Aqua's route being the route of choice to conclude them, so there's no need to regurgitate all that jazz again.
So what does that leave for Asuka? 
Absolutely NOTHING!
It's like they ran out of gas. Here I thought there would be one last curveball, an Episode Three, a true end, grand finale, idk, something! But Asuka's route ended up being as standard of a heroine route as one could imagine.
Asuka herself is a decent heroine though, I'll honestly just take anyone over Aries, so she was a solid 7/10 enjoyment.

Yeah, sure Asuka.
What's truly frightening, I'd say, is getting all hyped up after finishing Aqua's route and wondering just what the writers could cook up next, but then you appear with all your mediocrity and make me depressed.
 
~~
Even Aqua becomes strangely philosophical during Asuka's route:

WTH, WDYM AQUA?? YOU AND YOUICHI HAD LIKE THE BEST ROMANCE EVER.

~~
Neglected to do a misc. thoughts/spoilers so I'll do one now. It'll only cover Aqua though LOL
Here, have some Techno '48. Though, it should really be renamed into Night of Aquarius or something . This BGM was totally made for her.
SUNFLOWER SPOILS


~~
Whew, my fingers are tired. 
I've been wondering just wtf I could read next, as is the norm when I finish a VN. I kind of want the standard high school romance setting with a pretty cast and SOME plot going on to keep me entertained.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Ah!
Yuzusoft.

Haven't checked them out since the Noble Works and Dracu Riot! days
It's a tossup between Riddle Joker's high school supernatural powers and Senren * Banka's countryside fantasy. I'll end up reading both anyways, Yuzusoft is always yummy, but for now I'll preview both and see which one I wanna read first

@Asuka I don't play too many gameplay/rpg VNs, last one I played was like Yumina the Ethereal years ago which had some dungeon crawling bits that I loathed (I just hate dungeon crawlers in general and can't fathom how people find them enjoyable). I guess if you just want the story try looking for a super easy/story mode setting, if not then go look for handholding walkthrough, and lastly screw everything or ggez just gitgud
@Vernon hehe, the best thing about Kyou route is how many times you get to hear her classic frustrated "AHH mou!!!"
~~
Finished Episode Two of Himawari
...

I feel slightly jipped.
They done Aqua dirty here. The entirety of Episode One you are disillusioned into thinking Aqua'd be this enigmatic, cold hardcore badass, which she still is technically, but she was totally someone's private evil fantasy and the amount of times she's put into awkward, vulnerable, outright provocative positions and sheds her tough exterior for the whole lovesick stuttering mess of a damsel in distress routine was downright disappointing. I get it, it's to fulfill whole "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" trope but forgive me if I just wanted a full 100% awesome this time around.
Here, I'll do her some justice and hype up what her story should've focused on more of.
First, here's a somber space theme:
^It was apparently only 20 sec so I extended it, which holy hell I didn't even notice that during the VN, but apparently most of the BGMs on Blank Note's side were about this length. They're an amateur group, so kudos to them for making a bunch of catchy short themes for this VN.
 
This is Aqua:


Naturally, a character of her stature would have the following goodies:


 

 
See? Pretty interesting sounding stuff right? The times her story focuses on subjects like this, it gets pretty good.
BUT WHAT DO WE MOSTLY GET?


~~
Ultimately tbh Episode One and Two were kinda sloggy to go through, I'd say they're both 80% mundane SoL and 20% intriguing backstory/revelations. Episode One gives you the Muv Luv Extra treatment, only there to establish the characters and very sparsely carrot dangle some bigger picture plot shenanigans. Episode Two covers the backstory of said bigger picture shenanigans but through a different perspective and leaves more to be desired as it focused on more... erotic matters.
Looks like I don't get instant access to Muv Luv Alternate / Episode Three though: look at this Scene Select; Episode 1 & 2 only cover the first 3 Tabs! Jeez I'm slacking, and there are 8 Tabs wtf.

I'm guessing Tabs 4-6 will be heroine specific, cuz I'm currently on Aqua's, and then finally 7-8 will be the finale. I dig it. Feels like a good length. Can always appreciate a VN storywise that does the whole Part 1 - SoL Part 2 - Backstory Part 3 - Finale to get you invested.
P.S. Aqua's helpless damsel in distress girliness in Episode Two is forgiven for pre-Episode Three's:

That's how you do it. Just make her pure moe as FUH if she's not going to be badass
 

I also tried my hardest... not to cry ;-;

~~
Missed opportunity btw not having Town, Flow of Time, People as the VN's title theme btw. I would've always looked forward to booting up CLANNAD if I had this boppin' theme to listen to:
 
First thing's first: my original statement of being a seasoned veteran and not knowing how CLANNAD garnered 9+/10s ultimately held true for me. I give it an 8. LOL PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME, DON'T WORRY, 8 ON VNDB = VERY GOOD! AND CLANNAD IS VERY GOOD!!! SoL is just not my thing anymore. Totally for the record though, if I read this say, 5 years ago, I definitely would've given it an instant 9.5+/10 and slap it in my hall of fame in a heartbeat. I'm just old nowadays.
CLANNAD is a story about a high school male protagonist, Tomoya, who was raised by a single failure of a father. He attends one of the most prestigious schools in the town, Hikarizaka, due to his exemplary basketball skills. Unfortunately, due to a scuffle with his father one day, Tomoya ends up injured and loses his ability to lift his right shoulder, forcing him to quit basketball. Losing his way in life, time stagnates for Tomoya as he goes about his days meandering without purpose, becoming labelled a delinquent by his peers in the process. Until one fateful day where he meets a girl underneath the sakura blossom trees...
*Checks VNDB* jeezus christmas my synopsis sucks LOL
But yeah, this VN is essentially 100% pure SoL about a high school delinquent boy going about his days, trying to find his way in life. If you come here expecting late game Little Busters Key Magic Tragics or Rewrite uber narrative shifts I'm sorry to say you'll be disappointed; late game for CLANNAD is simply high school delinquent transitioning to post high school life and dealing with the trials that await. Coming of age slice of life is the name of the game here, and CLANNAD is probably one of the best in the business for this type of narrative. So make sure you're in the mood for this before you spend an extended amount of time on this like me (cough 1 month; my first save file is literally May 18 and today is June 17 ggez) 
That being said, finally time to talk about Absolute Spoilers:


~~
I'm totally gonna watch the anime next, and I'll update this post on my thoughts on whether newcomers who are thinking of getting into CLANNAD should read the VN or just watch the anime.
I did watch the first episode though, and as someone who spent a month reading CLANNAD, I can already tell it's gonna be INSANELY good. All of the character introductions are ON POINT, everything from Tomoya x Nagisa's fated encounter; Ryou's clumsy shuffling fortune cards; Kyou's uber powerful dictionary throwing prowess; Tomoyo's ass kicking badassery; Tomoya x Sunohara's ridiculous bromance; even Sanae's "my bread is only good for... x" QQ.. Everything is EXACTLY as I would've imagined it to be animated. The animated world bustling with people feels alive compared to the limited 200X VN sprites. They even use the VN BGMs, same VN title OP song for the anime OP, and Nagisa's theme from the VN gets lyrics and becomes a flippin' Dango song for the anime ED. The heart and soul of VN CLANNAD is there in the anime.
Oh, and Tomoya sounds hawt voiced. It totally makes sense why all the heroines fell for him now 
 

Nagisa Furukawa


^Miss little CLANNAD poster heroine in her prime right here, making everybody proudz :')
I've been slogging through CLANNAD for several weeks now, and it's only during Nagisa's route that they finally officially dump the OP on you, so saving her route for last I was like l0l really??

 
Her route though was... surprisingly average; not much to say. Nothing special or out of this world happens. But at least Nagisa in general finally grew on me. I disliked her meek softspoken personality at first but she becomes less reserved and speaks her mind more often later on while maintaining that same slow, gentle demeanor. Very wholesome to be around.
...Which is why it is absolutely hilarious that Tomoya pervs out on her at the randomest moments. He's a pretty reserved protagonist overall in that aspect, so I just burst out laughing here:

Really, Tomoya?? You're with one of the more wholesome heroines and this is what you scheme?!  
Out of all heroines I'd rank the route quality Kotomi > Tomoyo > Nagisa >= Fuko >= Kyou/Ryou > Others
Speaking of the others, sorry I ran out of gas and had to speedrun Misae, and literally Ctrl-skipped skimmed through Kappei. Just gib me them lights!
 
 

~~
And so... I've finally reached Awesome Stuff. Wish me luck.