Clephas

It's been the case to one degree or another since covid hit, but there is literally nothing this month in the way of non-fandisc, non-nukige PC JVNs. Considering that before covid, it wasn't uncommon for eight or nine to be released a month, you can see how far the industry has fallen in the last few years.

Souten Kouro- Series following Cao Cao from the early days of his rise. It is fairly high quality and a good watch. Haruhi Suzumiya- You either love it or you hate it. K-on- The abomination that caused the term 'moeblob' to be coined. This series should never have existed, as it spawned even more abominations of a similar nature. Tayutama- Middling quality, screwed up ending (for some reason, they didn't use the Mashiro path ending, despite her being the chosen heroine...) Tears to Tiara- An abortive attempt to repeat the high-quality results they somehow managed to get from the Utawarerumono anime. Asura Cryin- If it weren't for the protagonist being a Shinji Mk-??? then this would have been an interesting anime. Setting is often poorly presented despite the hints at greater complexity. Phantom- In terms of action, it is similar to Noir and Madlax (fun if you like assassination action with guns) but it fails to fully capture the attraction of the gritty and down-to-earth (relatively speaking) VN from nitroplus. Pandora Hearts- Fantasy series with an interesting concept and good heroine, but it never gets an ending. 07-Ghost - BL-ish fantasy action series that is actually good to watch if you don't mind the undertones.

Seija Musou's original WN and Ln were both high quality. It's questionable whether that will translate to the quality of the anime though. Summer is mostly sequels and isekai for me... I didn't see anything especially interesting on the list otherwise. I am surprised they are reviving Bleach at this point, and I'll definitely watch the Kenshin remake (though the story hasn't aged that well).

Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no - While some might say the setting is unrealistic, the romances in the main school routes are very emotional and impactful even given their situations. Every path stands on its own in the main school routes (the redheads in the branch school routes have related routes), and there is a tight focus on the relationship from the moment of the path split, with the relationship being slow burn early on in all three cases. Gin'iro Haruka Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai Edit: To clarify, the best place to look for VNs with actual romance (vs harem guy gets to choose anyone) is VNs made between 2004-2014. To be frank, most of the supposedly romance-heavy VNs that came out after that were relatively low quality. Tone Works VNs stand out as an exception, as all of them have extremely good romance from beginning to end.

To Aru Majutsu no Index- At the time, a promising - if generic - fantasy shounen series. Unfortunately, though it was popular, the later seasons began to feel like a digression from what was good about it. Toradora- One of the last classic-style rom-coms. High-quality and enjoyable, even today. Black Butler- I liked this series a great deal (and no, not because of any yaoi vibes that kvan mentions above). I liked it for the sheer power of Ciel's personality and strength of will and pursuing what he wants. Kara no Kyoukai 6- A digression from the rest of the series in the sense that it has no relation to the core story. However, it has some good action scenes as it follows Kokutou's brocon little sister in investigating problems at the womens' school she attends (it was also attended by Asagami Fujino). Tytania- A high-quality space opera series that never completed. Still pissed off about that years later, lol. Macademi Wasshoi- Comedy, ecchi, silliness, zaniness. This series is enjoyable for people who like absurd humor and ecchi. It also makes fun of Harry Potter unapologetically. Kurozuka- Guy gets turned into a vampire by his girlfriend in the twelfth century, follows him during his periods of wakefulness into the future. Shikabane Hime- An urban fantasy action series that never got to the point. Casshern Sins- Basically tons of feels and violence in a melancholic world headed for ruin. Yozakura Quartet- People trying to keep things together in a sanctuary city for youkai even as others try to destroy it. Never really goes anywhere. Gundam 00 S2- Conclusion of Gundam 00, great mecha action and good story.

Natsume Yuujinchou- Definitely a 'naki' anime, basically gives feels and has no other purpose. Youkai stuff is interesting, but ninety percent of it is trying to make you cry. Kara no Kyoukai 5- Arguably the best of the movies in terms of action. This is also the climax of the series in the sense that Shiki confronts the behind-the-scenes enemy. World Destruction- Incidentally the first anime I fansubbed, it is a mediocre action fantasy anime. Nogizaki Haruka no- comedy rom-com, decent quality. Sekirei- Ecchi anime with action on the side. Harem-building with a setting that never really comes to life. Blade of the Immortal- Excellent action, failure to conclude the story, which was poorly presented anyway compared to the gore and violence.

Code Geass 2- Generally a good second half for the series, higher quality animation than the first season, great ending. Soul Eater- Medium-quality shounen fantasy. To Love Ru- Ecchi romance with weak-willed protagonist and lots of crazy stuff. Druaga no Tou- Low-quality high fantasy. Not really worth watching. Kara no Kyoukai 4- Connects Shiki's past to the present Shiki in the story. Generally the weakest entry in the series, but it is still good. Special A- Comedy SOL series... I remember doing the TLC for a fansub of this. Generally good quality and worth watching. Kanokon- Trashy ecchi series that still hits the spot with a certain portion of the community. Kyouran Kazoku- Good comedy. Nijuu Mensou- Pretty high-quality series based in a fantasy version of the post-WWII era. Kurenai- Fantasy series with a lot of focus on distasteful aspects of a high-society family in Japan. Nabari no Ou- Ninja anime that has good moments but is mostly incoherent. Kamen no Maid Guy- Pretty amusing comedy. Golgo 13- cold-hearted assassin kills people for a living. No central story, episodic progression. Zettai Karen Children- Science-fantasy series about three pyschic girls and their handler in an alternate future where the Japanese Empire was never defeated and open conflict between the empowered and normies is a real possibility. Has a great gaiden series with a more violent focus, but this is mostly light-hearted. xxxHolic Kei- More of the good stuff if you liked the first season, otherwise not so much.

The real draw of Kara no Kyoukai is Ryougi Shiki's struggle with her own humanity (or lack of it, as she sees it) and Kokutou's attempts to keep up with her despite being a powerless normal with a higher than average intelligence. The second draw is the way the series digs into the weirdness of the Nasuverse's sorcery system and mystics. Third comes the mysteries (which aren't really mysteries, since - as El-Melloi says - the howdunnit of mysteries are meaningless in a world of sorcery). There is also the hedge philosophy... but that's wrapped up in the sorcery, so it can't really be separated from it.

Clannad- First season is your classic 'cram every route into one season and somehow make it turn out all right' story. It has lots of good feels. However, the tone of the second season is excessively depressing due to the protagonist basically being a broken man though most of it. This makes it infuriating to watch for some people. Also Nagisa is my least-favorite heroine. Kara no Kyoukai 2- The true 1 of the anime movie series, it follows Shiki and Kokutou as their relationship begins (in a very rocky fashion) and it is the only time in the series where both of Shiki's original personas are present. I will say this now, because it needs to be said, but every single conversation in this series, down to the seemingly least-important remarks, has meaning. While I'm not terribly fond of classic mysteries, I do like the way they planted easter eggs that rewarded watching each movie multiple times. Kara no Kyoukai 1- It is understandable that they use this as an initial jumping-off point because it strikes a better balance between the mystery elements and action that define the series than any of the ones that come after it. Also, it gives you a reason to be intrigued about Shiki's past, which is probably why they chose to release this one first. Prism Ark- Low-quality fantasy that doesn't go anywhere. Shion no Ou- I'm going to be straight with you... I don't know the first thing about Shougi (I always forget the rules between one time I play it and another, though not as badly as mahjong). However, this series is fun to watch even if you don't know crap about it. From what some of my friends tell me, it is fairly close to reality when it comes to the situation for professional shougi players, and the actual story is top-notch. Night Wizard- Really, really low-quality fantasy action story. Rental Magica- Setting has potential and is complex in a good way, but it fails to go anywhere. Majin Tantei- Comedy mystery focusing on a demon assistant and his slave/assistant who is an airhead. Shakugan no Shana 2- More good stuff but the last battle of the season takes up way too many episodes. This is time that could have been used to flesh out the story for what happens in the final season, but sadly that isn't how it worked out. Gundam 00- Easily the best of the post-1990's Gundam series. The series is basically a reinterpretation of the concept of Gundam Wing, where a small elite force tries to force the world to change out of a sense of idealism and a huge dose of ruthlessness. On the other hand, it manages to come across as more brutal than previous entries if you first watched it when it came out, as it mirrors the conflicts of the time to an extent. This is perhaps because there is almost no focus on Europe or the Americas compared to previous Gundam series, as the writers focused on Asia and the Middle East for this one. Combat-wise the main characters' side of things has a near-absolute advantage at the beginning, but by the end of the first season, the tables are beginning to turn on them.

Kara no Kyoukai 3- Literally the only one of the first four movies to be in its proper order (it is third both in chronological and release order). This one is focused on a gradual build-up to a conflict between Shiki and Asagami Fujino, and the fight scene at the end has become a classic. That said, this is a Nasuverse story and if you aren't interested in the setting, you shouldn't be watching this in the first place. I generally don't recommend using Kara no Kyoukai as a starting point for people who want to dive into the universe, as the movies assume a degree of pre-existing knowledge, though they dig deeper on a lot of concepts touched upon in both Tsukihime and FSN. Kvan, if you aren't interested in the setting, then you shouldn't have watched the movies. It's that simple. Hatenkou Yuugi- Low-quality fantasy with a female protag. Gunslinger Girls 2- More focus on violence than the first scene, much less in the way of touching or sorrowful background stories. Spice and Wolf- SOL fantasy based during the inquisition. Worth it for the wolf-girl. Rosario to Vampire- Rom-com ecchi with a vampire main heroine and a hetare protagonist. They are my Noble Masters- Minato Soft on TV. Generally amusing to those familiar with Minato Soft's style but if you don't like the company, you'll hate the anime. H20- Fairly crappy VN to anime conversion. Mnemosyne- Brutal action, excessive sexuality (and SM, as Kvan mentions

Nitroplus is your bread and butter company for that type of game. All their games are kinda out there. However, Chaos; Head and Steins; Gate are the obvious ones for the Serial Experiments comparison. Owaru Sekai to Birthday Futagoza no Paradox A bit farther out there is the ~rururu series by Smee, as in Harumade, Kururu and its successors.

Zero no Tsukaima 2- More serious season of Zero no Tsukaima, still a rom-com isekai though. Higu 2- It's Higu. Baccano- Baccano is one of those anime that people either love or love to hate on. Make your own decisions. Code E- Low-quality modern fantasy anime about a girl with an electric-based super-power she can't control. Shigurui- Crazy anime about psychotic swordsmen in the Edo period. Good if you like the atmosphere of anime like Basilisk and Ninja Scroll, not so much otherwise. Zombie Loan- Poorly-designed modern fantasy anime that gets cut short before it manages to reach anything resembling a conclusion.

Darker than Black- One of the best dark science-fantasy anime series ever. Lucky Star- Moeblob comedy Kaze no Stigma- Decent fantasy series that fails to deliver an ending. Claymore- Blood, gore, and inhuman fighting. Generally a fun watch. Original writer of the manga died, so no chance of a conclusion. Skull Man- Fun to watch series, prelude to Cyborg 009 El Cazador de la Bruja- Third anime in the Bee Train's Girls with Guns series. Lots of shooting, some magic (sorta), and vaguely psuedo-sciency stuff. Heroic Age- Science Fantasy where the protagonist turns into a giant monster to fight other giant monsters supported by a controlling and genocidal race that sees humanity as an obstacle to their future. The animation is rather obviously made by the same people as Gundam Seed. However, the style is significantly different. Battle scenes are top quality, story is good. Hayate no Gotoku- Low comedy anime series. Generally amusing for the sake of being amusing. Doesn't even attempt to tell a real story, but that's why it is good. Seto no Hanayome- Rom-com with an emphasis on the com about a protagonist who gets saved from drowning by a mermaid who happens to be the daughter of a yakuza boss. This starts him on a life of trying to escape his father-in-law's assassination attempts while dealing with the various messes his new in-laws leave behind on a daily basis. Terra e- Science-fiction about a dystopian future where AIs took over human society and espers had to flee into space to escape euthanasia. Kaibutsu Oujo- Fantasy about a zombie protagonist and his demonic mistress who is fighting for the throne of monsters. Nagasarete Airantou- Comedy harem series about a protagonist washed up on an island of only women, where the inevitable happens (in comedic ways). Generally a fun series to watch.

https://vndb.org/t20195 This thread has the answer to your question, but I'll go ahead and add something. Mono games generally split content across multiple threads and h-codes don't do anything because the proper threads are in a different place each time you open the game. I also suggest you use Textractor's Remove Hooks function to get rid of the extra hooks that don't have any usable text, or you'll crash your pc (this is from playing Zero myself). Edit: also, slowdown of the game is pretty much inevitable if you use a text-hooker, unfortunately. I tried everything to figure out a way to stop that from happening, but gave up and just played without one in the end, simply because it was so annoying.

Nodame- Funny and cute rom-com following a yurufuwa pianist from a normal family and an overly serious conductor from a family that is focused on the music world. A lot of the best points are the male protagonist trying to keep Nodame from slacking off or going off in random directions. The protagonist himself is an all-rounder who can play numerous instruments (including the piano, which is why he ends up teaching her). Murder Princess- This one is actually pretty good for the few episodes it has... unfortunately, like many anime, it cuts off at a bad point, leaving you wondering what was going to happen next.

Death Note- Ah the classic about a drunk-on-his-own-ideals sociopathic teenager who gains the power to kill people using a notebook. Code Geass- One of my favorite series of all time, with interesting mecha combat, a strategist protagonist with a secret identity, and enough drama for three Gundam anime combined, lol. I love this series. Bakumatsu Kikansetsu- Interesting Bakumatsu anime that gets cut off before conclusion. Has some excellent action scenes, but that doesn't make up for it being incomplete. Soukou no Strain- Extremely emotional science fiction story with a ton of combat and a ton of emotional trauma for the protagonist. 009-1: Good series about a cyborg spy during a fictional version of a Cold War. Pumpkin Scissors- Interesting fantasy series based in a fantasy post-WWI nation similar to Germany that is trying to deal with the negative leftovers of the war, including secret experimental units that specialized in inhumane forms of warfare such as use of poison gases, flamethrowers, and combat drugs (combined with self-hypnosis). The protagonist is a corporal who happens to be one of the survivors of Gerschpenst Yaeger, a unit that used self-hypnosis to allow them to get up to point-blank range with tanks and blast them with armor-piercing pistols (in other words, complete insanity). Sumomo- Martial Arts rom-com that never really manages to get past its initial premise. Shounen Onmyouji - Halfway decent fantasy series based in old Japan. Negima- It's more Negima-sensei... if you like the rest of the series, just watch it. Black Blood Brothers- Excellent vampire action, never got a sequel *looks sad* Kenichi- Fun story about a weakling who gets beaten into shape by a bunch of martial arts masters. D Gray Man- Shounen fantasy in a similar vein to Naruto and Bleach. Good action, solid protagonist, and good supporting characters. Downside is no animated conclusion. Kanon 2006- Another VN that mashed all its routes into a single anime series. Kekkaishi- Low rom-com modern fantasy. Moderate quality. Busou Renkin- Great action fantasy series with some fun-to-watch combat (even if it was a bit retro, even at the time), and a solid cast of characters.

This is the latest game from the makers of Dracu-riot and Sanoba Witch, Yuzusoft. For those who are curious, in nature it is somewhere in between the two styles this company tends to use (placing more emphasis on the SOL portions or the story portions). There is, technically, an overarching story, but it is given more focus in some routes than others, while there is as much lovey-dovey and ero content as the most SOL-focused entries in Yuzusoft's library. I'm going to be blunt, I basically picked up this VN because of Kaguya, as I am a kemomimi fetishist above all other things when it comes to eroge. I'm also going to state my biggest disappointment with this game... Kaguya's ears are only present in a vast minority of the game's scenes! *cries* Considering how much effort (and probably money) went into producing so many varied sprites for her expressions both with and without the holy kemomimi, I was sadly disappointed at how rare it was for those ears to actually pop out (what can I say, my first fetish is my first fetish). Setting that aside (I basically had to get that out of my system to give my honest assessment of the game otherwise), this VN stands in the upper three of Yuzusoft's games in quality, along with Dracu-riot (which I consider to be the company's magnum opus) and Senren Banka. I say this without any doubts because it displays the impact of this company's visual and scenario styles to such a degree that I couldn't help but be struck by how much it stood out in the current times. Yuzusoft didn't compromise in quality even once in this game, which is something you can't say about most VN-makers in the last few years since Covid hit. For those who want sappy VN romance, this game has it. If you want a few serious moments mixed in, this game has that too. Moreover, the interactions between the cast of characters are as highly amusing as one would expect from this company, bringing back happy memories for me and reminding me of why I often thought of Yuzusoft games as a method to 'clean my palate' after the kusoge I played so often when I was doing VN of the Month. I have no intention whatsoever of going into a detailed review at this time (I've read the two paths I wanted to read, and I'm ignoring the rest). However, I can honestly recommend it to people who already like Yuzusoft games.

Except for the first three, not in any particular order. Limiting it to fifty instead of a hundred though. 1. Belche- Draculius 2. Shigure Sora- Devils Devel Concept 3. Kamio Ami- Semiramis no Tenbin 4. Kaito- Akatsuki no Goei 5. Shannon Wordsworth- Evolimit 6. Kuki-sensei- Ayakashibito 7. Mercurius- Dies Irae 8. Ashley Horizon- Silverio Trinity 9. Zephyr Colerain- Silverio Vendetta 10. Veratyr- Silverio Ragnarok 11. Valzeride- Silverio Vendetta 12. Gilbert- Silverio Trinity 13. Ragna- Silverio Ragnarok 14. Narita Shinri- Hello, Lady 15. Shou- Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana 16. Ren- Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana 17. Arcueid- Tsukihime 18. Rin- FSN 19. Maia- Hapymaher 20. Saki- Hapymaher 21. Yayoi- Hapymaher 22. Keiko- Hapymaher 23. Adelheid- Floral Flowlove 24. Souma Ria- Kin'iro Loveriche 25. Sylvia- Kin'iro Loveriche 26. Kanori- Minamijuujisei Renka 27. Tanizawa Tsukasa- Kanishino 28. Miyabi- Kanishino 29. Tonoko- Kanishino 30. Shino- Kanishino 31. Mimori Ichirou- Hatsuru Koto Naki Mirai Yori 32. Kazami Yuuji- Grisaia no Kajitsu 33. Sachi- Grisaia no Kajitsu 34. Kazami Kazuki- Grisaia no Kajitsu 35. Kaze no Ushiro ni Ayumu Mono- Jingai Makyou 36. Suu Sasamaru- Kitto, Sumiwataru Asairo Yori Mo 37. Okita Soushi- Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier 38. Ayame- Tenshi no Hane o Fumanaide 39. Suzu- Ayakashihibito 40. Soushichi- Ayakashibito 41. Cinema- Komorebi no Nostalgica 42. Fluorite Alvega- Komorebi no Nostalgica 43. Cactus- Ou no Mimi ni wa Todokanai 44. Kuro- Sakura, Moyu 45. Shinku- Irotoridori no Sekai 46. Celica Sylphil- Ikusa Megami series 47. Hime- Tiny Dungeon series 48. Toshirou Kashima- Vermillion Bind of Blood 49. Musumi Koutarou- Izuna Zanshinken 50. Kiritooshi Hiro- Yurikago yori Tenshi Made

Zero no Tsukaima- Classic early-era isekai series that defined the harem comedy sub-genre. Surprisingly enjoyable even today (most early-era isekai didn't age well). Night Head- Esper story with Yaoi-esque vibes.

Yet another company escapes the evil grasp of social media giants.

Ouran- Very popular series amongst English-speaking anime watchers at the time (moreso than Japan relative to the anime-watching population). Non-doormat otomege style heroine/protagonist cross-dressing as a guy while playing with the hearts of girls as part of club activities. Gintama- A series that needs no intro... you either love it or you hate it. Black Lagoon- Blood, guns, explosions, death... fun fun and fun all over for people who love violence. Glass no Kantai- Middling quality space opera. The Third Aoi Hitomi no Shoujo- Kami-anime save for the fact that they ran out of budget midway through and several episodes dropped quality. Music is top-quality, story is generally emotional and interesting, setting is post-apocalyptic with a single faction holding all the technological cards. Protagonist is generally a powerful and well-developed character that is made more so by the narration dialogue. Soul Link- Horror sci-fi, mashes the VN's routes together. Reasonably enjoyable for a single watch. Simoun- Yuri-esque mech series. Princess Princess- Surprisingly good anime about a guy forced to cross-dress at a guys' school. Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni- Does this need an intro? Higurashi's anime is a classic great, even though I only wanted to watch it once (once the mysteries are solved, it is hard to go back to this kind of thing). xxxHolic- Very very good for someone who wants to dig into the peculiarities of some aspects of Japanese myth, occultism, and fables, as well as for those who want to understand the language better. This series' dialogue - particularly Ms. Witch's - is great for learning to pick up subtleties as opposed to general vocab and grammar. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu- One of the few tolerable 'psychedelic' anime.

You might be wondering why I chose this VN for the first one to review in quite some time, and you would be right to wonder. I wonder why I felt drawn to this VN myself, given how the first impression from the cover is a nukige. However, something about it drew me in and made me want to play it. Thankfully, it isn't an experience I grew to regret, so I'll go ahead and give you my impressions. This VN focuses on a club (six girls, one guy) who get stranded in an abandoned village in the mountains, surrounded by impassible mist. The protagonist, Itsuki starts having ero dreams that disgust him, and the girls gradually start acting strangely. A red-eyed, white-haired girl named Kagome occasionally appears and hints at the nature of his predicament and warns him the only way to leave the village is to offer up a sacrifice. Up to now, there are no actual spoilers you can't find on the official website. Atmosphere-wise, this game kind of resembles Higurashi, though the actual content is drastically different (basically exchange violence for h-scenes and Rika for Kagome, lol). A great deal of the actual plot parts is the characters gathering food and researching the village as they try to find a way out, even as they find themselves going a little crazy (sometimes realizing it, sometimes not). The story itself is structured so that most of the content is shared, with the final split-off occurring rather late in the game (about seven-eighths of the way through). If it weren't for the impact of the last scenes in each ending, I would have complained about this, but it works out well because the point of the split-off is timed perfectly from the perspective of telling the story as a whole. For people who want a straight-out happy ending, I recommend only playing Kagome's path, because it is really the only ending where things turn out in a way that doesn't leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. I very much enjoyed the way the writers portrayed the differing perspectives between the various characters, with the discussions between Kagome and the protagonist often providing the most food for thought. In conclusion, this is a VN for those who like a little mystery, a lot of H, and bittersweet experiences.

The Sakura series is typical of Sca-ji, who tends to overuse foreshadowing and unreliable narrators. Personally, Sca-ji's VNs make me want to pull my last few remaining hairs out in frustration, more often than not.

Mushi-shi- Weird series that is nonetheless reasonably enjoyable. Most episodes in the series are standalones, so there is no real sense of a unified story. Shakugan no Shana- Top-class fantasy anime with a strong setting and first-class presentation. Jigoku Shoujo- Proxy Revenge using a damned (literally) loli and her demonic companions. Angel Heart- Action drama series. Reasonably high-quality. Reliant on you knowing City Hunter to get everything. Solty Rei- Second-rate sci-fi action series. A decent watch to kill time with, but not something to go out of your way to watch. Lamune- VN turned SOL anime. Shares the same problems most VNs turned anime from this era had. Black Cat- Series following an assassin (who becomes a former assassin) as he tries to escape his past after a girl changes him (pretty tropey, but meh). Eve (Golden Darkness) from To Love Ru (an alternate world version, possibly) is present in this story as a main character, for those who like easter eggs. Rozen Maiden 2- Continuation, not much to be said if you saw the original.

This review is a bit spoiler-y for my tastes, but this is one of my favorite VNs for a reason. Shumon Yuu is perhaps the single best all-around writer that has ever graced the VN scene. I don't say this because he produces VNs that fit my tastes - quite the reverse, most of his VNs are not a good fit for my obsessions or tastes - but rather because it is a simple fact that no other VN scenario writer I've encountered has ever managed to put half as much meaning as he puts into every VN he writes. Some have edged farther ahead (Sakura, Moyu comes to mind) in seeking to match Shumon Yuu, but most don't even manage to do that, even amongst plotge from the 'golden era of VNs' (2004-2011). To be clear, he isn't a setting-builder. Shumon Yuu builds stories and uses settings as a tool, rather than making settings the object (Light's Masada and second team both tend to do the latter, as a contrast from a company that fits my tastes). If any VN writer that has ever lived can be considered a true artist, it is him.