Clephas

3x3 Eyes is a classic, though it shows its age pretty severely. The problem is the story itself isn't complete, so watching it is depressing. Teito Monogatari is one of those anime that makes no sense, because the points in the anime are so disjointed. The fact that it is still fun to watch means that it doesn't matter as much as it does for later generations of anime. Arslan Senki was a nice bloody fantasy in a period of my life when I'd just gotten addicted to anime. Unfortunately, like a lot of the best anime from this period, the story is incomplete and a bit disjointed.

RG Veda was one of the first anime I knowingly watched (I didn't know Voltron was anime until much later, though given how fragmented the story was, I should have guessed). While yes, the story is both rushed and stops before it goes anywhere, it is immensely fun to watch for lovers of combat fantasy. That said, I can't help but feel sad they never bothered to do justice to the setting.

I played Gore Screaming Show approximately three months after I began playing untranslated VNs, so - oddly enough - I remember most of the important bits. At the time, it was already considered a classic by the English-speaking, untranslated-playing community, but I think it was considered so more because it had all the iconic elements of a good Japanese horror story. At the time, the style was mildly popular in the JVN community, with Sabae no Ou and others still being produced quietly in the background for the fanboys. However, the genre pretty much vanished after 2013, with most horror taking a different tack afterward. Gore Screaming Show, like a lot of the horror VNs of the time, involves a lot of tentacles, a chaotic evil true heroine, and sudden bursts of horrific blood splatter. There are also several bad endings with story, including one that branches off the true path.

First, I should note that this game suffers from what are likely budget constraints. I say this because some of the VA choices are... questionable. Ragou's VA in particular is something of a disaster, with a discordant mismatch between the voice and the characterization. This stands out even more because other choices like Kaen and Diran's male VAs are actually really awesome matches. I failed to properly articulate what the music in this game resembles at most sometimes... and that would be Persona 5. Something about a number of the tracks resembles the ones seen in that game enough that, in combination with the horrible color choices, made me feel like something was off at a lot of points in the story. Common Route The common route of this game is not particularly long (the game as a whole is not nearly as long as any of Light's other games), but it does serve its purpose. In introduces the primary antagonists, the heroines, the side-characters, and the protagonist while setting the stage for future conflicts. It is functional, more than anything else, and if it weren't for the excellent characterization for Mizuri, Shion, Amane, and Tsubasa, it would be considered bland. Ragou and Kaien, for pure chaotic evil characters, are pretty amusing to watch, despite the fact that they are doing horrible things to people. My complaint is that there is too much time spent on SOL for a Light game. Yes, there is a sense that you need to know what the characters are losing for it to be poignant when everyday life is disrupted, but the ratio is a bit skewed for this game, considered the golden ratio of SOL to plot and action in any good chuunige is 1:4:3. Tsubasa Tsubasa is a weird heroine... not the least of which because she is a TS heroine who was once a guy. However, in opposition to this, she tends to be the sexiest of the three heroines due to her characterization (it was intentional). She is also the most 'classic' onmyouji of the two human heroines, using some familiar onmyouji techniques and preferring the bow as her weapon of choice. Her story is, at least in part, a confrontation with her past, and the primary conflict - for her, at least - is internal rather than external. While there is some buildup to a major confrontation toward the end, it needs to be said that the whimsical nature of the antagonists makes the shift to the final battle somewhat abrupt. In addition, it felt like this path didn't really have the sheer drama I'm familiar with from the company's usual works. It isn't a horrible path, but it does feel more like a Millie path than a Chitose path. Amane Amane is Hayato's adopted older sister who was raised by his grandfather with him. She is a total brocon and constantly clinging to Hayato when she is with him. However, the best way she can be described when she is away from him is 'cold and competent'. She is a master of kenjutsu and a 'power type' onmyouji, using techniques that fall into the 'open path' style of direct combat rather than the more roundabout styles like Houjutsu (which is basically a preparation is everything), Fuujutsu (the art of binding and sealing), or Injutsu (the art of curses and turning ties against an opponent). It makes sense, since the protagonist takes a lot of his inspiration from her. Her path is more involved with Kaien, as opposed to the way Ragou was the prime antagonist for Tsubasa's path. You'll discover this during his first appearance, but Kaien is the kind of absolute evil that just deserves a good superhero punch to the face. He likes to make people suffer above all other things, and he finds the hatred people direct his way to be pleasurable. The irony is that, rather than the confrontation with him, Amane's inner conflict with her yandere nature is the bigger draw point of this path. To be blunt, if you played the common route, you'll have noticed the signs of yandere in her actions, and this path brings them out in a big way midway through. Uncharacteristic of Light's usual style, it isn't taken to its logical conclusion, instead being solved with the power of love *vomits*. Shion Shion's path is far more typical of Light's style, in that it is long, highly-detailed, and has a lot of twists and turns. Now for some explanation. Amongst the Magatsu, there are thirteen called the Thirteen Demonic Generals, who both possess a humanoid shape and intellect, as well as the ability to touch on one of the Seven Aspects of Creation and use them in a spell that matches their desires. Shion, also known as Saikakou Nue, is one of these. In the distant past, she was sealed away by the founding onmyouji of the Isurugi bloodline (Hayato and Amane's ancestor) during the Heian era. Shion herself is one of the few of her kind that is capable of coexisting with the human race, for reasons that are only illuminated in her path. She is a contrary individual, being something of a tsundere combined with someone who puts on arrogant airs and brags about her abilities to any and all that will listen. To be honest, I was a bit startled at the huge difference between Shion's path and the other two. While the first third is mostly SOL, almost the entirety of the remaining two-thirds is pure plot and action. There are plenty of good action scenes toward the end (the last two chapters of her path are almost entirely battle scenes), as well as background for Kaien (whose origin story is unbelievably sad) and Shion (whose origins are equally sad, which seems to be typical of most humanoid Magatsu). The ending itself is a tear-jerker, and I was somewhat annoyed at the very last part, for reasons that will be self-evident to anyone who dislikes Ragou. Conclusion I'd say this one is on the lower end in terms of quality for a Light VN, even if you don't include the minus points for the character design and VAs. It is ironic that even a low-quality Light game is still better than most of what the rest of the industry can produce, though, lol. Typical of my habits, I have been a bit harsh on this game, as it is in my favorite genre. It isn't going to become one of those chuunige I replay on a regular basis, either. However, it is still fine if you are starved for the genre. Edit: If I have one thing I wish they would redo (other than some of the VAs and the artwork) it would be making the story somewhat less straightforward. Too many of the conflicts in the story are resolved too easily for a Light game, and there is no foreshadowing or long sides that give life to the characters' hidden sides. In particular, Ragou remains a two-dimensional character to the end, despite being the main antagonist. It is ironic that the nihilistic sadistic demonic priest Kaien has a more filled out character than him.

More or less agree... the sprite looks a bit washed out against the background. Another solution would be to darken the colors of the background slightly to make her stand out even more and make her paleness part of the plot, though. Lots of ways to use that from a writer's perspective.

Before someone asks, I merely paused the other VN to start Magatsu Barai (and Xenoblade Chronicles 3). I will finish it (eventually). Magatsu Barai is the first Light game to be made from beginning to end after the collapse of the company's original owners. As such, it is only natural (and unfortunate, at least to an extent) that some things will have changed. To address the elephant in the room for anyone who has seen the cover or sample cgs... The coloring really is that awful. I mean, how could any cg artist think those colors wouldn't be eye cancer? On the other hand, the music is an interesting set of contrasts. There are a lot of themes that have been slightly rearranged to seem like new ones but are actually just modified ones from the Silverio series. The rest are actually quite high-quality, but then, Light has never had any problem on that side of things. For those unable to read the official website due to being Nihongo-disabled, I will explain the basic setting. Essentially, it is a world where sorcery in Japan remained intertwined with politics and daily life right up to the modern day. In that sense, the setting is somewhat reminiscent of Tokyo Ravens. However, a vital difference is that there was no real magic left outside of Japan before WWII, when the atom bombs spread it over the world when they hit Nagasaki and Hiroshima. This resulted in the Japanese having a valuable service to provide the rest of the world... exorcists and sorcerers to counter the new laws of reality that made some of the habits the rest of the world had developed disastrous. As an example of this, the 'magatsu' in this world setting essentially causes a magical reaction whenever enough harm is done to a feeling being (even an insect), and this effect magnifies the more this is done. At the beginning of the story, a news story comes up on the TV where, as the result of a country overusing pesticide against a plague of locusts, the locusts' spirits became a cloud of demonic insects that were even worse than the locusts in question. Because this happens all over the place, it is a world where magic-users always have a role to play. As such, I find the setting interesting... at least so far. As for the heroines, I'd say the two magatsu heroines are the most interesting, with the protagonist's older sister entering one step behind and Tsubasa falling a few steps behind her. This is my tastes though, so others might feel differently. A huge positive is that there are no 'Victim A' heroines in this story. All the heroines are capable of protecting themselves (sometimes better than the protagonist is... actually all of them), so there is no sense that any of them is helpless, one of the most annoying chuunige tropes. On the other hand, the protagonist is under the influence of one of the more annoying tropes of the genre... the talentless guy who nonetheless throws himself into things (think Emiya Shirou from Fate). While he does gain a power that lets him keep up, this is a power given to him by the true heroine, not a power of his own (which is another trope). All in all, my opinion so far is that this is an interesting chuunige VN whose art is eye cancer.

I'm fond of the style from ten to fifteen years ago, like seen in Ikusa Megami Zero, as well as the older style used in Dies Irae. However, that just means that, in the end, I like different types of anime styles. The tendency to go for excessively deformed or hyper-realistic designs in Western animation and cartoon styles puts me off, partially because I've spent so long with otaku media, partially because it just isn't as refined as even the worst anime style in modern times. I just don't respond to it. A few use the 'neutral style', which has a watercolor-type look combined with a more refined sprite design that is easy on the eyes, but that kind of thing requires a level of skill that most VN-makers in the West can't manage, so it is more of an exception than a trend. Edit: In the end, those are just my personal preferences. The idea that a certain style is prerequisite for VNs is not something I'm going to say yes to. I simply prefer the anime styles in general, for similar reasons to why I stopped watching Western media entirely. That is the more straight answer to the original question, lol

Well, looks like the LoS game wins the poll, though even fewer people voted than I anticipated.

Yofukashi's Monogatari vibes are why I immediately decided to drop it... to be honest, I got tired of the series after the first season. Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru is a pretty cute romantic comedy where Ayumu constantly flirts with Urushi while refusing to admit he is in love with her. Overlord 4 began slowly, but what was there was solid. I just have to wonder if they'll draw things out too much... Kinsou no Vermeil reminded me of Kanokon in a good way. Jashin-chan is Jashin-chan, you either like or hate it. Tensei Kenja looks to be a semi-solid isekai with an overpowered protagonist. Isekai Meikyuu Harem is unwatchable unless you get the uncensored version, which makes it nfsw. Kumichou Musume was cute, reminding me of Aishiteiruze Baby. Engage Kiss looks to be a trashy low-end fantasy with an unreliable protagonist. Utawarerumono is... Utawarerumono. If played the game, so far it follows things a bit more faithfully than with the first anime... RWBY is fast-paced and fun so far, but it shows signs that it will probably turn to trash later on.

LoS games tend to be great or pure trash at a rate of 1:2. It's anybody's guess as to whether this one is going to be one of the good ones.

For those who are still interested, I've been considering three VNs to play (I'm only going to play one for now), mostly because, for the first time in a while, there have actually been more than one notable release inside a four month period. The LoS game looks to be a low-tension mystery fantasy that is probably going to turn out to be a nakige, based on the getchu page. Wakai Seyo looks like what it probably is, a moderately high-quality charage by a company known for its eccentric VNs. Ambitious Mission is the latest Saga Planets game, but just looking at it from the outside mad me feel like it was one of the mediocre ones (there is a huge gap between the quality of Saga Planets' best games and their normal ones). As such, I decided to toss the coin and let the few people remaining in our dying community decide which I'll play for me. If I get more than ten votes on a single VN, I'll immediately start playing it, though (because I seriously doubt more than five or six people will actually vote on this... and even that is probably optimistic).

Magatsu Barai's PC version comes out at the end of this month, and Propeller's first game in ten years comes out in September.

Tsukihime Phantom Yu-No (original) Shuffle Fate/Stay Night

https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354055057378382 This is a short and complete series about a guy who dies and is reincarnated in a parallel version of himself, where he could see his status and has a skill that rewards him for repetitive actions. Generally speaking, this story doesn't really have any complex elements. The protagonist is something of an idiot about things he isn't interested in while being highly effective at learning and mastering things he does have an interest in. He does a lot of hilariously stupid stuff like stuffing himself to the point of puking to take advantage of his 'super recovery' skill which lets him restore his body to full health by eating or learning how to manipulate mana only to use it to make his muscle training more effective. He isn't the ambitious sort, he just enjoys training himself. The exception to his training obsession is Ichika, his first love from his first lifetime, who he adores utterly and never really forgot even when he was working himself to death. This story takes a turn for the slightly more dramatic (his status is pretty ridiculous even at the beginning) when dungeons begin to pop up all over the place on Earth (the first couple he squished, the second one with Ichika). I say slightly more dramatic because he is so ridiculously powerful that there are never any real challenges to his ability. The trend of him getting more ridiculously powerful with every passing day continues to the very end of the story, which is where he finally gets up the nerve to marry Ichika (who is just as in love with him as he is with her). Overall, this is a funny story where the protagonist manages to avoid becoming a harem protag despite his immense power.

https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054885318680 This particular WN is one where the protagonist is summoned... by the demon lord to save him from the hero! The protagonist, Kuroki, becomes a Knight of Darkness and faces off with his trauma - the hero in question - and begins a story of endless misunderstandings and plot twists. That is, in fact, the peculiar flavor of this story. Over 90% of Ankoku Kishi Monogatari's characters are self-absorbed pricks on some level, with the gods being the worst examples of them all. The protagonist, Kuroki, and the demon king Modes are the most humane characters in a world full of narcissistic men and women. On one level, this is hilarious as it leads to an endless series of misunderstandings, turn and turnabout. On another level, it is exhausting, because everyone misunderstands everyone else. There are no Eureka moments, there are only a bunch of self-absorbed powerful deities, heroes, and monsters who all fail to understand each other's motivations on any level. Kuroki is no exception to the misunderstandings... but in his case, he is just really pessimistic about how people see him and his own abilities (despite actually being one of the top most powerful beings in existence almost from the beginning and working his ass off to get more powerful). The human side of things is Hellenistic, with independent city-states working loosely together on matters they have in common and fighting one another when they aren't. Humans are much, much weaker on an individual level than even goblins or orcs, (incidentally the biggest hole in the setting is the fact that humans are still alive at all) and so their trade routes are constantly endangered, and food production is war. The demon side is feudalistic, with Modes at the top as the king, and his vassals all taking care of their own lands. The demons are not pure evil, but a lot of the Nargol races are cannibalistic toward humans while at the same time seeing them as aesthetically pleasing (in a sexual manner). This brings me to the second major hole in the setting... the fact that every species sees the human form as aesthetically pleasing (even ones like Arachne, Empusa, and centaurs). I'm pretty sure the writer did this on purpose, but it drives me a bit crazy that a giant scorpion finds human women more attractive than his arachne wife. Overall, while this can be a fun read, it can also be infuriating at times. Edit: Adding more details about the characters... The protagonist Kuroki and one of the hero's party, Shirone, are childhood friends/osananajimi, and Reiji - the hero - is a rival who traumatized Kuroki and was the cause of him becoming obsessed with martial arts. Shirone is a dreamer who loves heroes but is too self-absorbed to realize she is constantly hurting Kuroki's feelings with her idolization of Reiji. Reiji is a handsome but animalistic guy who goes out of his way to save girls (he seems to have an instinctive grasp of where to find women who need him) and thinks nothing of guys. Reiji is one of the top two narcissists in the story, whereas Shirone is just a blockhead. Alrena, the 'main heroine' of the story, is one of the world's goddesses and the one who summoned Reiji and his party of girls. She is a self-absorbed woman who dislikes most men (including Reiji), but particularly dislikes Modes for his hideousness and the fact that he used her hair to create his wife, Mona. She is really good at faking compassion, but the truth is she cares little for most people beyond how they are useful to her. This kind of personality is actually rather typical of the more powerful characters on the human and Elios pantheon's side of things.

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3581fh/ This series is the odd one out of my recent reviews. That is because it is a sci-fi story that contains a bit of Cowboy Bebop, a bit of Outlaw Star, and even a small dose of Tenchi Muyo(albeit a weak version with less mystic elements). The protagonist, Hiro, wakes up in the cockpit of his ship Krishna from the game he had been playing for the past few years. He has no memory of how it came to that, and his ship is floating around a random asteroid in a borderland star system of the Empire. What starts as a simple journey to figure out what is going on quickly becomes a long story of him building a harem, getting rich by slaughtering space pirates, and an endless series of troubles that seem to come out of nowhere to haunt his journey. The harem is somewhat of a slow-burn thing after the first two (Mimi and Elma) join him, as it is over a hundred chapters until more or added. Hiro is something of a hot dog ace pilot, mostly because of his experiences in the game, which gives him a ridiculously wide amount of knowledge and combat experience dealing with various threats on a tactical and personal level. Most of the series isn't terribly serious, because Hiro keeps snapping flags that might have made it so and because the writer pulls his punches on the series' dark-side, only hinting at some of the darker things that Hiro and the others come into contact with or referring to them indirectly without details. Overall, this is a fun series to read, though I would call it a space adventure rather than a space opera.

Oddly, writers are the easiest personnel to find for VNs. Artists (of quality) on the other hand are rare and often costly. I remember when I commissioned art for a VN I was trying to make eight years ago, I got charged forty dollars for each CG (high-detail) and fifteen for each sprite (not including variations of pose and expression). I imagine the basic costs have probably tripled or quadrupled by now, though. Considering that most VN readers are art bigots, it isn't something you can get away with skimping on (except for backgrounds... people are willing to ignore skimping on backgrounds).

This particular WN is the first I've read that isn't another world fantasy or isekai. The first thing I found myself comparing this to was Devils Devel Concept. Why? There are a lot of reasons, but a lot of it is that the protagonist is a monster in human skin and most of the characters remind me of the characters from that VN. The setting is based six hundred years after the near-destruction of civilization earth due to a massive war (basically WWIII), and humans have the option of using the Oracle system to find their perfect job. When Ibuki, the protagonist, activates the Oracle terminal, the perfect job for him is 'Daiyoukai' (great youkai), and he immediately is given an all-expenses paid trip to the mystic world that lies on the other side of reality. One thing I have to note is that Ibuki is not a person who works hard or trains or any of that stuff. In his own words 'A great youkai is something you either are or you aren't. You can't work hard at becoming one.' He embodies his own words from beginning to end, easily awakening to his power because his unique psychological structure is perfectly suited for it. The heroine of the story (there is only one) is Tamamo no Mae/Daki, who is also his ancestor. She is pretty horrible as a person, manipulating those around her with every word, gesture, and even her rhythm of breathing. Ibuki, even as he lives with her, constantly comments that she is a 'dokufu' (poison pill of a woman), but this doesn't really effect how he feels about her, which just goes to show how much a monster he is as well. I honestly loved this story (it is over), and Ibuki was an ideal protagonist from beginning to end. However, he is definitely a chaotic evil character who sometimes wavers into chaotic neutral. As he notes 'Daiyoukai, by their very nature, are poisonous to humans, as they contain a certain evil from the moment they come into being'. Ibuki, while he is often good to those he likes, is just as often a horrible influence that subtly - often without intention on his part - corrupts those around him. Definitely a fun ride, at least for me. https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2559fp/

That's what is weird about this one... it doesn't get tedious. The author is really good at making you want to read 'just one more chapter', and it never really stops. Normally, I'd agree with you, and objectively speaking, it would be nice if he hurried things up a bit. However, when I'm reading it, I don't feel that way, oddly. @Rikuremarked that he had a similar experience with it.

Madohi Shiroki Kamikakushi (Edit: Osananajimi end is the true end) Kurogane Kaikitan Waga Himegimi ni Eikan (Majinzoku side end is the true end, all three national paths are satisfying, side-heroines get gypped) Edit: Oh I forgot. Kunado Kokuki

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6442ez/ This particular series is another reincarnation story, but it stands out because the entirety of the story so far is concentrated in his childhood, where he is constantly dealing with problems beyond his abilities, faced with situations where revealing his true abilities would harm his family, and generally trying to keep his yanderish little sister from being lonely. His name is Alto Cranepot, and he is the bastard son of a noble who married into an Earl's family with the man's mistress, Ryuushka. Al, as he is called most of the time, died of overwork in his previous life and is often described as having the atmosphere of a worn-out worker that is at odds with his beautiful features inherited from his mother. Due to the fact that he had to touch his sister's soul while in the womb to help her and his mother survive, his sister is totally obsessed with him from the moment she is born. His teacher, Eibelle, is the series heroine, one of the two remaining ancestors of the elven race, the Arch Elves, her nickname being 'hametsu' (Ruin) for the fact that she was always the one to destroy threats in the previous ages (she is at least ten thousand years old, but as innocent in matters of romance as a girl can get). She is not only his love interest but his teacher of sorcery and easily the most adorable character in the series. It helps that Al loves her from almost the first time he meets her, and she shares that feeling. The entirety of the seven hundred and so chapters that have come out so far has only resulted in him turning eight years old, as the author is cramming an immense amount of detail into every year of his life. As such, there is no way you can consider this to be a complete story. However, it is an immensely enjoyable read, as Al struggles to have a normal life while ruining those plans with his own hands and efforts. Overall, this is a great choice for people who like isekai stories that are mostly daily life with a side of comedy and action/adventure. I don't recommend this to people who want fast-paced stories. I do recommend it for people who like their stories to have a lot of details.

This particular series follows a guy who dies after being trampled by an escaped horse as he is revived in another world and told to live freely. He is given two major growth cheats right up front (20 times experience gain, plus 1/20 experience to next level) and becomes immensely powerful in a relatively short time, while gathering a group of friends and lovers around him (he only has two lovers, which is pretty low compared to most isekai protagonists). Throughout most of the story, he picks the jobs he wants to level up at random or based on his needs at the moment, so you can't really say he is an intelligent and far-sighted protagonist. In addition, he is highly reliant on the moral support of Haru and Kyaro (his lovers) to keep himself balanced. The theme of this story is very much a 'normal guy his given immense power but no purpose', and it is only toward the end that things become truly serious and he is forced to stand against fate. Since the protagonist doesn't become morally defunct (something that happens to roughly half of the serious isekai protagonists I've seen so far), chapter for chapter, this isn't a bloody series. Nor is it graphic. The protagonist tends to try to save everyone he can while not endangering those close to him, but he doesn't have a hero complex. It is more a situation where the protagonist has the power to do something about it, so he does. The story itself is fairly solid and internally consistent, even if it appears to go off on tangents regularly (the intermissions with the two idiots and their monster donkey are a perfect example of tangents turning out to be important). However, it is also a long story to read, and it gets off to a relatively slow start until the events that result in him buying Haru. Overall, it is a complete series that never truly loses its shine from beginning to end, so it is worth reading for those who like isekai stories.

It's already translated.

I couldn't get into Heiwa Deshita. The first one I read part of but put aside because it didn't match what I wanted at the time. I'll look at the second one, eventually... I read a couple of Mobsekai-types already, but I'll keep it in mind.

To be honest, Sairin Yuusha is one of the worst WNs I've ever read. I kept reading until it cut off because I thought it would eventually get good, but the protagonist is weak and there is never any real progress with the heroine. The story itself is a revenge story about a hero who is murdered by his own party right before he is about to fight the Demon King. Thirty years later, he is summoned again and starts on a journey of revenge, forming an alliance with a former demon queen and generally wreaking havoc on his enemies in a world that he feels betrayed him. His revenge is pretty graphic - so those who like that kind of thing will probably get off on this - but, to be honest, he is so focused on the revenge part of his journey that he never really grows as a person until right before the author stopped posting it (literally in the last volume). If the writer had included some softer moments to cushion the constant 'push forward and get revenge', I would have liked it more. I also would have liked it if the heroine's personality had fit her role in the story, but unfortunately, she often was the source of me being jerked out of my immersion in the story.