First, I should state that I'm not a fan of Lass in general. Legion and Tsurugi Maya are decent writers... but as scenario-designers go, they tend to screw up the pacing at the beginning and toward the end of their VNs to one degree or another. Also, they have a long-standing preference for the 'only difference is the epilogue' style of 'heroine route', which leaves people like me who enjoy immense variations in story based on which heroine is chosen feeling unsatisfied.
In that sense, Liber 7 is no exception. This VN is structured so that only small amounts of content are actually changed based on which heroine you choose (with the exception of Miku, who has a really extensive true ending).
Technically, it would be proper to call Liber 7 a chuunige in the 'old style', where the protagonist's side is full of characters just 'caught up' in the conflict of the story. In this case, as in most chuunige of this type, the characters adapt to their new abilities quickly and the protagonist goes from being a 'normal guy' to a central mover even faster. In my experience, this is the weakest type of chuunige, as the idea of a 'normal guy' adapting so easily to supernatural battles and the like is pretty ridiculous.
I'll be straight about this game... for all that it does have a lot of moments where it shines (especially when it tries to evoke your emotions), this VN also has an excessive amount of tedium. The 'time loop' trope is one of the most over-used ones in fantasy and sci-fi stories, but most of the time, the writers have the sense to avoid rehashing the same events more than twice. Unfortunately, the writers in this game chose to rehash the events of the first morning completely in every single loop, which made me bored on top of the headache I got from my stomach virus.
That said, this VN has some nice combat scenes (nothing on the level of Light's or Akatsuki Works games, but decent), and I particularly loved the scenes dealing with Clair, Saya's, and, finally, Miku's issues. The emotional impact from those characters' personal difficulties is intense and worth a tear or two.
Honestly, I can say that this VN is a mixed bag. It has some really solid scenes and parts to it, but the pacing is sometimes awkward. Not to mention that the way that Lass deals with heroine routes is more than a little unsatisfying by even charage standards. This isn't a VN of the Month level game, but if you are just looking for a mystery science-fantasy VN to pass the time, it isn't a horrible choice.
Ryuukishi is the sequel to Ryakudatsusha no In'en, which was released last month... or rather, Ryakudatsusha is a prelude/prequel to this game. However, the fundamental nature of the game has changed greatly. For one thing, this VN lacks the constant rape and mutilation scenes that were so a part of Ryakudatsusha...
... well not entirely. There is only one rape scene, and there are a few guro scenes. However, those scenes are not nearly as dominant as the ones in Ryakudatsusha. For those who liked the prelude, this game might be a bit of a shock to the system.
Anyway, this VN is based some time after the events in Ryakudatsusha, and Roy's manner and appearance have changed greatly. The grim adolescent of the first game has become a smiling young wandering apothecary, and his sword is now no longer in evidence. The setting is in a walled city at the foot of a mountain where a fire dragon lairs. Despite attacks by the dragon at irregular intervals, the city has thrived for several centuries, and its knights have systematized the process of sacrificing their lives to draw the dragon away from the civilians, knowing they can do nothing else.
The tone of this game, despite its frequently bloody/gory events, is far milder than Ryakudatsusha. There is some slice-of-life, which is mostly used for deepening the connection to the setting and heroines, as well as progressing the story. There are also some seriously good fights in this game, as Roy sometimes is forced to show his old skills in order to protect the four female knights who serve as the harem/heroines for the game (yes, it is a harem, lol).
The actual progression of the game is kinetic, with all the choices merely creating changes in individual scenes, rather than the story itself. The setting itself retains the darkness of Ryakudatsusha, while leavening the blood-soaked dough that is this particular fantasy world with lighter and gentler moments.
... I'm going to be blunt about this... I can't believe this was written by the same guy who wrote Nekopara, Sakura Bitmap, and Strawberry Nauts. This VN has an overwhelming degree of impact compared to his other works, to the point where I'm even willing to consider it a kamige. Music, music-usage, story, presentation, art, and art usage are all at their highest levels, combining to create a nakige whose impact is far out of proportion to its length (which is only about seven hours, for me).
I honestly wasn't expecting the emotional impact of this VN. In terms of this quality, it approaches Houkago no Futekikakusha, without being an utsuge... I literally cried throughout the entire game, to the point where my sinuses are swollen and my eyes bloodshot. From the very beginning, this game makes no pretense at being anything other than what it is... a cathartic trip full of love, despair, sorrow, and loss with a drop of hope.
I won't spoil you as to the central concept, even though it is tempting. Based on the fact that no details of the setting other than the characters are revealed in any detail on either the official website or the Getchu page, in addition to my own experience, I can say straight out that this is a VN best enjoyed without someone giving you details to the setting or situation. I will say that it is a fantasy setting, based in a world that has early nineteenth-century tech (no guns that I saw though), based on the presence of an ice box and ice sellers in the game. This is also based on the fact that matches exist but electric lights apparently don't, since the characters are using candles and oil lamps.
This game is pretty short, mostly due to its structure, where heroine 'paths' only come into existence after the main story is over, as epilogues for each of the four individual heroines (Haru, Yuki, Kotose, and Ren). There is no 'true' heroine in this game, for those are wondering. All the heroines are quite literally equal, though the protagonist is a bit more intimate with Ren and Haru, which is probably more of a reflection of the writer's preferences than anything else.
This game is 100% 'business', including the slice-of-life scenes. Not one scene in this VN is wasted on something other than portraying the characters' suffering and joy or progressing the story. To be blunt, if this game weren't so perfectly designed, I'd probably be calling it 'bare-bones' in that aspect. That lack of wasted time is actually of immense help, as it prevents the phenomenon of 'contempt due to familiarity' that tends to occur when a VN has an excess of 'meaningless' slice-of-life scenes.
This VN isn't humor-centric, so don't expect a lot of laughs out of it. The heroines have serious issues, and even in everyday life, those issues peek out from beneath the surface on a regular basis. As a result, humorous situations are relatively limited after the setting's central issue gets introduced to you and you come to understand the protagonist's objective.
Unfortunately, there is little more I can say about this VN without ruining it for you. I can say it is a first-class nakige, and I can say it is a cry-fest designed to suck the tears out of you with a virtual vacuum cleaner. However, that is just a repeat of what I said above. I do advise that anyone who goes into this VN should do so without excessive prior knowledge, as it is a VN that is best enjoyed with a 'clean slate' the first time around.
VN of the month November 2016
Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana
Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate - The Code Name is "Shield 9" is the VN that most vets think of when they think of AXL as a company. For better or worse, this has become the defining work in this company's library, and it is the only one that has any sort of English release patch out (though it is only a partial with Yukino's route).
This VN is something of a thriller, focusing on Kisaragi Shuuji as he protects Yukino, Ren, and Marina from the assassins and would-be kidnappers inside their school. Unfortunately for him, this means he has to dress up as a woman... and this was another part about this VN that has become genre-defining looking at it in retrospect.
There are generally two types of 'trap protagonists', the type that is always uneasy with it and the type that adapts completely to it (when they don't think about it deeply). Examples of the former include Shuuji in this one, the original Otoboku protagonist, and Ruitomo's protagonist. Examples of the latter include the protagonist of Koi no Canvas, the protagonist of Tsuki ni Yorisou Otome no Sahou, and a few others. Most of the former type tend to have a heavy comedic element and/or a strong serious element. This VN is definitely of the serious type, though there are a lot of amusing moments.
Because of his role as a bodyguard, Shuuji is constantly on the lookout for threats, and there are some nice showdowns throughout the VN, though which of the two final antagonists serves as the main in individual heroine routes varies from route to route. The common route has some serious 'wtf, he/she is an assassin?!' moments, and there are some moments where Shuuji gets to show off how cool he is. However, as was the tradition with 'school life' VNs at the time, Shugotate deliberately breaks up those moments with mild comedy and a ton of slice-of-life.
This is a VN that is the most enjoyable the first time around, when you aren't spoiled to whom the villains/antagonists are, and you aren't yet familiar with the background of what is going on. Looking at it on my third time around, my thoughts are identical to the second time... 'this VN is best when you aren't spoiled about the antagonists'. Part of this VN's attraction is not knowing who the enemy is until the game actively hints at it, as well as not knowing how a scene will turn out. While the endings are classic AXL, being reasonably satisfying and bringing setting the tone for future imaginings on the characters' futures, I have come to the conclusion that they are a lot more touching the first time around, lol.
Even looking at it from this perspective and despite the somewhat dated conventions of the time (the somewhat ridiculously fast-moving romantic elements), this VN is still amongst one of those most high-class VNs in history... it just doesn't survive multiple playthroughs by people who happen to remember who the enemy is, lol.
That said, Setsuko's and Yukino's paths are still great even now and after multiple playthroughs. However, that just shows that those two heroines are the ones the writers liked the most, due to the level of emotional impact you get from their stories.
Now, comparing this to Bara no Seibo, the sequel released earlier this year, I have to say that Bara no Seibo built nearly perfectly on the foundation established in this VN, keeping the nice suspense and action writing while cutting down on the 'break the mood' moments that sometimes pop up in this one. Moreover, it is based off of a non-romance version of Setsuko's ending, which is a huge plus for me, since her route is my favorite by far (Setsuko is awesome. Setsuko Banzai!). After playing this again, I almost wished I'd only played this one for the first time immediately before Bara no Seibo due to the degree to which the two games meld together.
I'm going to be frank... for people who liked the original game and those who didn't, this is a waste of time. Do I sound like a jerk? I'm not trying to be... I don't think I've ever come across such a weak direct sequel (since it really is a full game). I sampled one of the new heroines, one of the main heroines from the original game, one of the secondary heroines from the original game, one of the sub-heroines from the original game, and one of the 'extra' heroines from the original game (Tia>Yurina>Silvia>Jubei>Minamo). As a result, I came to a very straightforward conclusion...
... this game is crap. Oh, in terms of visuals and sound effects, it is massively improved. The main story, such as it is, has a few nice battle scenes too... but in every single path, after the shared scenes are over, it slips into a third-rate charage 'lovers' pattern. The actual romance is lackluster, all the heroines already love the protagonist so there is no struggle, and all conflicts were either resolved in the previous game or in this one.
So what is there left to experience? Ichaicha and h-scenes, my least favorite part of a VN. There are no individual conflicts, difficulties, or troubles to resolve. There are no grand difficulties that are unique to each heroine path... so what you have is a bunch of 'industry standard' post-drama heroine-protagonist lovey-dovey BS that drives me up the wall.
That isn't even mentioning that the new heroines suck, lol.
As part of my series of posts on AXL, today I finished replaying Like a Butler, one of AXL's earlier charage-type VNs. This VN is of a type that hadn't really been touched until AXL opened it up... the ojousama-ge. Just to give you a little history, until the release of Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no in 2006, there hadn't been any really good or famous ojousama-ge made. It was only after 2010 when the sub-genre exploded outward into the ridiculous numbers we've seen since (with Ensemble alone producing fifteen in the last eight years, if you include fandiscs).
I'll be straight about it... ojousama-ge are the type of charage I'm most likely to like besides fantasy type charage. I have a definite positive bias toward this type of game, so if I don't like an ojousama-ge, it really is crap, lol.
Anyway, Like a Butler starts with the usual ridiculous premise upon which about 80% of all of this type of VN are based off of... the protagonist transferring to an academy for rich people (usually for some kind of absurd reason). In this case, his osananajimi Kanade (who is a pure-hearted, dog-like, extremely friendly girl with an absolute trust in the protagonist that is a bit extreme) gets chosen as a scholarship student for an academy for the children of the ultra-rich (think hundreds of millions of dollars). Kanade begs Kazuki, the protagonist, to serve as her butler at the school, so she won't be alone amidst a bunch of unfamiliar people. He, being weak to her requests, eventually gives in.
A lot of the earlier parts of the VN are as much about culture shock as anything else (it's mutual, needless to say). Kanade, being Kanade, manages to burrow her way into the hearts of her fellow students relatively easily, and Kazuki, as her butler, begins to accustom himself as well.
Some notes about AXL's style with this type of game... unlike more modern ojousama-ge, which tend to avoid snobbish heroines and main characters, AXL doesn't hesitate including the characters' prejudices and cultural blind spots (again, it is mutual), so expect some friction between the characters as a result. This is especially so for Sarasa and the protagonist, as Sarasa is the epitome of the 'super-rich girl who believes in her own fundamental superiority' and Kazuki has a fundamental dislike for being looked down upon.
One of the best parts about this VN, other than the usual AXL antics, excellent storytelling, and wonderful character development, is the way they did the heroine paths. Rather than being a straight road to a set ending, each of the heroines (save for Kiriko, the extra heroine) has a three endings... one good, one bad, and one extra good. The first good ending is an abbreviated version where the protagonist's final situation is something of a result of 'going with the flow' of the relationship. These endings resemble the standard charage ending, save for the fact that they have 'years later' epilogues. The second good ending is always the best... in both the path itself and the epilogue, you see the results of the protagonist seeking to better himself and his environment, as well as confronting the obstacles in his way to form a better and more permanent relationship with the heroines. To be blunt, I cried with joy at Sarasa's and Mizuho's second good endings, and with good reason. The trials and tribulations, as well as the wonderfully designed epilogues made it feel like the protagonist had actually grown far beyond his beginnings in each case... and the heroines were generally much happier.
Overall, for those who like this type of charage, this is a must-play. The only downside from some people's point of view is that the visuals are typical AXL, meaning that they've looked pretty much the same for the past ten years, lol. (go to hell, art bigots)
This VN is the third AXL VN I played, way back in 2011. This VN is a charage with a twist. That twist is that its setting is a military school run by a PMC (Private Military Corporation) named Blaze, designed to produce bodyguards, special forces mercenaries, and military researchers.
It starts out with the protagonist entering the school, hoping to reunite with his osananajimi Yui, having promised to do so as a child *pauses for laughs*, and having exchanged letters over the years, keeping in touch despite having not seen her for a decade. Naturally, the second she sees him, she greets him coldly and tells him to leave, lol.
This VN has a ton of heroines... to be specific, eight of them. There are four routes, each with a main heroine and a sub-heroine. The main heroines are Yui (the osananajimi), Mifuyu (a yurufuwa oneesan genius researcher), Narumi (a genkikko with a penchant for kicking men who surprise her), and Lotte (a genius loli who heads up the Military Class). The sub-heroines are Otoha (Yui's sadistic half-sister), Hiyori (Otoha's adorable maid), Shiori (the stereotypical loli-teacher), and Ayano (the drill sergeant).
Anyone who has played an AXL game and liked it will enjoy the character interactions and the humor (and find them familiar), so I'll just say that it is an acquired taste and leave it at that. As for the story... a lot of it is building relations between the characters and developing them, like any good charage, so it ends to focus on the 'Equipment Raids' (class vs class battles where they fight to determine who gets the best classroom equipment) and training. The turning point is during survival training, where it splits off into the four separate routes. That survival training is also where the group character development reaches its peak, and by then I was pretty attached to the characters once again.
The heroine paths in this VN are somewhat heavy on the ichaicha, but it is far better balanced than most charage, where the flirting and sex is the entire point. The heroines have serious issues and real drama is involved in resolving them (well, the main heroines, anyway). While I could have done with a more extensive path for Otoha or Ayano, the story for the main heroines was done very well, and I enjoyed seeing those characters' issues resolved.
Overall, as charage go, this gets high points for escaping the usual 'school life' setting by going for a military academy setting, and it benefits from the setting not allowing for a ton of dating scenes. In addition, the drama of overcoming obstacles with friends is a nice improvement over the 'abandonment' that tends to occur of the other characters whenever one gets onto the average charage path, lol.
AXL is a really weird company.
I don't mean that as an insult. AXL produces VNs with very little variation in quality, consistently producing stories and characters that are fun to read about... However, when I take a step back and really think about it, their characters are the same between products, right down to the voices and (to an extent) their appearance.
AXL is probably the only VN company out there that hasn't radically changed its visual style in the past ten years... in fact, it hasn't changed at all, save to get slightly sharper due to HD technology. Where most companies abandoned old styles or melded them with new ones, AXL has remained the same, utilizing variations on the same character models, the same character personalities, and even the same music.
So why does each game they produce feel fresh and interesting?
It is perhaps one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had with a company, but AXL manages to be interesting despite never changing. Its games have decent stories, interesting settings (ex: The PMC-run military school in Mamorikata and the Search and Rescue school in Dolphin Divers, or its line of fantasy VNs), and generally enjoyable VNs. Honestly, just because they never just do the 'go to a normal school and obtain a harem' style charage is a plus point in their favor. I'd put up with a lot from them just for that, but the fact that they maintain a high level of quality in their narrative is perhaps the second-biggest point in their favor (the biggest one being their penchant for unusual settings).
In the end, my last conclusion is the same as my first... AXL is a weird company. It is interesting precisely because it doesn't go adventuring with anything but the setting. Normally, I'd be the first to condemn a company for refusing change, but in this case, I have nothing but praise for them, since I hardly even notice that lack of change unless I take a second to look at it objectively.
I decided to start a series covering certain tropes I consider to be generally toxic for various reasons. These tropes are not character archetypes (which I will probably make a different series of posts about later), just to let you know.
This time, I want to cover the childhood promise, and easygoing relationships with osananajimi heroines.
The Childhood Promise
Perhaps one of the most prolifically used tropes in charage in particular and VNs in general, the childhood promise is also one of the most poorly utilized tropes in existence.
There are a number of reasons why a writer might choose to use this... and here is a list:
1) To create an excuse for a deredere heroine. For better or worse, the childhood promise has created more heroines who were in love with the protagonist before the story began than any other trope. 'Love at first sight' is such a fundamentally ridiculous concept that it isn't even worth considering when it pops up, so this often takes the place of that trope with deredere heroines.
2) To lessen the need for non-flashback character development. The flashback is a useful tool when characterizing a heroine, as the past is the building blocks of a character. However, with a childhood promise, flashbacks sometimes take on a new meaning and intensity, sometimes even taking center stage from the heroine's story in the present.
3) To create impetus for the formation of a romantic relationship. This is the most obvious reason, since all tropes in a charage are directed to eitehr developing the characters or the romance.
The problem with this trope is that it really is overused. How many heroines have you encountered who have had a protagonist promise marriage to them in the past? What about a promise to reunite in the future? What about a promise to always be friends? It seems like two out of three of all charage inevitably use this particular trope, and, while it is a convenient one, it does have a tendency to cheapen the overall experience when utilized poorly. In and of itself, like most tropes, it has the potential to be immensely useful... and when used properly it does actually enhance the experience. However, there is a tendency with the current generation of charage/moege writers to 'rely' on it rather than 'use' it.
Easygoing relationships with Osananajimi Heroines
The Osananajimi Heroine is the single most common type of heroine in existence... and almost as common is the easygoing relationships between them and the protagonists (extreme tsunderes sometimes being an exception). As an example, the protagonist from Tsuyokiss and Kani. He wakes her up every morning before going to school, they exchange insults almost like male friends... and when things finally turn to romance neither can seem to figure out how to do it.
This trope's pitfall is right there... whenever the time comes to transform it into a romantic relationship, you get huge bumps, with neither side apparently capable of figuring out how to get out of a decade-long rut. The first few times you run into this, it is kind of funny, but the thirtieth time I hit this particular bump, I was at the point where I wanted to drop any and all osananajimi heroines out the airlock and into the nearest star.
Worse is when the writer awkwardly rewrites the boundaries of their relationship. Humans are creatures of habit, so it doesn't make sense for the heroine and protagonist to completely ignore that perfectly serviceable path they've been using for years for the overgrown and hard to see path going off into the Forest of Normal Lovers.
The point is, as amusing as this trope can be, it doesn't mix well with romance.
Minamijuujisei Renka is by far my favorite Studio Ryokucha game. The setting, the characters, and the presentation of this VN are first class. The only real downside this VN has is that the true (Kanori's) ending stops short of tying up all the loose ends.
The setting of this VN is in a southern island, purchased from old Britain by a now-defunct kingdom and colonized by the nobles from that kingdom. It is called the 'Dukedom of Gwinburg', despite being ruled by a king because of the fact that the individual who originally developed the islands (two centuries before) was a Duke who merely bowed and lent his lands to his king-in-exile when that king arrived, fleeing from their original homeland.
This VN is surprisingly deep in concept, touching on concepts that will be familiar to anyone who is aware of the way South Africa was alike during Nelson Mandela's youth. The white nobility basically lord it over the aboriginal and immigrant communities, despite most of them being laden with debt, and, until Kanori became princess, the majority of the country was either mined-out wasteland or slums (outside of the districts held by the nobility). Kanori spearheaded an initiative that brought foreign investment - primarily from Japan - as well as building low-cost housing out of abandoned containers from cargo ships, and as a result, the slums disappeared and the wasteland was filled in and rebuilt as an economic district where companies carried out various research that is borderline illegal in their homelands.
The protagonist of the story, Tobe Ryousuke, is brought to the Dukedom by his twin little sisters who agreed to work at a research lab in return for letting him go to school. The reason for this is that he was working his ass off to support them, then collapsed from exhaustion, making the twin geniuses resolve to act to save him from himself.
Ryousuke is a kind-hearted young man with a maturity far beyond his years and a streak of altruism a mile wide. He is also athletic and sincere (though he is only of average intelligence), with an extensive knowledge of survival techniques and outdoor pursuits such as hunting and spelunking. His good nature easily worms him into the hearts of the heroines, especially Kanori, and he is one of the more believable protagonists I've seen in one of Studio Ryokucha's games.
There are five heroines in this game... Miyako (Ryousuke's cousin on his mother's side), Mitsuki (a genius engineer who is utterly incapable of taking care of herself), Elize (a loli knight who is Kanori's best friend and a member of the white nobility), Sakuya (a mischievous master hacker who spends most of her time exploring the old tunnels beneath the school), and Kanori (the immensely popular half-Japanese princess of Gwinburg).
Miyako's personality is more than a little acidic, and she is the type of tsundere who insults everyone in public and is extremely dependent on her beloved oniichan in private (her oniichan being Ryousuke). As a heroine, she is fairly adorable, and the drama in her path primarily focuses on Ryousuke's and the twins' origins rather than her own issues, since her issues are mostly resolved in the common route.
Mitsuki is also more than a little dependent on her small circle of friends and loved ones, both in the physical and emotion sense. The reason is that she is incapable of noticing hunger, thirst, or even outright exhaustion once she begins thinking on a subject, sometimes leading to her spending several days at a time in thought, not taking care of herself. At first she is merely dependent on Ryousuke's kindness (he brings her food and looks in on her to make sure she isn't dying), but that turns to rather open romantic affection relatively early in the common route. Her path is the weakest of the five, focusing on side issues that don't reflect that much on the main story.
Elize is a 'tsundere with reason'. Setting aside the fact that she is an adorable loli that is easily lured using candy in particular and food in general, her tendency toward violence against the protagonist primarily comes because of her worries about Kanori. She has an incredibly strong sense of duty and is more than a little uptight. However, that translates into a rather intense 'dere' when she falls completely for Ryousuke. Her path is primarily focused on the political element of the main story.
Sakuya is a living loli-shaped ball of curiosity, driven to seek out others' secrets by her impulsive nature. The way she falls for the protagonist naturally extends from her curiosity, and hers is perhaps the most straightforward of the romantic paths. Her path is primarily focused on the espionage elements of the main story.
Now we come to Kanori. Kanori is a multi-faceted character, being both an anti-establishment princess driven by the political and social realities of her current country, as well as a girl in love with a guy she only met recently. She is also a 'fujoshi' (spelled 'rotten girl' in kanji). Her love for Ryousuke is sincere and straightforward, but she has some serious issues hiding behind that smiling exterior. Her path covers all the aspects of the crisis that is ongoing in the story, but it ends on a somewhat unsatisfying note due to a failure to tie up the major loose ends of the main story (everything is revealed, but the revealed secrets are not brought to a resolution).
Overall, this is a game that combines the best of the moe-charage and story-focused VN. It has a wonderful cast of characters, a well-thought-out setting, and it presents it all in a wonderfully beautiful package. If it weren't for Studio Ryokucha's utter inability to handle making a satisfying ending, this VN would have reached kamige level.
Since I decided to go back and play two of their old games, I thought I'd explain my experiences with this company.
Studio Ryokucha, like many older charage/moege companies, tends to produce two types of games... the standard 'empty candy' charage where there is no central plot to deal with, and the 'candy with filling' type, where there is a central story/plot that serves as the backbone of the game. To be blunt, their 'empty candy' charage are second-rate at best, due to their tendency to screw up on the endings. I actually enjoy their visuals and music most of the time, and they are decent at setting up a setting. However, the heroine paths tend to end on an unfortunately flat note in most of these games. On the other hand, their 'candy with filling' types tend to be about as solid as anything else along the same lines out there. My two favorite games by this company, Minamijuujisei Renka and Koiiro Soramoyou are of this latter type.
Now, that in and of itself would not make this company stand out from the others. No, the thing that makes them stand out is their twist on the older style of character interactions... to be blunt, they still utilize tsundere and deredere heroines in large numbers. Nowadays, it has become fashionable for most heroines to avoid the tsundere pitfall, and the process of the heroine falling in love with the protagonist tends to be drawn out over a long period of time in the game. Studio Ryokucha, however, still retains the 'almost from the start in love with the protagonist' style, which is frequently looked down on by experienced otakus.
However, what makes Studio Ryokucha almost unique is their tsunderes... to be blunt, they are pretty much the only company that can still make a tsundere consistently attractive to a veteran like me. A lot of it is really subtle, but some of it is not. As an example, it is hard not to become fond of Elize in Minamijuujisei Renka, as she is a weird combination of obvious tsundere, cute-loving little girl, and warrior. I've picked her as the first heroine I went after in both cases because of the way she reacts to delicious food (that seems like a weird reason even for me, but... *shrugs*). In other words, this company can still produce moe that doesn't feel forced, a talent that allows them to ignore the realities that are driving tsunderes to extinction.
Yay, I've been summoned for jury duty... *makes a face*
That said, civil duty is civil duty, so I have to live with it interfering with my life. The first day of my summons is tomorrow, and I've spent the last four days adjusting my sleep schedule so I don't have to do something drastic like pull an all-nighter just to get there on time.
Anyway, I got all but one of the VNs I planned to play for the month done, and that last one is being a pain in the rear, so I'd have to wait anyway.
Right now, for my own amusement, I'm replaying Shukufuku no Kane no Oto wa, Sakurairo no Kaze to Tomo ni, another Studio Ryokucha game... and I'm planning to hit Minamijuujisei Renka after that. I'm most doing this because this studio is one of only a very few that knows how to do non-annoying, truly adorable tsundere, lol. I'm trying to recapture why I put up with so many tsundere routes over the years.
This VN is Akabeisoft3's latest VN, adding yet another genre to that company's list. To be straight, this is a guro-rape dark fantasy similar to Maggot Baits in atmosphere (albeit not as extreme).
The protagonist, Roy, starts out as a shota living happily with his family. However, one day bandits, led by a psychopath named Ix, attack the village, raping and murdering the women, including his mother and older sister. He himself is raped by the leader's wife as well as her shota slaves.
Surprisingly, he doesn't break, and he swears revenge against the bandit group... and joins them.
To be honest, I don't have much in the way of positive emotions about this game. It isn't my genre and it isn't to my tastes. While I gained something from Maggot Baits' 'good' ending, this VN didn't leave me feeling like there were any hidden gems in the torrent of darkness. Given a choice, I would never go back to this VN under any circumstances. In terms of quality, both visual and writing, it is impressive for such a short work (three hours of play), but, as I said, it didn't have anything I was seeking.
However, for people who like this kind of thing, it will probably be pure crack...
For those who are wondering about jury duty: I got rejected inside ten minutes without an explanation, lol. Moreover, I spent four days reversing my sleep schedule so I wouldn't be groggy and zombified... what a waste of effort.
Anyway, I finished playing Shukufuku no Kane last night but didn't have the time to post on it, given how I needed to go to bed eight hours earlier than my usual time. This is the second time I played this game,, and I had to shift the vote upward in response to my somewhat less biased opinion on it. This VN is a high quality charage... it doesn't do anything more than be a high-quality charage, but it is that, at the least.
Shukufuku no Kane is an 'ojousama-ge', a type of charage where all the heroines are from wealthy families. Moreover, the protagonist himself is that most unlikely of all things... an average guy who turns out to have been the grandson of a really wealthy old man who wanted him to succeed him. Upon his arrival, he is immediately met by his cousin, Maria, whom he meets for the first time. Maria's first words upon meeting him are that she has no intention of marrying him, in classic soon-to-be tsundere style (seriously, Studio Ryokucha is one of only about two or three companies I've played that can make tsunderes attractive).
Anyway, he has a duty to decide who he is going to marry within a year, given to him by his grandfather in exchange for paying off his father's debts (his father being a decent music teacher but being absolutely incompetent at finances). That is the primary motivation for picking one of the heroines in this game.
Now, the four heroines in this game are separated into two types... the ones the old man is fine with him marrying from the start and those he rejects out of hand. If you want to experience a classic 'protagonist overcomes the objections of _____ to marry said girl', pick Saya or Urara. If you want a path where you resolve personal and interpersonal issues to reach love, pick Maria or Kanon.
I'm going to be blunt... while the characters in this game are excellently developed, the actual paths are decent, and the setting is well-constructed... this VN falls short in the ending department by several degrees. Why do I say this? Because the second the conflict is resolved, you have about ten seconds before the path ends, leaving you wondering what happened to the characters afterward. This is actually several degrees worse than the average charage, since even most of that genre has some kind of aftermath in which you get to see and hear how the characters settled down in the wake of the path's events. It is also the reason why I kept my new vote below an 8 on vndb (8 means 'potential VN of the Month' level). It is possible for the ending of a story to ruin everything that came before, lol.
I'm going to say this straight out... Awesome job, Alcot!!!
There is a peculiar balance needed to make the perfect fantasy story-focused charage... and it has literally been years since the last time a VN has managed it. I should know, since I play everything fantasy that isn't a nukige and some that are.
Alcot's formula of comedy (in particular sexual comedy and situational comedy) is pretty straightforward and easy to enjoy, going across cultural lines fairly easily. As such, it doesn't require much effort to enjoy. That provides one element of this VN that 'completes' it.
Another element is the setting. Is there a solid setting? Is that setting vital to the story and utilized well to enhance it and give it life? That is definitely the case with this VN. The fantasy elements are vital to every aspect of this VN and touch upon every element of the story. I am happy to say that this VN is one of those rare fantasy VNs (non-chuuni, non-rpg) where the setting is so integral to the story as to make it inseparable.
Third is the heroine paths. Are the heroine paths consistent with the setting and the story of the common route? Are none of the heroines overly favored? Is there a good balance between ichaicha, drama, and plot? I can say yes to all these questions with this VN. The heroine paths are universally solid, with none of them exceptionally favored over the others. I was seriously impressed at the creativity of the writer when dealing with the endings, since they pretty much universally deviated from the 'golden road' of charage in peculiar ways while keeping to the spirit of the genre (happy endings for beloved characters).
Fourth is the characters in general. Do they fit into the story? Do the relationships between the characters feel 'alive', even if they aren't necessarily always believable from an excessively realistic point of view? For that matter, does the protagonist 'fit' into his role as the center of the story (and the heroines' affections)? Again, the answer is yes to all. While the protagonist isn't necessarily exceptional in most ways, he has many qualities that both make him attractive enough to make the romance portions feel real, as well as the roundness to justify such a protagonist-centric story.
What this all comes down to is that this VN is fairly close to a perfect example of the best of the sub-genre, as well as being an example of why I still play charage, even though most of them are crap hiding the gems. For people who like a strong element of fantasy in their charage, as well as a strong plot for both the characters and the game in general, this is an excellent choice. For those who prefer to avoid seriousness and stress at all costs, it might be a too much though. Also... SPOILERS BELOW
Studio Ryokucha. This company is fairly unique, utilizing an art style that differs dramatically from the standard for moege/charage but still falls into the same realm nonetheless. In addition, this company has produced a disproportionate number of excellent games, despite the fact that they are all essentially charage (though the degree to which they fit the genre differs from game to game).
Natsuiro Koi Uta is their latest work, a ‘pure’ charage set in modern Tokyo. It starts out with an archetypical turn of events… a young man (the protagonist) and a woman (one of the heroines, Yuuna) faking being lovers to deal with their families trying to arrange a marriage for them. The ‘fake lovers’ trope is one of the single most annoying tropes in existence, not the least because it makes actually forming a real relationship unnecessarily complicated.
As a ‘pure’ charage, this VN’s drama is quite limited and easily resolved, despite the seeming seriousness of the obstacles and drama in each path. To be honest, I was looking forward to a more interesting set of events popping up in the heroines’ paths, but things tended to settle down with surprising ease, leaving me feeling a bit left behind.
This VN has its emotional moments, but I will be honest with you when I say that the VN pales after having played Yomegami immediately before it. As charage go, it is a high-level VN. Two of the four heroines are interesting (I dislike genki-kei baka imoutos and wannabe oneechan osananajimis as heroines), but, because of the fake relationship thing, the protagonist has a tendency to go half-hetare right before the formation of the relationship. I honestly have very little patience for VNs that keep you in suspense about the formation of the relationship for better than half of each path, so, despite liking Shion and Yuuna, I still felt that their paths were a bit frustratingly tedious at the beginning and a bit too sexual once the relationship formed (think seven h-scenes per heroine…).
If it sounds to you like I’m just using this post to bash this VN, that isn’t how I mean it. I enjoyed parts of this VN and I honestly like the setting. However, it lacks a central story that isn’t entangled in romance, and I’m afraid that, after Yomegami, my tolerance for pure romance VNs has fallen a lot lower.
Overall, if you just want a normal charage full of adolescent romance, this VN is a good choice. However, if you want an interesting story, this VN will leave you wanting.
For those who are wondering, this is a list of VNs I'm planning to at least sample.
Yomegami
Ryakudatsuha no Inen (seriously, despite the fact that it is an obvious trap)
Gokukano (giving this a chance, in case it isn't a nukige)
Natsuiro Koi Uta
Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana (no idea what this is about, since the Getchu and official pages are somewhat vague)
Suki to Suki to de Sankaku Ren'ai
Right now, I'm playing Yomegami, having completed two endings (Iris and Lycoris). Having finished those two endings, I can say that it is something for the fans of serious/moe fusions to look into, since I'm enjoying it immensely.
ReCollect is the direct sequel to the original game, based on a 'normal' ending where certain major events in Aki's, Accela's, and Kizuna's paths never came to fruition. In fact, it is based off of a romance-less version of Aika's path, as the events in the last part of her path (before the romance/lovers thing) occur immediately before the story begins. So, if you've played Reminiscence but not ReCollect yet, it would be wise to use the update patch to activate Aika's path so you can get to know the events leading up to this game.
In this one, a new Geofront arcology called Yamato is discovered... and I literally can't say anything about the specifics without ruining it for new readers, so I'll leave it at the fact that Hidetaka does get involved with the diplomacy between them and that is the core of the story.
While Hidetaka is somewhat disappointing in the first part of the VN (as a result of his actions immediately previous, he's managed to serious piss off his boss), once things get moving with Yamato, he shows his true colors quickly, being an odd combination of a natural intriguer and a good person at heart (a rare combination to say the least).
In Kazuha's path (decendant of Tae from Akatsuki no Goei), things move quickly from the serious part to the somewhat goofy part and romance parts. As a route, it is about on par with Rin's or Nozomi's paths in the original, meaning it is short and leaves you feeling like things are unfinished. Kazuha herself is a misanthropic loli (misanthropic to the core, as opposed to heroines who fake it), so her attitude doesn't change all that much toward Hidetaka outside a few select moments. I laughed at her path, but if you asked me if it was on par with the better paths written out by this writer, I'd have to say no firmly.
Suzuka's path is significantly different. Suzuka is the Grand Marshal of Yamato, a young leader who has grown up with the responsibilities of old-style royalty to her people (and with a sense of responsibility to match them). Her path is about as long as Aki's or Kizuna's paths, perhaps longer. It is also as much about the internal politics of Yamato and its other important individuals as it is about her, so the actual romantic element feels slightly forced. This path also has some objectionable material for those who dislike stories with violence and suffering, so prepare yourself in advance if you want to read it.
Overall, despite the depth of Suzuka's path, I felt that this VN lacked a lot of the depth it could otherwise have had. What it needed was a full second chapter like the original gives if you didn't choose Rin or Nozomi, and Suzuka's path doesn't really compensate, since I still think Aki's path is more memorable in retrospect. For those who are wondering, very little to nothing seems to have been added onto the second game, unfortunately.
I picked up the Reminiscence Collectors Edition, despite the fact that I already possessed the original game, primarily so I could see how they altered things. To be blunt, the changes so far - having finished Rin's, Nozomi's, and Aki's routes - are a lot less than is indicated on the site. The typos I vaguely remembered from my first and second playthroughs are no longer present, Rin and Nozomi both got minor (very minor) touch-ups to their paths, and there are a few added scenes in the common route, here and there (again, short ones). I'm guessing that the real changes will end up being to Kizuna's route, based on how things are going.
Aki
Aki's route is on my list of 'top five little sister routes of all time' for good reason. Aki's and Hidetaka's relationship throughout the VN, save in her path, is absolutely horrible. There is no other single path in this VN that reveals more about Hidetaka than this route, as it rips open the wounds that severed their relationship in the first place. From here on, it is all SPOILERS, so I don't recommend that anyone who hasn't read this path continue from here on.
Since Aki is a heroine, it isn't really a spoiler to say that she is a total yandere once she does go love-love on the protagonist. I love yandere heroines (so many fun antics) and Aki falls in with the best of the non-violent ones. There are echoes of Kaede from Shuffle in her (the anime version, not the VN version, lol), though the degree to which Aki's hate turns to love is a lot more intense than with Kaede. This is further enhanced by her personal circumstances (her illness).
Edit: For those who are interested, Aika's route, which was included as an addition to the original game, is fairly good for a sub-route, though it lacks the impact of the latter three routes of the game (Aki, Kizuna, Accela) In terms of quality, it is about equivalent to Rin's or Nozomi's routes. There is one thing I'd like to mention, having completed this entirely... Reminiscence reminds me of how frustrating Kinugasa Shougo can be. This guy absolutely hates actually completing his stories, so reading VNs by him always leaves you feeling like you are waiting for a sequel.
I think we can all agree I've read a lot of VNs. *waits for audience laughter with a smile*
*looks sad when the audience laughter recording doesn't work*
Anyway, over the years I've encountered a lot of writers. Some were mediocre, others were decent, yet others were good... and some were just great.
I decided to list the writers I honestly think have a lot of talent and whose works are something we, as VN fans, should at least keep an eye on. Tier One presents writers who are 'masters of their craft', to the point where they can be put onto a pedestal with few qualms.
My list:
Hino Wataru- Hino Wataru is Akatsuki Works' primary writer. His bad habits include a tendency toward overuse of line repetition (like 'soredemo, to' in Comyu and 'norowareta sekai' in Ruitomo) and an absolute adoration for hedge philosophy themes in each VN he writes. However, if you can endure his quirks, his raw writing is actually really high quality, and he does have a serious talent for scenario construction. It's just too bad that you can tell how he favors his heroines based on their path length and closeness to the 'true' heroine.
Masada Takashi- Now, the first thing that comes to mind to any of us when we hear 'Masada' is the famous/infamous VN Dies Irae. For chuuni fans and fans of elaborate prose, Dies Irae is a drug more powerful than heroin. For people who want prose to be straightforward and easy to understand, it is pure poison. His adoration for the use of phrasing rarely utilized in modern prose, flowery descriptions, and poetic phrasing have also made him one of the most impossible writers to translate, though. His preference is for grandiose settings, 'archetypical characters escaping their archetypes', and over the top plot twists. He is surprisingly good at avoiding giving away future story developments to the reader, and his most brilliant characters are usually the antagonists of the story, rather than the protagonists or the heroines. He is also a first-class master of the art of presentation.
Kurashiki Tatsuya and Takahama Ryou- These guys are what I like to call the 'Masada Fanboys'. Their prose, their scenario and setting construction, and even the cadence of their poetry is all an imprint of Masada. For those unfamiliar with Light's works, Kurashiki Tatsuya was the scenario writer for Maggot Baits (which had unbelievably good prose outside of the torture/sex scenes) and Takahama Ryou was one of Izumo 4's writers. While their writing shows off a rather obvious obsession with Masada's works, that doesn't seem to keep them from writing enormously enjoyable stories and characters. The biggest difference between them and Masada is that they tend to place more of an emphasis on the protagonist and heroines than Masada does (as Masada is a master of the 'supreme antagonist' as is evidenced by Amakasu, Reinhardt, Mercurius, and Hajun). Evidence of this is Vermilion, Electro Arms, Zero Infinity, and Silverio Vendetta, all of which were VNs that were defined almost entirely by the protagonist and/or the heroines.
Kinugasa Shougo- The writer of Akatsuki no Goei (the series) and Reminiscence (the series), Kinugasa Shougo is perhaps best known for his character-based situational comedy, despite having a surprising flair for building a setting. He has an inordinate fondness for dystopian settings and characters who are either amoral or outright villainous. Kaito in Akatsuki no Goei is perhaps one of the most amoral protagonists I've ever come across, possessing a capacity for directed brutality that I've found nearly unmatched in VNs combined with an arrogance that causes endless hilarity throughout the VNs involving him. However, this writer does have one huge flaw... he loves leaving things unfinished and/or to your imagination. He never concludes his stories, and things almost never have a 'happily ever after' feeling to them after he gets done with them.
Takaya Aya- Perhaps one of the most versatile writers on this list, Takaya Aya is Caramel Box's primary writer, having been responsible for many first-class VNs, including Semiramis no Tenbin, Komorebi no Nostalgica, Shuumatsu Shoujo Gensou Alicematic, Otoboku 2, and Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier. He is absolutely brilliant at creating empathetic characters and pulling the reader into their situations. He can do chuunige, slice-of-life comedy, nakige, and even a dark social commentary.
Higashide Yuuichirou- Like Masada, Higashide Yuuichirou is/was (he is retired) primarily a chuunige writer and was Propeller's main writer until 2011. Unlike Masada, he specializes in a more 'standard' version of the hero. His protagonists are designed to inspire, his writing is full of humor (both standard manzai and self-effacing), and he has a mastery of catharsis that Masada simply doesn't possess. To be honest, I've only come across a few writers that can balance so many elements in a single literary work without having it all fall apart, and his works don't lose their flavor after multiple playthroughs.
Takehaya- Takehaya is a master of catharsis, the creating of characters, settings, and scenarios that can draw out the emotions of the reader, forcing them into an emotional release despite themselves. All of his best works - from utsuge Konakana to the more recent Rakuen no Shugosha - rip into your heart and force you to make a place for the characters there. There are few writers out there that can do what he does, but I can't help but wish there were.
Morisaki Ryouto- Morisaki Ryouto is a challenger for Takaya Aya in terms of versatility, capable of writing nakige, charage, hard sci-fi, chuunige fantasy (Fate/Hollow Ataraxia) and even heavy eros. While he isn't as brilliant as Takaya as a writer, he does have a gift for adapting himself to the genre he is writing, and it is always worth it to at least try anything he writes, even if the genre itself turns out not to suit your tastes.
Shumon Yuu- Shumon Yuu is something of an enigma. He occasionally appears in the VN industry (every three years or so) and puts out a VN that is artistically brilliant (in the general sense) and possesses depths that are almost impossible to fully plumb in a single playthrough. Every VN he has put out since he hit his stride with Itsuka Todoku has been a kamige. He is also a light novel writer. He is brilliant at portraying both suffering and joy, drawing you into the setting and characters while presenting them in their best lights. If there is a writer in the VN industry I can say unequivocally is a genius, he is it.
I'm going to be blunt... for some reason, the 'Otome' series of trap-protagonist ojousama-ge by Ensemble seems to be incapable of fulfilling the promise of Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas in any of its follow-up games. Koi no Canvas was, for better or worse, one of the single best charage I've ever played, with strong characterizations for all of the characters (including the protagonist) full voices for all characters (later Otome series games all had voiced protagonists, though), and superlative individual paths with an actual story tailor-made to match both the protagonist and the individual heroines.
Unfortunately, none of the Otome series games since has gotten anywhere close to doing what Koi no Canvas managed, and this one isn't an exception. I will say that it starts out really well... the protagonist is fully-voiced and capable in his own field (in this case cooking), and his actions throughout the VN show him to be competent... but the romantic portions, the characterization of the heroines, and the actual development of the heroine paths are all... second-rate. The few good points in this VN stand out so well precisely because the rest is so poorly-done.
As an example, the humor is actually pretty good, and the protagonist's reactions to most situations are either funny or ones that leave you with a positive impression of him.
Unfortunately, there are certain aspects that absolutely drive me insane reading this VN. The heroine routes are truncated and devoid of drama (seriously, you can't have ojousama-ge without a controlling parent or a character with major personal issues, but none of that really exists here). The romance is sudden and makes little sense. Worse, it is pretty much impossible to develop an emotional connection even to the protagonist, because every time it seems like they might sadden you with his past (he is an orphan, for instance), they deliberately cut it short or interject the protagonist's general lack of care for the issue in question.
After Koi no Canvas, this series has continually sabotaged itself with this kind of BS, and I'm actually crying right now at the sheer wasted potential of the characters in this story. It is obvious the writer wanted to do more, as well... because there are a lot of signs throughout the heroine routes of cut scenes or abrupt story movements that seem awkward/amateurish. Considering the experience of this team, even aside from this series, it seems a bit ridiculous that they would have tripped so many landmines in a single game (I mean, one of the writers worked on Sakura, Sakimashita... and that game is very, very good), and I honestly think that if Will wants to stop hemorrhaging cash, it needs to stop breaking up its best teams (the Evolimit team) or letting total incompetents get involved with story and characterization (referring to the Imouto Paradise writer who was also involved with this and the other Otome series games after Koi no Canvas).
Signalist Stars came at me from out of left field, smashing me across the face with a spike grenade. I literally wasn't expecting anything from this VN, as my recent experiences with new companies have left me unwilling to hope for better.
This VN does, in my mind, fall into the charage genre, but it does it so well that I was left a bit stunned. Signalist Stars is based in a city where people who have a burning passion are encouraged to pursue it, regardless of what it is. In this city, for the most part, those who sneer at people who have bright hopes for the future and those that try to smash young people down with the hammer known as 'reality' are virtually nonexistent. For people who grew up without discarding their dreams, it is a utopia.
Atsushi, the protagonist, is one of those people, a young man who desires to become a hero. He is the head of a committee devoted to dealing with the problems that pop up as a result of the somewhat indiscriminate nature of the city and school's affirmation of people's dreams. To be specific, this policy has led to 'geniuses' (people who excel in one area to insane degrees) being a little out of control, and the day to day life is a bit wacky and over the top.
Atsushi is an idiot. I mean that literally. He is so stupid that he makes a chimpanzee seem intelligent sometimes... however, he has a nose for trouble, an endless passion for helping people, and a willingness to discard his own well-being in the pursuit of helping others. He also talks like a delinquent and loves a good fight. Trouble is his drug and peace is its aftermath, lol.
Anyway, this VN is extremely comedic for most of its length, Atsushi's antics and stupidity creating so many running jokes that I found myself smiling constantly throughout most of the VN.
However, if you asked me if this is just a straight-out comedy, the answer would be a definite no. This VN has some dramatic moments, with one major one serving as the turning point just before the route split and one in each of the heroine routes, where the protagonist and heroine must confront both of their issues as a team. This drama is fairly serious, though it tends to be resolved easily, in the fashion that is common to charage. Nonetheless, it adds just the right level of spice for me to consider this one of the most technically excellent charage out there... from a writing perspective.
Unfortunately, there is one issue with this VN that is as annoying as hell. Of course, it is a technical one and one that will probably be fixed with a patch later on... but there are huge problems with the sound in this VN. To be specific, voice cut-outs, voice switches, sudden musical and vocal volume shifts, etc. For some reason, in this one area, this VN has points where it suddenly jars you with its imperfection. The actual BGMs used are 'common' ones I'm familiar with from other games, indicating that they are 'recycling' music from other VNs (probably at low cost). However, they are mostly used ideally. If it weren't for the technical issues (which might be programming-related) I'd honestly say that using 'generic' music wasn't a minus.
Even if one ignores that this is a first effort on the part of this company, this VN is a gem. While it needs some polishing (preferably with a technical patch to fix the sound problems), it is one of those rare charage that appeal both to me and the mainstream without throwing either side out of the boat. If you asked me what I liked best in this VN, I'd have to say it was either the comedy or the character dynamics (both of which are intricately interrelated). My favorite heroine was Isumi, the 'witch' and my favorite character overall was Atsushi (yes, despite the fact that he is an idiot). Why do I like Atsushi? Because, despite being an 'idiot' character, he actually manages to escape the archetype, becoming something more than the frame that was used to shape him through the skill of the writer.
VN of the Month, October 2016
This time it is a straight-out race between Sora no Tsukurikata and Signalist Stars. Both VNs escape genre and archetype flaws through skilled writing and surprising escapes from the traps of convention, and both VNs managed to surprise me with their levels of quality. They are neck and neck in my mind and almost so in my heart. So, when it comes down to it, I'm going to decide this Month's VN of the Month based on a smidgen of personal bias, simply because they really are that equivalent when I eliminate that bias.
In other words, Sora no Tsukurikata is VN of the Month October 2016. Both games are going on my list of VNs to play from this year, though. For those of you who just want a comedic romance and slice-of-life (albeit an unrealistic one) Signalist Stars would probably be the better choice, whereas Sora no Tsukurikata is a far better choice for raw story and plot.
Anyway, have fun yall, and look forward to November's releases! I won't be playing Nanairo Clip, due to my inability to enjoy any story focused mostly on the entertainment industry in general and the Japanese idol industry in particular.
First, I should say that I have no taste for loli-shota whatsoever, so I'm going to drop this now that I've finished one of the paths and gotten a feel for what this VN is like. So... this turned out to actually be a loli-shota game, despite my hopes otherwise. I have no idea of what Akabeisoft is thinking, turning its main child brand into a sub-brand that produces random games, but I can honestly say that I wish they would stick to one or two genres...
Now, this is one VN that has no business being localized outside of Japan. I say this because all the characters are blatantly underage until after the climax (after-story I saw so far was decent). They even refer to themselves as kids and they are immature right down to the voices. As such, I very much wanted to drop this VN inside the prologue. However, I'd promised I'd finish this one, if only to see if they would escape that... and they didn't.
Now, I'll say that the idea for the story, in itself, is not awful. This kind of 'Home Alone' style setup is pretty amusing, and if this were an all-ages title, I might have been able to sit back and enjoy it. However, the inclusion of h-content was a huge downer in this case, at least for me...
The characters all have their problems with adults, ranging from Orino's insanely controlling parents to the teachers' betrayal of Sen. For that matter, the protagonist has his own abusive environment to deal with. As a result, you end up with a bunch of characters who have unified around defiance of the adults in their lives by fortifying a run down love hotel, which was funny in and of itself.
Is this game amusing and interesting? Yes? Is it something I'd recommend? Not in its current form.
Update: To be clear, I didn't drop this because it was boring... I just happen to have a distaste for shota-loli focused content... In addition, considering things just from the plot and setting, this game really is interesting. Unfortunately, its possibilities are stunted by only focusing on the characters during that one period of their lives, when it would have been more interesting to see how their personalities evolved as they became adults... To be blunt, the writer went for a loli-shota thing when he could have actually made a first-rate VN story, just based on his writing and the way he presents the characters and setting. Another option he could have chosen would be to go for the all-ages route, where he would have been able to tell the characters' stories in more detail (the hints he drops about the male characters' problems are tantalizing) while discarding the hindrance of h-content (no, I'm not a prude... I just think straight-out loli-shota is distasteful).
For those who are wondering, I am currently replaying Unionism Quartet before moving on to A3 Days. It has been long enough that I didn't recall most of the details, so I needed a refresher. At the same time, I'm playing Dishonored 2, so I'm dividing my time in half between VNs and gaming right now.
I don't plan on doing a full post solely on Unionism Quartet, so I'm going to just relate a few impressions here before I finish Yulia's path (I already finished Silvia's, Jubei's, Yuno's and Mariel's... meaning I did all the secondary and sub-heroines before I hit on the game's true heroine, lol).
First, as non-bloody combat VNs go, Unionism is actually fairly good. It actually ranks up there with Walkure Romanze and a few others I could name... if nothing else, the protagonist is decent. However, replaying it in light of the fact that a fandisc/sequel was just released, I'm a bit dissatisfied, as it has become rather apparently that they intended to sequel this thing to death from the beginning, based on the way they did the endings (all the endings are short and based only a short time after the end of the main story).
The game's story structure is of a type I'm sure veterans are familiar with... essentially, you pick a heroine and some scenes change and are added on, but the main story doesn't change to any significant degree, leading to a significant amount of repeated text, for those who dislike that kind of thing.
First, I should state that this is a VN I was unsure of from the beginning. The concept of the 'rehabilitation program' in the VN is so similar to some manga and anime that have gotten attention recently that I had to shake my head in exasperation... not to mention that the concept is also at the core of why so many Japanese otakus like the school life slice-of-life charage that are produced in such profusion.
The VN starts out from the perspective of Hahakigi Hinako, one of the three heroines available from the beginning. Hinako's perspective is the one through which you form your first impressions of the Tryment (not sure of this is the correct romanization, since no info has been given so far that might reveal it, lol) Plan's 'reform school'. Hinako is a young woman who failed at work due to her social ineptness (extreme stage fright, inexperience with working with others, etc), and as a result she lost her job and was left with no idea of how to proceed. This project was then suggested to her as a possible way to return to the workforce, and she chose to go with it.
It is probably best that your impressions of the world are formed through Hinako, as Tsukasa - the male protagonist - is something of an unreliable narrator (deliberately so on the part of the writer) whose viewpoint has some seriously gaping holes in it. It becomes apparent even in Hinako's path that something weird is going on on the island, but it mostly seems irrelevant during the common route.
The two heroines I started out with were Kaizou Momo and Ootate Ruka. Momo is a genius programmer and a researcher of artificial intelligence whose reasons for coming to the island are left to your imagination in the common route. She is childlike, cheery, and more than a little emotionally needy. However, she is appropriately brilliant, as is shown repeatedly in her path. Unfortunately, her path ends on a somewhat confusing note, revealing little about what is going on except indirectly. Ruka is a serious, intelligent young woman who was once part of a law firm that fell apart for reasons that would be a spoiler (lol). Her path is somewhat more revealing about both the setting and Tsukasa than Momo's, but, again, you are left to fill in most of the details on your own through speculation. The ending of both VNs feels definitely incomplete, and they are probably just setups for the Ai path, most likely.
So far, this VN has been interesting to read... but it is also looking to be pretty short. Though, most of the reason for that seems to be the fact that the VN wastes very little time on the romantic and slice-of-life aspects that would have been the center of a charage. Since it is so obvious that the heroine routes aren't meant to be complete in and of themselves, I'm going to reserve judgement until I've completed the remaining routes.
