To be honest, this is probably the best of the last six WNs I've read in the last month. It is also complete. This one is a 'same world, different protagonist' story from the same world as Elf Tensei kara no Cheat Kenkokuki, and the protagonist of that one is the father one of the two heroines. However, even if you haven't read the first story, this one stands on its own quite well.
The protagonist, Souji, was a player of a game on Earth that was insanely realistic, with time compression that allowed him to spend 168 years testing everything that world had to offer. The game had several unusual aspects. For one, it was single-player. For another, it had permadeath. One thing all the players noticed was that, no matter how hard they tried, no matter how long they lived, things always ended in tragedy. Souji in particular, lost his beloved Kuna over and over again, and one day when he was about to try to save her again, the end of service for the game was announced. As he was about to despair, he was offered a chance to go to a real world where he would have a chance to save Kuna for real. Naturally, he leaps at this chance and is reborn with all the built-up knowledge of that world's magic and crafting techniques he had put together over the 168 subjective years he spent in the game.
The protagonist is definitely a cheat character, but that doesn't mean there aren't struggles. In actuality, while he doesn't struggle with the day to day issues, dealing with the issues important to him is always a struggle, meaning this isn't just an overpowered protagonist dominating the arena (in fact, for most of the story he is merely overpowered for his rank, not overpowered compared to everyone around him). The romantic parts of the story are fairly cute, but the WN in general is pretty no-frills as a whole, with relatively little normal SOL and a ton of action and drama. Overall, it is a good story if you want something that more or less sticks to the plot for the entirety of the story, but it isn't something you'll enjoy if you want to see a lot of side-tracking and swimsuit scenes, lol.
This series is a funny little one by the same author as Surviving in another world with Goshujinsama (not to my taste, as the protag is M and a bit of a hetare, but it is really popular in Japan). The protagonist of this story is randomly transported to another world by a mischievous evil god (Pretty sure her/his real name starts with Nyarl, like most evil gods of this type in otaku stories) and left to his own devices. Taking advantage of his high growth rate and ability to pick skills to grow (something the natives don't have), he tries to live freely... but life isn't going to let him be. Before he knows it, he ends up drugged and in bed with an aggressive but incompetent adventurer girl named Marl, and soon after, the country takes interest in him.
Generally speaking, this story is basically a power trip where the protagonist plays hero for a while before ending up as the lord of his own territory with a harem of women who control his life for the most part. It is funny, fun to read, and while the protagonist does struggle at key points, when it comes down to it it remains a power trip to the last. There are a few points in the story that would probably sicken people who don't like barbaric behavior (one particular incident in the first part), and some people won't like the way the women take over his life. However, I found it an amusing story, and it has the advantage of being complete and available on Shousetsuka ni Narou for free.
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9814bu/
Oh and the protagonist has a really wide strike zone, lol.
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.
To be clear, I haven't finished this particular WN series (at over 900 chapters, all of them of reasonable length, that would take a long time). I have gotten around halfway through the story, enough to get a solid impression of how this is going to go. Like most of the LNs/WNs I have been reading lately, it is an isekai story. This particular story has a different approach compared to the ones I've posted about so far. First, this story doesn't have a specific antagonist or group of antagonists to worry about. The protagonist is too whimsical to really be considered solidly on any side in particular (very much an amoral type, except when it comes to women) except his own and those of the people he likes at any given moment.
Shuuya, the protagonist, is, at first glance, your common isekai reincarnation protagonist. However, he quickly diverges from the classic style in that he neither clings to his Japanese mores nor does he become an amoral half-villain. Instead, he becomes a freedom-loving adventurer who pretty much does whatever he wants to. His partner, the black cat with tentacles, Rorodine, is an adorable mascot character who can be easily compared to her partner in terms of whimsical behavior (typical cat behavior a lot of the time). By the point of the story I'm at, Shuuya has a rather massive circle of allies, friends, and subordinates (as in triple digits), so one thing that most will have trouble with is keeping his list of lovers, wives, friends, and family straight. Actually, keeping them straight is pretty close to impossible, since he never seems to stop adding to it.
Because of his mercurial nature, you might think that Shuuya would be considered insincere, but he is the type that keeps a promise once made, no matter what it might require of him. Because he picked a half-vampire type of race, he doesn't need to worry about aging, so he naturally takes a long-term view on how life will turn out in the end, not hesitating to make friends and enemies along the way. There are a ton of actually well-written combat scenes (with an increasingly odd combat style as the story goes along) in this story, and that is one of the attractions, since Shuuya is always looking to improve himself along the way and loves nothing more than testing out his skills.
However, the very whimsical nature of Shuuya's behavior becomes more and more of an issue later on. The feeling that nothing is happening for chapters even though a lot of things are happening begins to press down on you, and I actually started to burn out on this story somewhere around the 200 chapters mark.
[Hey, your Mom is an evil woman (toxic woman)!] [I... I can't argue with that.]
(Move... Move! Move! Move, please! If I don't move now...!!)
He tries to move his legs to get away from the three approaching him.
However, he can't move.
His body won't move an inch. It is as if he's being tied down by an invisible something.
(What is this!? What is this!? This is... what is it...? It's as if I'm being enveloped in something...)
At that moment, something was reflected in Ibuki's eyes.
It was a gigantic translucent tail.
It was a gigantic, soft tail with gleaming fur that wrapped around his body.
It was extending from in front of him--- to be straight, it was coming from behind the blond girl to wrap around him.
"Ah"
He was dumbfounded.
From behind the girl two more gigantic tails appeared and swept away the other two that were approaching him.
Incidentally, the only things harmed by the gigantic tails were the guy and elderly gentleman, and there was no damage to the nearby structures.
It appears that she can choose what the translucent tails will pass through.
As he was indulging in that bit of escapism...
"Eh!?"
The girl was right in front of him.
She was giving him a sweet smile that threatened to melt his heart on the spot as she looked at him.
Slowly, her mouth opened.
(What... what is she planning to say? What does she want to ask?)
Thump, thump, thump. His heart throbbed hard within his chest.
(Ok, come on. Come at me! My vocation is a great youka--)
No matter what she says, he will be fine. He will be able to respond calmly and somehow make his way out of this situation.
Or so Ibuki thought...
"Nice to meet you Ibuki, I'm your mother. I've loved you in every way for a thousand years."
His confidence was shattered in an instant.
What was expressed was emotions so sweet as to induce nausea.
He knows he is not particularly perceptive, but he somehow knows... There was no lie to the words 'I love you' as they came out of her mouth.
The problem was the type of love.
There is no doubt in his mind that, though she called herself his mother, she was also expressing 'other types of love'.
It was frightening, so frightening. It was terrifying beyond belief that her emotions were so obvious and intense that a single word was enough for him to understand.
Devilish and monstrous. He couldn't help but understand the girl in front of him was fundamentally different from humankind.
"And so, yes... I think I'll state my appeal points."
The girl (self-proclaimed mother) smiled like a child while clapping her hands.
"... you like this, don't you? This type of girl."
In an instant, the childish, innocent smile vanished as if it had never existed and a demonic smile that looked like it would split her cheeks wide appeared.
"I know" "I know" "I know" "I know" "I know" "I know" "I know"
That single word echoed in his mind over and over.
"Even if I can't become omniscient, I know everything the man I love desires."
Slim, white fingers caressed him under the chin.
"People say a lot of things about me. Toxic woman, slut, woman who destroys nations... But... oh yes. I can say this even so. Until the moment the man I loves reaches his terrible end, no; even after that, I never let them feel regret that I stole their hearts. After all, there is no other woman as 'convenient' to a man as I am, past, present or future, no matter where you look."
Haa her warm breath tickled at his ears.
"This is what men seek in a woman: To be at their side like a wife, to connect like lovers, to be spoiled like a grandmother, accepted like a mother, embraced like an older sister, rely on them like a little sister, and adore him like a daughter."
Even the Red Comet was a bit more humble... or so Ibuki wanted to say, but...
(... She's probably telling the truth.)
Looking into those eyes full of certainty, it is obvious. This vixen that calls herself his mother is... ah, he can't avert his eyes. She is most definitely the nine-tailed fox whose name went down in history as a beauty that ruins nations. He didn't have the words to deny the statements of a woman who knows men more than any other in existence.
"How pathetic? How selfish? How... How adorable a desire that is..."
Her expression was ecstatic, full of scorn and fondness, and a sweet fragrance wafted around him. She was too toxic. Even closing his eyes and sealing his nose, he became dizzy. Even so, he managed to stay upright and listen to his self-proclaimed mother's words.
"The only person who can fulfill that desire is me. Precisely because I once toured three countries, indulging in all forms of hedonism and corruption, I can do so. There is no other woman who can love you like I can, you know? I'll love you with everything I am, so you need to love me back, Ibuki?"
Smack, she kissed him on the cheek. Even as he was being pushed around by the sensation of his brain going numb, Ibuki couldn't help but think this.
(This... what a... egotistical woman.)
I'll devote myself to you entirely, so I would be happy if you came to like me too. If you took her words at face value, it would seem like she was saying something innocent and womanly. However, the sentiment there wasn't nearly that cute.
(She's pushy beyond belief...!!)
Ibuki acknowledged that the nine-tailed fox wasn't incorrect in her statement of a man's ideal woman. However, that was just a reflection of the id revealed when a man's pride and self-control were ripped away entirely. In addition, that desire was most likely so close to an unconscious desire as for there to be no real difference. If not, then all the world's men would be hopeless trash.
(It's rationality and pride that make us human."
For that reason, though there were differing tastes like large breasts or tight butts... There were very few men who were seeking the type of woman the fox described while sober. Ibuki was the same. He didn't want a lover, nor a mother or sisters. It would be correct to say that in his case, those desires were faded and weak at best.
However, the nine-tailed fox cared nothing for his situation. 'You know you like this, don't you?' she said arbitrarily and forcefully while shamelessly asking him to love her. It was the penultimate form of egotism, of trying to force emotion upon him.
(However, what's really awful is...)
That even with her obvious egotism, she had the ability to force one to accept her. Whether it was the inhuman attractiveness fit to ruin a man's life with a single glance, or the experience she had built up to now in using words and observations to manipulate others. There was no way for a normal person to resist if she set eyes upon him. They would fall into corruption in no time flat.
(Even I'm pretty close to the edge.)
He knew she was egotistical and pushy, but he couldn't find it in himself to find the nine-tailed fox's existence unpleasant. Rather, he was feeling good about it. For that reason, he told himself over and over again about how dangerous she was. But well... the results were predictable. It was a resistance more unreliable than a candle in hurricane winds.
(Hmm, is it already too late?)
Was he still sane? Did he only think he was resisting her? Was he not already long-since fallen to her wiles and sinking into a well of pleasure?
Ibuki's sanity was being shaved away to the point where he was unsure of the reality in front of him, but...
"Nevermind."
He let out a deep breath. To put it simply, she simply was on another level. What could a boy that hadn't even lived twenty years do against her? 'They who only have bad ideas might as well be asleep.' Thinking just made him tired, so he might as well rest. Ibuki decided to just go with the flow and let things happen as they would.
"... Hmm..."
The nine-tailed fox showed a smile different from the ones before. In it were admiration that was exceeded by annoyance, and a lovesickness that far surpassed her annoyance.
"Now, self-proclaimed 'mother'. Before you try to show off your appeal as a woman, don't you have something else you should do?"
Her name. He told her to introduce herself first. She knew his name, but he didn't know hers. He'd figured out she was the infamous nine-tailed fox, but if she was taking on a humanoid form, she had to have a name for it.
"What should I call you? Kumiho? Daji? Tamamo no Mae?" "Fufufu... bzzt, you are way off!"
She made an X with her index fingers in front of her face. The gesture was unbelievably sly. It was apparent she was faking it, but it felt so natural it was vulgar. If one couldn't reach that level, there was no way one could be called a siren.
"After all, those are the names of women loved by other men? They are symbols with no more value than broken straws, destined never to be used again. They aren't the right name to call myself in front of the man I've loved for the past thousand years and will continue to love until the void takes this world."
The name I name myself here has to be for you, for only your sake. Ibuki felt chills go up his spine as she whispered that into his ear, but he gestured for her to continue.
"Fufufu, so hasty. That's fine though. Yes, I want to introduce myself as soon as possible. For the past thousand years I thought about it and only recently - six years ago - I decided upon my name."
In an instant, she turned her back to him and made some distance beween them, showing only her profile as she quietly stated her name.
"Shino."
He tried to deny it as a coincidence.
"That's because...."
He recalled her words 'six years ago'.
"It's the name of the only woman to have left a scar on your heart."
With a cheshire cat's grin, she ripped the scab off the old wound.
"You...!"
A Ibuki tried to reach for her in anger, the nine-tailed fox stopped him with words.
"'Now you've done it'"
A pure as a child.
"'You got angry'."
As crafty as the most toxic of women.
"You directed your attention at me."
Shino smiled.
"Now there is no escape for you."
As if he was paralyzed, he became unable to move. He wasn't tied down with her tails, it was her words that bound him in place.
"From now on, whenever you call my name, you will remember your past woman and your heart will throb with pain. No, I made you aware of me this way, so even if you don't say the name, you might feel it just looking at my face."
Baring a heart full of rage, hate, and jealousy, Shino smiled.
"What will you do? Will you avoid the name and call me Mom? Ah, but the more you do that, the more you might become conscious of it."
Tap, tap, tap, she once again approached him, deliberately making sound with her steps. She looked up at him from below after approaching him and stabbed him with her words.
"Another choice would be to call me Shino over and over, wouldn't it? Are you going to act as if it doesn't matter while enduring the pain? Ah, but if you get used to the pain, your memories of her might become weaker."
She touched his chest with her slim fingertips, caressing him.
"When you stop feeling pain, your heart will be painted over with me."
As if to aggravate his pained heart.
"There won't be any way for a woman from the past to touch your heart... aaaaah!"
With an expression of a woman overwhelmed with escstasy, was Shino looking at a future that was certain to arrive one day?
"Haha!"
In an instant, the front of Ibuki's shirt was torn open and his skin was bared.
"How long will it be before the name of your wound becomes mine?"
Shino brought her lips to Ibuki's chest and licked it with her tongue. A sensation that was not quite pleasant nor unpleasant went through his body from his chest.
"..."
"Fufufu, what is it?"
"... I just fully realized it?"
"Realized what?"
"The meaning of the phrase 'toxic woman'."
He understood it for the first time after fifteen years of life. No, he didn't want to understand it. Ibuki repeatedly made deep breaths and put his head in his hands.
(... what is this?)
It was a bit much for his first experience of the World of Illusions. It was beyond hard mode. Did he do something wrong? No he hadn't. He couldn't say he lived a pure and good life, but he lived normally. But this was just too horrible.
(Is that it? Is it my parents? My parents blood?)
Setting aside Soujou Bou (Clephas: one of his three youkai ancestors), the remaining two bloodlines. The oni who wreaked havoc on Kyouto during the Heian Period, Shutendoji. The toxic woman who spread immorality and corruption across three nations, the nine-tailed fox. Was it revenge for the sins of those two bloodlines?
"Uuu...."
It would be cruel to blame Ibuki for getting down on his hands and knees. Ibuki was a child that had just graduated from middle school.
"There, there, good boy."
Struck to the heart, Ibuki was embraced by Shino, who began caressing his head. Her expression was that of an affectionate mother, but it wasn't an expression the source of the problem should have had.
(So soft and smells so goood... this is no good!!)
He could feel his corruption gauge filling up, so he pulled away from Shino.
"Anyway... umm, Mom? I have someone waiting for me. For the moment, umm... just let me take care of this later!!"
Right now, he just had to get away from this woman. Making that decision, he tried to use an excuse, but that plan was shattered in an instant.
"Are you talking about the guy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? He isn't coming."
"Eh?"
"Of course, after all your mother (me) is coming to meet you. Don't worry, I made sure to tell them."
She quite naturally wrapped her arms around his.
"Now, let's go home together... to our new house.
Ibuki felt faint at the sight of Shino's smile.
(I-I have to live with this...)
I have a new family. That phrase briefly went through his head before being swept away into the distance.
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7471fo/34/
This is a very short WN I read on a whim over the course of a few hours. It is complete for what it is, and what it is isn't what you'd think. The protagonist is a reincarnator who was reborn in a game world, where he became a rootless traveling mage, sightseeing in the fantasy world he knew from the game. One day, he comes across a collapsed Dragonkin girl, who turns out to be the demon lord from the game.
This story is one of romance and redemption, as a clumsy man approaching middle age does his best to be a friend to a girl who has lost everything. To be honest, there were several times even in this short story that I cried, simply because the writer was so good at creating the character interactions between Spika and Sanson. As Spika regains her humanity, it turns into an adorable romance that you can't help but cheer on.
This WN, also published in the West as Failure Frame, is a variant on the 'isekai summoning' genre where the summoner is malicious toward the summoned. This particular sub-genre has become more common of late (since the straight-up good people summon heroes out of desperation setup has gotten stale), but this one stands out to me for the sheer evil and brutality of the antagonist (the goddess) and the protagonist (who is probably the epitome of an anti-hero in its most brutal form).
One thing I liked about this story was that Mimori Touka (the protagonist) is extremely self-aware. He knows the blackness of his own heart and revels in it at times, without being malicious toward good people. Rather than calling him a hero, it would be more appropriate to call him a man who takes joy in brutalizing those he thinks are like himself (evil, cruel, brutal, etc). In contrast, he is quite kind - if not gentle - toward those of good heart, unwilling to bring harm to them even if it would bring him some kind of advantage.
This leads to most of the characters misunderstanding his motivations to one extent or another, as those close to him tend to interpret his actions in a positive way.
This story is incomplete, but it is approaching completion pretty rapidly. I estimate that it will probably be complete early next year, for those who prefer to not have to wait.
Fate/Grand Order is the name of the mobile game/visual novel/card battle game that has become synonymous with the Nasuverse over the last seven years or so. For those unfamiliar with the game, I'll go ahead and describe the flow of events that lead up to this particular chapter-turned-anime in the spoiler box below.
In the game, Camelot is considered to be the first 'serious' chapter and the one with perhaps the deepest link to the other Fate/Stay Night series in spirit (considering the characters involved). The sheer level of scenario quality and artwork that went into the game version was completely different than what you saw in previous chapters, and it lacked the somewhat oddly humorous aspects that went into them.
The anime, split into two movies, is easily one of the top-quality Fate-series anime I've seen, if only because it shows the main reason why a lot of people keep playing FGO, despite the game being a blatant money trap waiting to suck your bank account dry if you aren't careful.
Throughout the last few chapters of the first main volume and the Lostbelt Chapters, FGO continually jerks at the emotions, showing you both the dark and heroic sides of the Heroic Spirits that appear on both sides of the conflict. In a way, I consider Camelot to be the true starting point of the current FGO 'style', and it shows. I cried numerous times during this movie, and while the action falls far short of work done by ufotable on other Fate series anime, the producers did not fail in any way to grab the attention and emotions of the watchers.
Most of the important moments of the original game are presented in an impactful manner, and the only real complaint I have is that certain characters didn't have the time to make an appearance in the first movie (Tawara Touta in particular is impactful in the sense that he and Arash were a team in the original content and brought life to the mountain people settlement part).
The moments that stand out to me most in the second movie are Mordred vs Sanzo, Tristan vs Serenity and Cursed Arm Hassan, and the final conflict (Lion King vs Mash, Ritsuka, and Bedeviere). This is not so much because the fights were awesome but because the lines and their presentation were perfectly designed to produce a result that would remain in memory and impact the emotions.
Overall, while the animation quality of this anime falls well short of the ufotable-made Fate series, in exchange the emotional impact is on a completely different level.
Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star.
From the moment this heart began to beat, the dark prophecy was set in stone. The messenger of disaster is given no right to live upon the earth.
Sunken deep beneath the dark ocean, the serpent burns its very self with curses. It will never be forgotten, it will never be forgiven. The grinding of scales, the raging fangs. For the sight of Midgard burnt upon the inside of its eyelids stokes the flames of its hatred.
Do you desire my death, oh gods? Then you are resigned to your fate, are you not?
The promise of reaping what one has sown. The great serpent sheds its skin again and again in order to become the prophesied divine demon.
The endlessly long, massive body and resentment. It isn't enough, more, more, more, more... it devours and writhes, and now it is too late.
The World Serpent has been completed. Looking down upon the small planet, its fangs glisten with malice and its tongue flickers.
Now, who should I swallow first?
Metalnova- Sacrilege Jormungand!
Be burnt upon the heavens, oh my guardian star, that I might raise up the metallic flame.
The black death that corrupts the half-man, half-horse. The endless poison of the hydra whispers to me to give up my immortality, but I merely snort, calling it unworthy of consideration.
Let my hooves resound against the earth, let me draw my bowstring back, let me hold my resolve within my heart as I run toward the horizon. Neither suffering nor despair can cause this great bow to rot away!
For if I listen closely, I can here it... the sound of lightning in the heavens.
Oh great father in the heavens, you say that it is too soon for me to become a constellation? You bless me again with the order to fight? Then I will go all out, giving everything I have.
I have cut off my rotten flesh and replace it with iron limbs.
I need not tainted blood, I shall change it out with burning oil.
Until you call me to your side and become one of the constellations, now my comrade let us go together into battle!
Let us raise up the promised vow and loose the arrow to pierce through evil!
Metalnova, Overdrive Sagittarius!
Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star.
The time has come for your punishment, oh dark god of the bloodlline of the cloud giants. You now reap what you have sown, so look upon this. The blade you once forged with your own hands has been freed from the iron box.
The flames will never forgive the countless sins whispered of in the shadows. With the flames burning with rage, you will be burnt away with your castle.
Turn to ashes, oh kingdom of the heavens! Rot away, oh Valhalla!
And listen, you souls of heroes! Those collars are unbefitting of you.
Let us march forth to strike down the gods. For the sake of the world that will bloom once again after the solemn hell.
Metalnova-- Valhalla-birth Laevateinn!
Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star.
The noble duty of chaining the hungry wolf. If all others stand still in terror, then I shall be the one to complete it.
Now go ahead, take a bite. My off-hand was offered to the demon beast, and as it hungrily devoured the flesh and blood, it was chained down firmly.
As the price for my bravery, crimson drips from the end of my mangled arm. My fingers will never return, but why should I regret it?
If I can protect prosperity and the law, as well as show my bravery...
... to be a shield is my honor. I beg of you, that you should smile and praise me.
'Your devotion is the example of what a protector should be.'
Metalnova- Tyr-Bind Gleipnir!
Come into being, oh supernova written upon the heavens--- for we are a falling star from the Age of Gods.
Oracle received, beginning revelation of the star.
The plundered afternoon light brings forth the frozen blizzard. The wind, the sword, and the wolf... the steps to ruin within the winter prison.
The uncountable ruins stained our family and brothers in crimson. Not even the three children of the gods were excepted. There are no longer bonds between the sun, the moon, and the sea.
Then, oh Tsukuyomi who rules the dark of night, give to me twilight.
This is the realm of man, that which stands between the heavens and earth. If the ancient laws are no longer needed, it is the gods that should be massacred. The enraged butcher bares his fangs from the depths of Hel.
Chew upon the roots of Yggdrasil and open your wings, Nidhog!
Then I shall guide that flight with the moonlight that falls upon the path of night! To a brilliantly-colored twilight that lies at the end of the Age of Gods!
It needn't be said, oh silver goddess! For I exist only for you.
The demonic dragon rises from the underworld, tramples the rainbow bridge and devours the nine universe to become a new sun!
Now is the time, bestow Fate upon the jaws of madness!
Oh, thou martyr of Light, dig your fangs into my heart and complete Ragnarok.
Metalnova- Silverio Fimbulvetr!
Rise of the Ronin is an open-world game that covers important events from 1853-1868 from the perspective of a ronin (masterless samurai) of the fallen Kurosu-han (fictional). This period of history is often called the 'Bakumatsu' (TL: The End of the Shogunate) or the events leading up to the Meiji Restoration beginning with the opening of Japan (signing of unequal treaties) and ending with the surrender of Edo to the Satsuma-Choshu forces. Your character is one of a pair of twins (you can choose male or female) who has a chance encounter with Sakamoto Ryouma before he enters Yokohama, and much of the central story is told from your outside perspective interacting with important individuals in one of four periods of the time: The anti-foreigner movement and Ansei Purges, the rise of the Anti-Shogunate movement, the breakout of open conflict in the streets of Kyoto (the Ikeda-ya incident and the first Choshu Rebellion), and the Boshin War.
What I didn't like
There were two major issues I had with the game, not having to do with the gameplay but rather with the story. The first was the blatant favoritism of the scenario team toward the anti-Shogunate side of things. The second was the blatant historical inaccuracies that were just plopped in.
To be blunt, from the very beginning, you are encouraged (and not subtly so) to side with the Anti-Shogunate (Tobaku in future mentions) forces. It is at its most blatant in the prologue and first chapter, where your main character's homeland is destroyed by the Shogunate (Bakufu in future references) after a failed assassination attempt on Admiral Perry. In the first chapter, you meet a lot of famous and interesting figures in the Tobaku's historical membership, Sakamoto Ryouma, the silly drunkard Katsura Kogoro, the gambler Takasugi Shinsaku, and the idealistic young hero Kusaka Genzui, and for much of the main story you are basically following the major points of Ryouma's journey, even as you go off to do side-quests and the like along the way. In addition, the main Bakufu characters are a Geisha with a creepily subtle approach to things and an old man who seems like he'd order your death without a blink if he felt like it.
The problem is that this deliberate placing of extremely likeable and idealistic characters on one side and a slightly creepy group on the other makes it natural to just choose the Tobaku side from the beginning. While later chapters introduce more interesting characters on the other side, such as Katsu Kaishu, the Shogun Yoshinobu, and the Shinsengumi, you are still encouraged at key points to take the side of the Tobaku, and it isn't even subtle.
The second issue, historical revisionism, is actually tied in with the issue above. Two key points that I need to stress are the enthronement of Yoshinobu and the death of Kondou Isami of the Shinsengumi.
The former, the enthronement of Tokugawa Yoshinobu as Shogun, is something that - in actual history - didn't occur until August of 1866, whereas in Rise of the Ronin he is already Shogun in 1858, when Yoshida Shoin is executed. This might seem like a minor revision, but considering how it was the internal disorganization caused by his predecessor's illness and inability to rule that led to Ii Naosuke having the power to order the Ansei Purges that martyred a lot of Tobaku philosophers and activists, the only reason I can see to treat his character the way they did was to make him seem incompetent, thus leading to more favorable impressions of the Tobaku side in comparison.
The latter is less of an issue, except as a convenience for those who wanted the story wrapped up neatly in the second Edo chapter. However, losing Kondou early in the sequence of events (since he was still active after the surrender of Edo), was a somewhat questionable decision. I will admit that the event itself was incredibly emotional to watch in video, and a certain mission involving the Shinsengumi survivors afterward was equally so.
What I did like
The gameplay is the first thing that comes to mind. There are so many different ways to fight your battles in this game, from utilization of its nine different main weapon types (including bare fists), to the varying combat styles (particularly in the katana and nodachi styles), to the use of the hang-glider and horses to get around. The mini-games are interesting without being intrusive, and they include hang-gliding courses, target-shooting with a rifle, horse-archery, and mock fights in the dojo with NPC unique characters, all of them for prizes.
For side-quests, you have collection quests for each region: treasure chests, Usugumo Dayu's cats, cleansing of violent ronin, and taking pictures of scenery. I should note that the cats and dogs in this game are ridiculously cute and a constant source of easy items that can at the very least be disassembled for upgrade parts. Completing all the quests in an area of a region gives you a reward that helps you advance your character or your bonds with NPCs.
Your home, a small longhouse that is on the edge of town in each region, is a good place to meet random friend NPCs and interact with them without going to them. It is also the place where you initiate pilgrim dog and cat service missions, both of which are a steady source of income without effort. You can redecorate it with your favorite weapon, a picture or scroll, and six curios that attract different personality types amongst the NPCs you've met so far. In your house, you can also put together an ensemble through the redesign feature that lets you look less like a murder hobo.
Story-wise, there are a ton of extremely emotional moments. This was a period of Japanese history that was full of heroes on both sides, many of them tragic and glorious at the same time. The fact that it is possible to save three major tragic heroes from their fates (Sakamoto Ryouma, Okita Soji, and Takasugi Shinsaku) earned points with me. The battle of Toba-Fushimi is a perfect illustration of why the samurai caste was doomed, as men with swords fought against others armed with rifles, gatling guns, and cannons. Being able to fight this battle and other key scenes from both sides without replaying the game from the beginning made the story as a whole come to life. Though I was a bit annoyed that your efforts don't make any difference in the final result (I love it when historical games let you break history), but the personal story was decent enough, in the end.
Conclusion
Rise of the Ronin is one of the better open-world games I've played, making others like Assassins Creed seem stale and boring in comparison. This might be because I'm a weeb and tired of AC's stale plotline, though. The story is impactful and emotional in a way purely western-made games never seem to manage for some reason, and it showed off why Team Ninja is one of the better game developers out there.
I've been devouring web novels for some time now, so I have a pretty wide experience (within my preferred genres). My preferences probably won't match many of yours, but I figured I would make some recommendations like I used to with visual novels.
Isekai'd+Overpowered/cheat protagonist
Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukoku (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9902bn/)- Despite the anime being a flop, this is easily one of the best fantasy web novel series of the type. In addition, the LN version differs so greatly from the web novel that you can actually enjoy them completely separately from one another, which makes them double the fun.
Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8611bv/)- Yes, the anime was mostly crap (except for Yue being a vampire goddess), but the web novel is awesome. It was also something of a trendsetter, setting the gold standard for the 'betrayed protagonist rises to be the strongest' trope. The web novel has a huge advantage over the light novel series in that the after-story (which is now longer than the original story) is godly and immensely fun to read.
My Classmates were Summoned to Another World but I was Reincarnated (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452221074480581)- Basically, the protagonist dies during the summoning and gets reincarnated as a true vampire by the ditzy goddess of the world her classmates were summoned to and goes on a self-indulgent journey/adventure/rampage across the surface of the other world. The protagonist is definitely chaotic neutral in personality, though her actions often split off into chaotic good and chaotic evil depending on who she is dealing with. For people who want to laugh at a protagonist's absolutely insane antics, this is a good choice.
Isekai ni Houchi-ge Riron o Mochikondara Isekai Saikyou ni Nareru Isetsu (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330652291194063)- Basically a gamer gets reborn into a rather harsh and massive fantasy isekai, where he uses sorcery to create autonomous spells that go around killing monsters so he can level up faster. He is a leveling addict and this story, like most of this author's stories, is full of insane characters (including the protagonist and heroine). This is one of the few male protagonist WN series I've met that doesn't include a harem.
Toriaezu Shinu Wa (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816700427424058338)- Made by the same author as Houchi-ge, it was his pilot work. It is complete (this author follows through and consistently posts his works, so you don't need to worry about fade-outs), so you can just dive in and read from the beginning to the end. In this one, the protagonist and his class get summoned to another world, and when he finds out some of his nastier classmates intend to assassinate him, he uses the plot to get out of town (faking his death) and gain his freedom. This one is pretty dark, the protagonist actively committing genocide and purges against religion (though the religion deserves it), and his girlfriend is a psychotic yandere who is incapable of empathy for anyone but him. However, the character personalities in this one are really well presented, which matches this author's style.
Paradigm Parasite (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054891938248)- Protagonist is reborn as a parasite that possesses the corpse of a young noble and proceeds to rampage across the psychotic isekai he ended up in. He is utterly cold-blooded, pragmatic, and predatory by nature. This is a pure chaotic evil protagonist acting on his worst instincts throughout much of the story.
Isekai'd+Adventurer/Not overpowered
Jiriki de Isekai he! (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054941828435)- By coincidence, the protagonist manages to create a magic circle that transports him to another world... by killing him. The god who greets him informs him that his actions count as suicide, thus he won't be granted any special rewards. He is reborn as an orphan and regains his memories by accident, his skill (not a cheat skill) activating for the first time as a result of a near-death experience. He sets out to become an adventurer, living his isekai life as best he can. This series is complete, so you can just dive in and read it from beginning to end.
Karyoku no Nai Kaze Mahoutsukai wa, Isekai nite Ken de Mau (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330652107435856)- An excellent story for those who want a reincarnated protagonist who isn't overpowered and lives his life as an adventurer. The protagonist is half-halfling, half-giant in a world that is a half-step away from the age of mythology.
Annainin wa Isekai no Jukai o Samayou (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054918935123)- Protagonist falls through a gate to another world and is forced to become an adventurer in order to survive. Eventually, he is able to return to Earth and becomes a 'guide', teaching people how to survive on the other world.
Modern Fantasy/dungeons (sometimes with an isekai'd then returned protagonist)
Isekai Kara Kikan Shitara Chikyuu ga Fantasy Deshita. Ato, Make Heroine domo, Kocchi Minna (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330650225915619)- This one focuses on a protagonist who succeeds in killing the evil god in another world and returns to earth, only to once again face his childhood friend presenting his newest lover to him with a victorious expression. However, he doesn't care at all, as he is finally free of the hell of the other world! (He really, really hates the isekai). This series is mostly humorous as Nacchan's manic personality and immense power meets Earth's fantasy beings in clashes that are usually disastrous for the fantasy beings.
Shachiku Kensei, Haishinsha ni Naru (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330657186803576)- Mix of dark humor and overpowered action as a guy in a business suit explores the depths of dungeons. It is updated irregularly but even just what is there so far is worth reading.
Seikatsu Mahoutsukai no Gekokujou (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452218254294002)- Oppressed protagonist with a gift for the weakest school of magic discovers the sage system for his school of magic and develops it for combat, eventually becoming a famous dungeon crawler and magic developer. Series is complete and the battles are pretty cool. While technically the protagonist is overpowered, that is because he works hard at it and discovers ways to deal with the situations he encounters.
Maou o Taoshite Gendai ni Kaetekitara Parallel World Deshita! (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054888599901)- An overpowered isekai protagonist returns to earth with his divine fox lover, only to find that he returned to a parallel world where dungeons emerged during WWII. The story is mostly ecchi+action+people being people. The series is complete.
Onmyouji/Youkai/Modern Fantasy
Gendai Onmyouji wa Tensei Lead de Musou Suru (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816927863187332284)- The protagonist is reborn into a version of Japan where youkai and onmyouji are still at war with one another and uses his self-awareness to prepare for his future by building up his power young. Pretty fun to read, still ongoing if slowly so.
Inousha ga Futsuu ni Iru Sekai he Tensei Shitara (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452218603293395)- Protagonist is reborn into what he thinks is a game world in the body of a villain who does pretty horrible things to most of the heroines. This series is pretty dark, and it becomes evident (through other perspectives) that this isn't actually a game world early on. The protagonist is technically overpowered, but so are a lot of the enemies and one of the main heroines. It shows the dark and hard sides of harems and political marriages as well, so for people who want a 'happy harem' story, this isn't a good choice.
Demon Ruler (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054882154317)- Salaryman protagonist gains access to pocket dimensions where he can take out his daily stress on real monsters and gain money and power. Quite naturally, he enthusiastically dives into his new hobby. Fun to read, gets more apocalyptic after a while.
Anata no Tenshoku wa 'Daiyoukai' Desu (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2559fp/)- One of my all-time favorites. The protagonist lives in a future where humanity's population once fell to critical levels and only recovered through the use of the 'oracle' system, which tells people their ideal occupations. When he uses it, it tells him his ideal occupation is being 'a great youkai', and he is introduced to the real reason why the system exists... to balance the supernatural with the natural. The protagonist is more than a little crazy, his adopted mother is Tamamo no Mae, his adopted father is Shuten-doji, and his adopted grandfather is Sojou-bou (he is actually descended from all three). This series has a lot of dark laughter, interesting action, and a few moments that will have you weeping until snot flows out of your nose. Too bad this author's other works are sub-par at best, lol.
Fantasy, not from Earth
Kami-sama ni Muriyari Ikikaesareta (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452220822010394)- This begins as the sad tale of a young orphan boy (recently deceased saving a little girl from a wolf) faces the goddess who broke her promise and failed to protect his mother and himself. As a result, she tries to revive him, but he demands that he be allowed to die, drawing the attention of higher beings, starting a series of events that eventually results in him being granted access to all class skills and resurrected with two divine guardians. This is not a tale of a guy doing whatever the hell he wants and making a mess of the world. Rather, it is the tale of a boy who has suffered so much he no longer reacts to the little pains and reacts to others with cold rationality, ignoring most of the social rules in the process. The protagonist is rather wordy when he thinks someone is doing something wrong, and he has no hesitation about confronting people with it.
Kurotobi no Seija (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9105fz/)- Cleric makes a deal with a dark god for power to get back at those who exiled him. Decent read for those who don't want an Earthling protagonist.
