Nemesis

Finished Hello Lady and started Tsui no Sora Remake. ハロー・レディ！ Saku route - The main mysteries are finally answered. But the answers are a trainwreck. The story is lacking a core, like the author is not sure what he wants to tell. There's some Gundam, Doraemon, Index, and Oreimo reference added in too. Overall, it's a fun game. But rather lacking in the story and writing. 終ノ空 remake Chapter 1: Yukito Minakami - We get introduced to our protagonist, Minakami Yukito, and his childhood friend Wakatsuki Kotomi. There are a lot of recurring characters like a teacher that looks good for a bike model, Otonashi Ayana, Takashima Zakuro etc. When they get to school, they hear rumours of . Then, we get Yukito reading Kant's Critique of Pure Reason before he gets interrupted by Otonashi-san quoting Tractacus' last line "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." This is pretty much Scaji giving his own lecture on philosophy and criticizing Kant for talking metaphysical nonsense. This entire work is pretty much a lecture from Scaji-sensei. After that, he introduced a bunch of Nietzsche concepts, although he doesn't quote directly. People can't be satisfied with a boring, peaceful life when they have no goal. They need stimulation even if it leads to fear and anxiety. Mamiya's famous speech is slightly different from Subahibi in that it's filled with Nietzsche concepts about how social orders are lies filled to control us like livestock compared to speech about the concept of death in Subahibi. How the concept of good and evil were created to create social caste so that people can feel superior to others by being "good." Morals are decided by the concept of self-interest, but we like to pretend that they are some universal truth that we discovered. Yukito wonders about the meaninglessness of life. Death comes to all equally, so what meaning is there in living when we are all fated to die? There are people who accept their fate and live quietly until they die, but there are also others who struggle against their fate and try to find meaning in their life. To do that, they have to break out of the norms of society. Then, he argues that just being alive is a blessing by itself even if we are cursed to die. Chapter 2: Kotomi Wakatsuki - Nothing new here except we get to see things from a different perspective. Chapter 3: Zakuro Takashima - This work just reminded me of how much of a genius Scaji is.

For other people who might be interested in this. AoToHime created a voice patch for the 2012 PC version release. I tested it in my own copy of the game, and confirmed that it works. You just need to add the patch files to the savedata/patches folder inside the main game folder. It also works with old save files. Before anyone else asks, no, there is no translation patch, so if you want the English version please get the game on Switch or PS4 instead.

I might read this after I actually bother reading the game. Sometime next year or the year after if I can remember to come back here.

Finished Rance 03 and started reading Hello Lady!. Overall, Rance was a fun game with an ok story and good world-building. ハロー・レディ！ First impression is the art is way too generic for me. I don't like it at all. MC on the other hand seems interesting. Lol, so much Jojo references though. Hume is the school chairman. The students here are too sheltered for people who don't hesitate to attack people with lethal force. Eru giving a big speech on supporting eroge industry by buying physical Limited Editions. Tama Route - kind of meh. The writing is rather mediocre. It has some interesting concepts, but it just seems like writer is not good enough to execute them. Sorako's route Eru - She is a hilarious character. I think her and Narita have good chemistry. ボケボケコンビだね。

Read through Biman4 and playing through Rance 03. ランス03 リーザス陥落 Rance 03 has interesting world building, but at the same time it has rather shallow and unrealistic characters. Only Shizuka and Kanami feel like actual people. That's not even considering the nameless characters. A lot of the side characters act like complete NPC's just saying as they were programmed to do. At the end of the day, it's a nukige parodying an RPG. It also has stronger gameplay compared to the first 2 games, and a lot more fun to actually play through instead of feeling like a grind. In terms of writing, it is good for an RPG, but rather simple and minimal compared to an actual plotge. Reading this in Japanese also made me remember how bad the translations are in the English Rance community: 魔人 as dark lord is just lol. 美少女万華鏡 -罪と罰の少女- I think this one is too strong in the fetish department for me: It has the heaviest plot in the series so far, but that does not necessarily mean best. I'm not even sure what the theme of the game is. They reference Crime and Punishment from the title, but I don't see the thematic relevance. Ending leaves us with some interesting development for the next game.

I figured I'd post some of my collections here for now if anyone is interested: These are the same pictures I shared in discord. I have a couple other things, but too lazy to dig them all up to take a picture.

Finished Asairo. きっと、澄みわたる朝色よりも、 葉が赤色に牛われるものを"紅葉" 葉が黄色に牛われるものを"黄葉" 葉が褐色に牛われるものを"褐葉" これはそれぞれが泣いた結果。 この涙を総称して、"紅葉"と呼ぶ。 Just like how trees lose their leaves to survive, we shed tears to be able to move forward. Everything written by Shumon Yuu is overflowing with Wa(和). I'm glad to have experienced this piece of art that represents Fall and 紅葉. It lacks the analytical thinking of Scaji, but it's pretty much saying the same thing in a more poetic point of view. Pain comes with happiness and kindness. Pain is needed for us to be able to distinguish happiness from everything else. I think I've said too much already, this is best experienced for yourself.

Nope. If you go to Giga's official site: http://www.web-giga.com/close/ 「戯画」ブランド商品の販売終了 2023年3月31日（金） ※パッケージ商品およびダウンロード販売商品も全て同日終了となります。 最後にお手元に残したいお客様におかれましては、販売終了日までにご購入いただけますと幸いです。 They stop selling everything at March 31, 2023.

Asairo is a heavy emotional read, so I need a break from time to time. I read Jesus 13th in between those times. きっと、澄みわたる朝色よりも、 It started out slow, but once it picks up, it really picks up. I really like how expressive the characters are. The art and background CGs are beautiful. Add to that Shumon's writing combined with the music and it creates a mystical atmosphere. The story is mainly about the bonds between people. This is what real kotodama tsukai is about. I'll stop here as the less I say about Asairo the better. ジーザス13th －喪失われた学園－ It is very Xuse-like game. It has strong world building and a very chuuni atmosphere. It had interesting buildup, but then it just ends. It feels like the game is just unfinished. A bit of wasted potential, and the animated h-scenes were rather mediocre.

Which Baldr game are you talking about so I can avoid it? I'm going to get all the giga games that I'm interested in before they shutdown.

Even if I have read over 100 VN's, that was done over 10+ years. Really, it's just finding time to read 1-2h per day. Just repeat that everyday for 10 years, and you eventually read 100+ VN's. It's rare to actually find someone who has read 100+ VN's over a few years unless they are a NEET. It might be a bit harder depending on your social responsibilities, but it's about making time for yourself and building a schedule around it. I can pretty much turn on a VN anytime I want after work. Just read at your own pace, it's not a race.

The obvious ones would be other things written by Scaji: Tsui no Sora, H20, Sakura no Uta. Others are Oretsuba, Cross Channel (don't touch the translations), and Muramasa. They are all on the harder side of Japanese except for H2O, so I'll leave it up to your own discretion.

きっと、澄みわたる朝色よりも、 Prose-wise it is good as can be expected from Shumon Yuu. The dialogue and characters seem interesting so far. The dialogue is quite subtle, hinting at a lot of things without outright saying it. I also like the humour so far. Conversation can start from something mundane and turn into something interesting What is hypocrisy? What is the difference between 善 and 偽善? We'll see where it goes with the story for now as I still have no idea what the hints are for right now. Ok the hints have gotten big enough that I can guess some of the things that happened. Poor Araragi. ランス02改 反逆の少女たち Rance 02 just feels like a very mediocre RPG. There is nothing unique about the gameplay or the story at all, and I honestly can't find anything to praise it for. It is still I would say worth playing for the introduction of a lot of characters which will play a bigger role later in the series. It's interesting to see Rance character design being younger.

I have lots of suggestions, but majority of them would be untranslated, so I'll just mention the translated ones. Setoguchi and Scaji generally handle similar themes so you are likely to like Setoguchi's works too. Check out whichever one of his games that are translated. If you like the seeing things from many perspective part of Subahibi, you can checkout Umineko.

This is actually I feel a good example of A Nice Derangement of Epitaphs. Different communities gave different meaning to the same word, and shows how language is a shared concept rather than having some universal meaning.

The character designs do seem moe, so if we go by the Japanese take on it, then yes it is. I think you are giving translators and readers too much credit. Translators might not even be aware of the gap in knowledge unless they are an active part of the English VN community. It certainly confused me at first when people talked about moege in the English community. Let alone the average reader doing research on their own when most of that info is only available in Japanese.

I wasn't expecting to change people's usage of the word anyways. I think it is a good idea that we are at least aware that the word is being used differently between the two different communities, especially when reading interviews from the JVN industry.

Then just use the English equivalent for what you want to say if the Japanese term doesn't describe what you want to say. In this case, there is a perfectly good term for Slice of Life games which is Slice of Life. No need to reinvent the wheel.

One of the things I've noticed while being here for a while is how the English community uses the term moege wrongly. So I've opened up this topic to discuss what is moege. Moege or 萌えゲー is a term that originates from moe/萌え and ge/ゲー (game). What is moe? Let's start with a definition of moe first. A quick google search would lead you to wikipedia which gives you this: Wikipedia) - Moe (萌え, Japanese pronunciation: [mo.e] (listen)), sometimes romanized as moé, is a Japanese word that refers to feelings of strong affection mainly towards characters in anime, manga, video games, and other media directed at the otaku market. Moe, however, has also gained usage to refer to feelings of affection towards any subject. Searching in Japanese gives you similar results, so it's a common enough definition that we can agree with. JA wiki - 萌え（もえ）とは、日本のサブカルチャーにおけるスラングで、主にアニメ・ゲーム・アイドルなどにおける、キャラクター・人物などへの強い愛着心・情熱・欲望などの気持ちをいう俗語[1]。意味についての確かな定義はなく、対象に対して抱くさまざまな好意の感情を表す[1]。キャラクター・人物の特徴に使われることも多く（「眼鏡―」・「メイド―」）、それらは、「萌え属性」「萌え要素」と呼称される。なお、「萌える」の本来の意味は「発芽」「芽吹く」と同義である。 The Moe Manifesto So let us delve deeper into this, let us take a look into "The Moe Manifesto" written by Patrick W. Galbraith who interviewed various people involved in the otaku industry regarding moe and how it has evolved over time. "Moe is a response to fictional characters, and when we talk about moe we are necessarily talking about how people interact with fictional characters" (pg 7) Then the book goes into interviews with various people. For the most part they do say the same thing about moe with various clarity on the definition, while the older people in the industry seem to view it as a weird phenomena. First let's talk about what Maeda Jun says: PG: What is your approach to writing scenarios for bishoujo games? MJ: Writers are divided into two types: there are those that begin with the characters and build a story around them, and there are those that begin with the story and then build the characters. I fall into the latter category. This is an industry based on moe characters and creating them is the premise of a lot of works, but I am the type of person who puts a lot of emphasis on story. If the characters are good but there are no story, then the player won't be moved. It's a real waste. So, I start with the story, and that will determine the setting and situations that the characters move through until they reach a climax that moves the player. (pgs. 101-102) PG: What does the word moe mean to you? MJ: It's a reason to live. If it were to be taken away, many people would no longer be able to survive. PG: Why do you think that moe is so important to many people today? MJ: Many people feel insecure. You go to school, but you might not be able to get a job, and even if you do it might not be a full-time position. Without a stable income, it's hard to start a family. There is a general move toward isolation. People don't have a direction or a purpose. That is why I said moe is a reason to live. Once people find something meaningful to them, they pursue it. Manga, anime, games, or whatever it may be provides a reason to live and a passion that can be shared with others. Otaku gather on video-sharing sites such as Nico Nico Douga and massive bulletin boards such as 2channel. This is an age where people struggle to live together. This is why fans are passionate and outspoken, and that energy fuels the moe boom. With so many people taking manga, anime, and games seriously, it has become impossible to deny the importance of moe. (pgs. 106-107) Next, let's take a look at interview with Honda Toru, author of Denpa Otoko. PG: What does the word moe mean to you? HT: It's a feeling like love, but a sort of bittersweet love. It's like falling in love for the first time. The other part of moe is a feeling of calm (iyashi). You look at a cute character and your heart is at ease. Moe is the warmth and solace that cannot be found in human society...(pg. 119) PG: Would you say that moe is about physical attraction to characters? HT: I don't think moe is just about physical attraction. People who pursue moe are looking for something deeper...There were the crying games (nakige) released by Key. As the name suggests, crying games are all about emotion, not physical attraction. Despite what some people might think, these games are something like romance novels. It's the relationships that are moe.(pg. 124) Things are now getting close to what I'm trying to say. Nakiges and lots of other things are considered moeges. One last interview with Higashimaru Hikaru, a founding member of the Moe Studies Research Circle. I think he gives the most precise definition. PG: What does moe mean to you? HH: Moe is a special affection for a character, or, to be precise, the emotional reaction of a human being toward a fictional character. (pg. 138) What is a moege? So now that we know what is moe, we can now go on to define what is a moege. A quick google search gives me this: https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1363733378 The question asks what is the difference between eroge, galge, bishoujoge, and moege. ギャルゲーの定義としては魅力的な女性が登場するゲームで特に恋愛アドベンチャーゲーム以外でもRPGやアクションゲームなどにオタクが好きそうな絵柄の美少女が登場すればギャルゲーとなります。 萌ゲーも上記の定義に当てはまるもので、これもオタクが喜びそうな絵柄で客層を釣ったゲームのことですね。 Galge's definition is a game where cute girls appear. Especially romance adventure games(VN), RPG, and action games with girls that have character designs that appeal to otaku. The above definition also applies to moege, games that hook players by having character designs that appeal to otaku. Another definition, I found is this, which I think is better: https://imidas.jp/genre/detail/L-128-0025.html 「萌え」は一般的に、架空世界の登場人物（美少女キャラクター等）に対する恋愛に似た男性的感情の芽生え、などと定義される。「燃える」と書かずに「萌える」と当て字を書くのは、パソコン通信の草の根ネットやインターネット掲示板などの、固有の文化から生まれたからとされている。ゲームソフトのなかには、プレイヤーにこの「萌え」の感情を起こすことを狙ったものがあり、それらを総称して萌えゲーと呼ぶ。ただしこれらは露骨な性表現がされたアダルトソフトとは一線を画し、個人のフェティシズムにゆだねられた独自のジャンルを確立している。 For video games, the games which aim to instill feelings of moe towards the player are what are called moeges. So, essentially any game which try to make you attach to a character either emotionally or visually are moege's. So by definition, all charage, galge, bishoujoge and nakige are all moege. Which if we simplify further goes back to the first result in google search which just says that any game with cute character designs are moege. I hope this has served to deepen your understanding of moe. So yes, Subahibi, and the majority of VN's are actually moege's. In fact, Subahibi even managed to win the moege award in 2010. This is way different than how this term is used in the English community to refer to feel good SoL games with no story. But if we take its original Japanese definition, then yes moeges are kamiges as majority of VN's are moeges, so it is just really repeating a tautology. I hope that people have a better understanding of moe and moege going forward. Any thoughts, comments and feedback?

I finished Kisaragi Gold Star and Rance 01 this week. I also started Asairo, but still at the beginning so not much to say yet. キサラギGOLD★STAR Prose-wise it's fairly simple, but character dialogue is decently written. It is far from Niijima's best work though as the story itself is fairly plain. The writing gets fairly bad in the specific parts though, by that I mean lack of detail in the girl's talents. When writing about Kendou, art, piano, or singing, it shows the writer's lack of knowledge, avoiding writing any details. It's fairly bad in Tsubasa's part. Saya route started ok, but the drama is very cringe. And the True route is well not that good. It was rather incomplete and just kind of ended. Overall, it's a a slightly above average moege. ランス01 光をもとめて I've started my journey in Rance by starting at the beginning. Technically, I played Sengoku before, but I want to start from the beginning. This game gives me a good start for what the Rance world is like. Rance World is pretty fucked up, lol. I can now kinda see where he's coming from, because everyone else is really fucked up and you can't help but be influenced growing in that kind of environment. It still doesn't make Rance any less of an asshole, but it is what keeps it entertaining. Rance is a very extreme version of the badass macho guy of 80's and 90's tropes. Music is meh, but art is pretty good. Gameplay is rather simple and mediocre, but entertaining enough considering it's a remake of a 1989 game.

祝姫 It has some of Ryuukishi's trademark writing: the unreliable protagonist, the sudden shifts in mood, the blurring of reality and fantasy, but without any of his themes. It's a rather bland and boring horror game, but shows some of his spark from time to time. So far, it's a rather standard B flick horror movie. They just try and shove as many disgusting things at you as possible. They don't even show the worst of it explicitly, which makes it a rather half-assed game. I feel like the art doesn't really contribute anything to Ryuukishi's writing. If there is any good thing that came from this, the voice acting is top notch. Ryuukishi really knows how to go back to being a kid and write SOL the way a kid would think, but the problem is it doesn't fit the story this time. Overall, a rather mediocre experience.

How do you define what is a hobby? Dictionary gives me this definition: an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. So to me, VN's will always be a hobby as I don't think there is any money to be made from it. It will never become my main occupation. But it's a lifetime hobby. I have pretty much dedicated a good portion of my life to it, and is currently my main enjoyment in life.

Black Sheep Town has a couple off screen sex, and 1 on-screen one. It works ok, because it's a minor part of the story and it's not a romantic story. The art is not that good anyway. Plus, the writer makes up for it with his writing in everything else, It can work, but you'd be disadvantaging yourself for no reason. The visual part is a big part of what separates this medium from normal novels.

I mostly don't reread things as my backlog is infinitely growing. I might reread some scenes I like or some H-scenes, but not the whole VN. So far I have only reread 1 VN from beginning to finish and that is Cross Channel. I first read it in English, but I wasn't satisfied with the translation, so I reread it in Japanese. There might be a couple other VN's I might reread in Japanese, because there are a lot of things you really miss in English. Those are not as high priority as reading completely new VN's though.