Emi

For all members of the press who follow the progress of KagariSoft games, we inform you of the reopening of the form to request keys. The criteria are the same. The keys will be set aside and sent in due time!
 
https://kagarisoft.unset.com.ar/forms/request-key

The characters in Dohna Dohna are factually at least 18 years old, and therefore not minors. This is clearly indicated on the website of its original English storefront, Johren.games:[1]

Dohna Dohna is also now sold on the following download stores as of August 8, 2023, which also clearly state that the characters depicted in sexually explicit conduct are at least 18 years of age:
JAST USA (jastusa.com),
Based in California, United States, which states on the product page:

More information about JAST USA: erogefyi.carrd.co/#jastusa
 
Kagura Games (kaguragames.com)
Based in California, United States, which states on the product page:

More information about Kagura Games: erogefyi.carrd.co/#kaguragames
 
MangaGamer (mangagamer.com)
Based in Japan but dealing primarily to the United States, shipping physical games from California, United States, and blocked to Japanese customers, which states when visiting their website:

More information about MangaGamer: erogefyi.carrd.co/#mangagamer
 
Given that Dohna Dohna is now sold from websites based in the United States (JAST USA and Kagura Games), legitimate businesses that each do their own legal diligence and openly adhere to United States record keeping laws for sexually explicit material, one can only conclude that the game Dohna Dohna must be legal to be bought and sold in the United States.
Not only that, but as I describe in this essay, Dohna Dohna is a serious work of art and literature concerning issues of grave social and political importance and as such must be entitled to the highest degree of first amendment protection, not only regardless, but because of, any of its sexually explicit content.
The second warning is displayed upon launching the software: "All appearing people, places, and organizations are entirely fictional. They have no relationship to anything in reality. All violent and illegal acts depicted would be subject to just punishment under the law if carried out in real life. Absolutely do not emulate them."[6]

Only adult development staff and no real sexual acts were involved in its creation.[1][5][10][8]
Johren states they are based in Japan but conducts business partly from "other countries such as the U.S.",[3] (and Cyprus)[4] and prohibits the transmission of "information that is unlawful, obscene……fraudulent, predatory of minors…" etc. through their services.[2] They also state that they "reserve the right to……cooperate with legal authorities", including the "California Department of Consumer Affairs", and that their products are "protected by United States……Copyright Law."[2] They cater primarily to the United States (and China), accepting USD by default (and of western currencies, only USD). One can only conclude, in due diligence, that Johren is a lawful business and their products are otherwise legal according to U.S. code. More detail on publicly available information about Johren can be found at https://erogefyi.carrd.co/#johren
Dohna Dohna is rated by the Ethics Organization of Computer Software (EOCS) in English (rating identification code: "2003189K")[1], and Japanese. The EOCS is a regulatory body, similar to CERO, established in direct response to ethical concerns about objectionable depictions in erotic games which cooperates with the Japanese government. It is further compliant with their standards by board review, including the following:
No real, living person under 18 years of age may participate in adult game development.[8] All characters involved in sexually explicit activity must be at least 18 years of age.[8] Characters do not appear to be children either, visually by objective standard: they do not appear to be children when compared next to clear adults in the same work, and do not measure 5 or less heads tall.[7]  They also are not referred to in any way, or have certain visual elements, that could state or imply they are underage, from a list of proscribed terms and items.[7] Depictions do not violate socially accepted moral norms and are not obscene.[8][4] Works should have creativity, originality, theme, and genuine artistic purpose. They should not frivolously depict gratuitous sex. Sex scenes should be responsible, appropriate, and balanced cumulatively in the work.[8] You can learn more about what the EOCS criteria require at erogefyi.carrd.co/#eocscriteria or from official EOCS legal documentation (in Japanese) here[7] and here,[8] (I have also translated it to English here). It is also summarized on their Wikipedia articles in Japanese and Chinese.
DLsite, the other Japanese distributor, (and Exclusive Distributor in China)[9] separately found of the original Japanese version before allowing it to be sold on their storefront (by "strict review") that it does not "appear" or "imply" to depict "children" by "reasonable consensus" including by using terms or "certain expressions, accessories, etc. that are strongly associated with minors" and are likely to indicate a character is under 18 years of age (対象が18歳未満と受け止められる可能性が高い表記).[10] They also attest that their products do not involve depictions that are "socially unacceptable," against a range of specific standards (eg. "promote antisocial behavior", "inappropriately warped" or "unnecessarily cruel…exaggerated" sexual expressions) and their own discretion. Also, they state "any products on this website containing sexual content are works of pure fiction. They contain only sexual fantasies which have been fabricated by creators."[10]
It is my fervent, good-faith, and supported belief that Dohna Dohna has serious literary, artistic, (and even political) value. Otherwise I would have not written this essay at all.
Sources

Finally the second and last Jam of this year is here! The Yuri Visual Novel Jam! 
KagariSoft invites all developers who are just starting to develop or veteran developers to work on their next Yuri-themed project. The challenge here is to finish a visual novel between August and November having all the features of a classic visual novel.
You can join and challenge yourself on this link

As announced on Twitter and Discord, the release of "Roses Of Love" on the Valve store is very close, as I was finally able to open a bank account. The release date will be decided between October and November, since I hope to have at least Hoshiko's route finished by those months. Now, this may bring a number of questions from the public which I will answer to the best of my ability. Below I will leave a list of questions and answers that you may be asking yourself.
Is this the full version of the game? Yes and no, it is an early access version. It is seriously the second version, but it will have the full story. How is it different from the full version? Basically, an improvement and change in the game interface. A change of layouts, since the current ones are temporary. Are the game saves in the current early access version compatible? No, the structure and code of the game was made from 0. Therefore, the current games cannot be exported. Earlier it was mentioned that the "Twin Roses" route (currently available route) would not be available in the second stage of early access, why? Because of the short time to release the game, and because it's just me working on writing and programming the game, I decided it would be best to remove this route from the equation temporarily. But don't panic, it will be added as DLC. Why two early access versions? To see the reaction of the players during development, although there is already the demo for it. I considered that I could improve and take into account some points that people recommended me to improve the final product. Besides, the game is maintained thanks to the sales and this way I will be able to acquire the original assets for the game. Why was the release of the game delayed? There are currently two factors that prevented me, first a bank account. Not being able to acquire one triggered this mess of not being able to launch the game. The second was problems in my country. Should I buy the game now or wait?  If you decide to wait, you may buy the final edition. And this will cost 14.99/15 USD depending on the store. If you buy it now, or during the release of the second early access version you will be able to purchase it for $3. Although, on a personal recommendation, the final product would be the better choice!

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.
 
Forbidden Love?
 
If there is one genre which thrives in the visual novel space it is Yuri. While other mediums and types of games touch on Yuri, there are none that put their entire focus on it in quite the all consuming way present in visual novels. Rather than being a sideshow for another genre to use as romantic fluff, it is front and centre in many of the best and defining titles you can play. On top of this prominence there is a distinct difference of approach to the genre taken by Japanese and Western developers. One presents a romance steeped in purity and idealism while the other focuses in on the issues of identity and belonging that effect the characters. These divergent paths have led to a variety of content and themes not present in many other spaces. Over the course of this deep dive these elements will be explored as well as a rich landscape of creators and visions of what Yuri means. Let’s fall in love with a cute girl and find out what makes the genre tick.
 
Vision of Purity – Japanese Yuri
 
Pervasive within Japanese Yuri is the idea of the romance as being akin to a garden of flowers and the pairing as the most brilliant blooms among them. The focus on a very specific set of emotions adds some distinctive flavour to the love story and helps this genre stand out. However, under the surface there is the same treatment of love as a form of titillation to sell a product in many games which use Yuri as a secondary element.
 
At its core the link to flowers and purity found in this style of Yuri stems from an extreme idealisation of the lesbian romance. It is placed in opposition to a male centric romance story which is by contrast is a tale of desire and lust with love being the ultimate driver behind it but obscured by this layer of impurity and dirtiness associated with men. In contrast the female is seen as the purer sex and thus it follows that any love between two of them would be equally pure. Even when lust does enter the conversation it treated with a sanctity as if it were the precursor to a holy act of union. Generally this is caked in vaguely Christian iconography and language, such as the pair attending a Catholic school, to present the pair’s relationship as an act before some kind of unseen divine presence which accepts their choice of partner. 
 

 
We can see this in the Sono Hanabira series where the complete focus on a single couple makes it stand out the most. For each game their pairing is presented with a sort of all consuming sanctity, everything points to the couple from the supporting cast to the everyday events, even previous games’ couples act as conduits to insure the new couple comes together. An entire world orientated towards an outcome is a pretty convincing argument for its legitimacy. Theirs is a union painted through bright colours and delicate gazes and there is an almost otherworldly glow to their encounters to better emphasise the feelings they are enraptured by and the purity of their intention. Sono Hanabria is a particularly good example of these traits since it leans into lust as part of its content and even there the colours never let up, their acts are done in the light of day and have none of the messiness of a male orientated union, but it is instead one where only the cleanest intentions are realised and this is reflected in their language and generally cleanliness of proceedings. Overall it is a unique presentation of romance that puts this particular coupling on an almost unattainable level.
 
These distinctive traits do allow for the exploration of some emotions often forgotten about or sidelined in a more traditional romance story. The two points it excels at are the capturing of the feeling of wishful longing and the power our desire for human connection has over us. Capturing the essence of wishful longing within a romantic context is something many stories gloss over in favour of the more dramatic aspects of a relationship, such as the confession, and the intense focus affords to it in Yuri helps the genre stand out. Needing to be with someone else for your happiness is a part of love that effects both participants in often vague ways and the pale colour and idealises space of Yuri is a perfect place for exploring this since it can shift its already vague imagery towards this equally vague subject. In doing so it can present the emotions of its characters and explore the reasons for their emotional state and the effects it has on people. By extension the power of the human desire for connections is expressed through the completion of the longing and the realisation of the pair’s bond. Similarly to the longing, this is made possible by Yuri’s extreme emphasis on the emotional states of its characters and makes the strength of their desire for each other clear and gives a good space for exploring what exactly this means in practice. 
 

 
Of course not everyone sells this vision of purity for the right reasons, there is no denying that the teasing of Yuri is a strong selling point for a product and there are many visual novels which lean into this for all the wrong reasons. These are the type of visual novels which have Yuri as a flavour to entice in an audience without then committing to the idea as in practice they pay it off with only vague insinuations. They also make use of the aesthetic by signalling the colour and composition associated with Yuri to paint the game in Yuri to complement the main thrust of the game, but the result often feels hollow because the juggling act between these elements is difficult to manage while keep a consistent tone. An example of this attitude to Yuri can be seen in The Curse of Kudan which uses it as a side element to drive the emotional core behind its main mystery focus. What results is a confused experience with the Yuri cues not matching the serious and darker mystery causing a form of narrative whiplash. Alongside this is the problem of the romances feeling undercooked and merely in there to act as bait to keep the player hooked without the developer considering that will have to pay this off at some point. This type of treatment for Yuri is strangely common despite its very mixed results from an overall game standpoint and more often than not leaves a sour taste in the player’s mouth.
 
A Vision of Reality – Western Yuri
 
For Western Yuri the presentation and priorities are very different than with Japanese Yuri to the point at which the only commonality at times is their base subject matter. Rather than pastel idealism there is instead a sense of the weight to the relationship. It is something to be treasured but there are many experiences which will be difficult or strange to those under these emotions. This shift in approach from their Japanese peers stems from the different origins of those creating the influential titles and the space around the topic which has developed.
 
Even when the setting is fantastical Western Yuri has its sights firmly set in the real and grounded experience that reflects the lives of actual lesbians. These take the issues and frames them individually within events and characters who bring it into an easy to digest form that emphasises the emotions involved. Presentation of these themes is not limited by an established visual language and instead plays host to many contrasting uses of imagery from other genres with interesting merges taking place in order to get the desired effect. As a result there are a lot of different interpretations of the same ideas that have arisen leading to many new ways of approaching the Yuri design space as well as a fair amount of cross-pollinating from popular games. One of the best examples of this culture of design can be seen in Blackberry Honey. This visual novel, set in mid-19th century England, takes the issues surrounding lesbians relationships and puts them into a distinctive historical context which allows them to standout against a world hostile to their existence. In assuming the visual identity of the era the game gains a presentation it can play with to better convey its ideas without being bound to a set of prescribed iconography. On the other hand this does mean the game has to work twice as hard to make sure it is clear in its intent since it has nothing within the player’s established understanding of the genre to fall back on. It is a trading of stability for freedom and it is a common choice among many Western Yuri games.
 

 
The difference in approach originates for the far more indie centric development of Yuri visual novels due to the way the market has developed in the West. Rather than being defined by an industry in need of profit to survive, the Western scene is defined by individuals or small groups who act within the genre out of a love for it and as a result the vast majority of the visual novels produced by them are passion projects that their developers do not expect to make large (if any) profits from. As you would expect this leads to a diverse field both in terms of game concepts but also the people involved due to the low barrier for entry and easy access to simple but competent engines. Of course such a wide array of releases leads to an unevenness in terms of quality with many being basic in nature with a few which stand out for their distinctive originality, but each one has the same passion and contain the experiences and thoughts of their developers. NomnomNami is a good example of an individual within this space. Their projects are small in scale but tight in focus and have allowed them to develop a visual and narrative identity of their own that reflects their passion for the ideas they express. Rather than being made with an eye for sales their projects are the stories they want to tell and this comes across in every moment of these games. They also showcase of how there is a lot of overlap in Western Yuri between the genre and other LGBTQ+ narratives and spaces. Many of their works often touch on, if not outright make the focus, other feelings effecting this group and the commonality between them.
 
Conclusion
 
Regardless of which of the two approaches you might follow in your own work or play, there is no denying the unique power that Yuri has to inspire the presentation of often unexplored ideas and emotions in relatable fashions. Be it through the bright colours, pseudo religious imaginary and idealism of Japanese Yuri or the grounded, alive and real issue orientated Western Yuri, there is no limit to the sheer variety of expressive tools on offer for budding developers. Each one offers some angle on love that a more traditional romance experience would shy away from but which Yuri makes front and centre for all to see. The strange mixture of longing, desire, hopes, acceptance and realisation which make the space such a sight to behold continue to attract more people into the genre. Perhaps something here tickled your creative juices and you want to explore this space more and doing so would definitely be worth your time as the diversity on display is not something any one article can possibly capture.
 

Dark Butterfly: after dream has been added to the summer sale, now you can get RosesOfLove and Dark Butterfly: after dream at 50% off their prices.
https://itch.io/s/95309/kagarisoft-summer-sale

New discount for Roses Of Love, this discount will help to improve the game in the final version. Buy for 52% off! Ends May 23rd 2023
 
 

Hello everyone! Today I come to announce something that was notified on twitter this month, this news has to do with KagariSoft and KonKonSoft are now subsidiaries of UnSet. What is UnSet? Well in simple terms (I the creator of KagariSoft) decided to create a parent "brand" of KagariSoft, this brand will allow me to get into more projects. There are many things that I couldn't achieve just using "KagariSoft", that's why I decided to found UnSet, now unset will provide content related to videogames and everything related to "Anime" style. 
What will happen to KagariSoft? 
Nothing, I will continue working on my projects using KagariSoft as I have been doing, only now I can extend myself a little more.
What is KonKonSoft?
Good question, KonKonSoft is the name KagariSoft uses to distribute games, it may sound strange and unnecessary to do this, but I wanted to separate KagariSoft in two. One that is dedicated to game development and the other to marketing the projects, that way I can separate the content that is published.
Now, I invite you to follow the official UnSet account and the other accounts in case you don't follow them!
KagariSoft: https://twitter.com/KagariSoft
KonKonSoft: https://twitter.com/kksoft_official
UnSet: https://twitter.com/unset_corp
 

Roses Of Love and Dark Butterfly: after dream. Each item 50% off! or buy everything for $2.90! Regularly $8.98 Save 67%!
https://itch.io/s/89945/march-2023-creator-day-and-sale

One normal title per month is all we deserve these days   1. Red List Girls. [230223] 7th;MINT 1 The world has changed dramatically since the war. Humanity, once the supreme power on earth, was swallowed up by the power of the weapons it had created. As a result, the number of human beings has been greatly reduced. Scientific development ceased, but humans continued to kill animals.  However, there were a few humans who were concerned about the danger to animals. They created organization "Agape", the Organization for the Assistance and Protection of Endangered Animals. Organization started to transform the strongest of animals into the same form as Human.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Girls who are a cross between animals and people. This is the story of the battle waged by animal girls with weapons in their hands to protect their endangered brethren. Partial release   2. FLIP * FLOP ~RAMBLING OVERRUN~  [230224] DiGination Ran Tsukigaoka is a genius girl, but no one truly understands her - even herself. She knows who she is, but she never experienced love. I admit skipping the sequel, but it was vanilla nukige with an AI girl - a super boring service game. This time heroine is a genius creator of AI, so it's at least more or less natural, though still a totally fetish little game.    3. SACRIFICE VILLAINS  [230224] CLOCKUP CRIME has reigned supreme in SCUM CITY since the day the SUPERVILLAINS showed up— However, at the heart of this evil nest lies a sanctuary known as JUSTOPIAN WARD. As a deterrent to the evildoers, the SUPERHEROES constructed this self-sufficient stronghold, which thrives despite the surrounding CHAOS. JUSTOPIA, the ultimate hero and bane of countless villains, is its FOUNDER, MAYOR, and CHAMPION. Justopia also founded the HERO SOCIETY and serves as its chairman, giving orders to the other heroes as they fight crime and bring peace to the city and the world. Yet, the crafty VILLAINS are growing stronger, and the HEROES are struggling to keep up... some of them have even betrayed the cause by swearing allegiance to the dark side in the most heinous way! If not the ASYLUM, to whom should Justopia seek assistance? This facility reforms criminals, and who could be more qualified to lead it than YOU? Capturing and reforming S-level villains must be done rapidly and efficiently. It's in your hands to rehabilitate these scumbags and put their power to use for JUSTICE again! Tried to find at least some gameplay elements in it, and no, it's just a pure nukige, and I would not include it unless it got translation at some point.   4. Sakura no Toki -Sakura no Mori no Shita o Ayumu- サクラノ刻－櫻の森の下を歩む－ [230224] Makura 1 Even disappear into the inexhaustible world. Still, the sounds overlap and resonate. The time flows – one day, it will become poetry. A two story about geniuses, geniuses and mediocrities. Weak God and strong God. A story beyond happiness. That is the second act of the cherry blossom story. A genius chosen by God, a genius abandoned by God, and a mediocre man who resists God. What is the charism that dwells in beauty? Why is the fruit given only to the chosen one? "Where did we come from, who are we, where are we going?" A world united by the light of causal exchange. Can artists answer that question through beauty? A story told around Kusanagi Naoya after "Sakura no Uta". From that slope, Naoya and Ai went down while looking at the city of Yumihari. There were many untold stories leading up to it. About two geniuses. The true story of Natsume Kei and Kusanagi Naoya. Why do they continue to fascinate people even after Natsume Kei's death or when they break their brushes? A true painter, Misakura Rin, who is the embodiment of beauty itself. Why does she want to go beyond where they stopped? What about Hikawa Rina? What about Kawachino Yuumi? What about Toritani Makoto? And Natsume Ai? All human thoughts intersect. There is at least one English review already.

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.
 
For visual novels, the written word is their backbone and how it is presented to the player is key to controlling their tone and pacing. Over the years the methods of presentation have been standardised into two types, ADV (ADVenture) and NVL (NoVeL). These two have become the dominate styles and are often positioned as diametric opposites in what they set out to achieve. When a developer creates a visual novel they will often exclusively use one of these two types based on if it fits their intended vision. But what is it that drives their choice and why have these two methods emerged as the dominant forces in the medium? This article will examine these two competing styles to find out what makes them tick and how you can utilise them when making your own visual novel.
 
ADV
 
In general ADV refers to a text box which only occupies as small section of the screen. It is normally located at the bottom but also can take different forms such as speech bubbles or other hovering text boxes. ADV is by far the most popular type of text presentation with over 19000 tagged games in VNDB and it can be seen as the face of the medium given how much it has become associated with visual novels.
 

 
One of the primary reasons for this popularity is the faster pace it offers. An ADV textbox can only show a few lines of text at a time which the player can quickly read before clicking to show the next lines. This means the player is always being presented with new content and encouraged to never dwell on previous lines which gives them a sense that they are rapidly and constantly progressing through the game. As such the overall pacing of the game is sped up and for games focused on action or want a less dense feeling to their narratives, the choice to use ADV makes sense. This can be further controlled to the developer’s liking through the mixture of dialogue and narration to slow or speed up the feeling of a scene. The 9-nine- series is a good example of this practice with its mixture of slice of life, suspense and action scenes demanding a shifting but brisk pace. The game’s ADV delivers this by mixing speech heavy sections with rapid descriptions of events depending on the needs of each scene. Even with these elements it can be difficult to slow the player down and make them contemplate what has occurred due to the inherent forward momentum of ADV and the lack of space it gives to what has just happened.
 
Complementing this faster pace is the lighter tone offered by unobstructed visuals. The smaller textbox of ADV places a greater emphasis on the backgrounds, portraits and CGs behind it and these cover the major of what the player will be seeing. As you would expect this means the visuals have to carry more of the weight in selling the narrative and is a consideration for visual novels where their art style is a big selling point as ADV allows it to shine. A focus on visuals also creates a less serious tone than NVL due to the shorter segments of text and an overall brighter feeling due to their prominence. This is the main reason slice of life and romance visual novels prefer ADV as their aim is create an enjoyable but not demanding experience for the player which they can comfortably slip in and out of and ADV provides this flexibility to the developers. One of the most prominent examples of this practice can be found in any Yuzusoft game where the lighter tone of ADV is utilised to its full effectiveness with their decorative and translucent text boxes and bright aesthetic. It is impressive to see how small changes to the colours of an interface can shift the player's perceptions of a work towards a more relaxed atmosphere.
 

 
By emphasising images through the smaller textbox of ADV, the styles of narrative told using it tend towards an external focus. What this means in practice is that these visual novels tend to have flat or self-insert protagonists with the focus being placed on the interactions between and other characters to carry the players interest. Amnesia: Memories is an extreme example of this external focus with its complete commitment to the self-insert protagonist and reliance on conversations between characters to carry the narrative weight. There is only a limited amount of introspection possible in a format which is inherently forward moving and what is present tends to be brief and supported by emotional moments with members of the core cast. This is one of the major downsides of the momentum offered by ADV, slowing things down can be difficult without killing the pacing of the overall narrative.
 
NVL
 
The approach of NVL to text and narrative presentation is in many ways the other extreme to the ADV method. It generally manifests as a single large textbox covering most of the screen, sometimes with a boarder around the edge, through which the visuals bellow can be seen even if they are partially obscured. 
 
When a developer chooses to use NVL it is clear they want the writing to be front and centre with the player's undivided attention. This is a result of having the text take up a good portion of the screen and it changes how the player interacts with the game. The presence of more lines of text on screen at any one time creates a slower pace to the narrative since past lines linger on the screen and the player may reread them in light of the new information being presented to them. We can see this clearly in Higurashi When They Cry which utilises its tense and horror based narrative to make the player hang on each sentence for a clue and attempt to find meaning in how the lines are presented, which in turn fuels the atmosphere in a cyclical manner. A side effect of this approach is the introduction of a more demanding tone than is found in ADV due to the increased prominence of the text and the way in asks you to dwell on the complete picture each page is showing instead of just a since line. These combine to favour more narratively complex stories since these elements of NVL are often overkill for simpler tales.
 

 
One of the largest benefits to using NVL is the minute level of control it is possible gain over what text is shown as well as where and when. This gives the developer the ability to emphasise key moments by breaking from the established structure of the text and surprising the player. These can be something as simple as a single word at the centre of the screen to as complex as an entire scene presented as if it were a text chat log. Perhaps the most vivid example of this is Fate Stay Night which uses the colour, position, font and shapes available to control player perceptions with a level of finesse not possible without NVL. The ability to spice up the narrative presentation can never be underestimated and it injects life into what might otherwise be a boring wall of text. However, there is the ever present risk of overusing this trick and the temptation to show off through it must be controlled since it will rapidly become familiar and breed complacency in the player.
 
A major drawback of utilising NVL is way in which it pushes the visual aspects of the game into the background. By placing a large text box in front of both the background and portraits, it creates a sense of distance from them and encourages the player to consider them less important than the writing. As you would expect this means that their art styles often tend towards clearer shapes and an uncluttered visual presence since a more distinctive and loud use of colour and form would become muddied or lost under the layer of text. While this is normally worked into how the game presents itself so as to not draw attention to it, there is undeniably something lost from not being properly able to engage with the visual aspects in a more chaotic and expressive fashion.
 
Merging The Two Sides
 
So far I have been presenting ADV and NVL as if they are entirely opposite and incompatible with each other. Of course this is not true, in reality there is nothing stopping a developer from switching between the two styles depending on the needs of the scene. Do you want to have a moment of introspection then switch to NVL, or perhaps you want a fast paced actions scene then switch to ADV. Wonderful Everyday perfectly encapsulates this mixed philosophy as it weaves in and out of both styles of presentation to allow the importance of a scene or moment to be understood by the player. On top of all of this it allows for the ability to play with player expectations through establishing one of the styles as being only used for a certain character or type of scene only pull back the curtain to reveal the truth later on. The flexibility on offer is endless and can be tweaked to fit the needs of the game’s narrative, further adding to the toolbox available.
 

 
Conclusion
 
As with any medium there are differing approaches to presentation and none of these are necessarily better than any other, but instead offer benefits to certain genres and themes. Such is the case with the ADV vs. NVL debate. On the one side we have ADV with its tendency towards faster pacing and external focused narratives and on the other we have NVL with its introspective tendencies and more demanding tone. Of course you can combine the two in the same visual novel and play with their contrasting properties if you are willing to run the risk of confusing the player. Each one of these options is valid when used properly and allow the developer to have control over the effects of both the text and visuals in order to achieve their desired emotion or theme. In the end you will have to make the call about what you feel will work best within your visual novel and lean into what makes your chosen style tick for the best results.
 
 

Since Hata has been rip for various personal and emotional reasons this week, he ended up not being able to post the VNTS. I, however, was not so encumbered, so I wrote my commentary Monday night. Rather than lose it to time entirely, I'll post it here. No, I'm not doing the formatting. You can have the vnts data if you must though. I'll throw in bolded tags for the new stuff but no headings for you! This is a low effort post.
 
「Hello everyone. I am again writing this on Monday so that Hata can delay it to Friday or so purely on his _own_. Though given how often I was late when I did this solo, it's very hard for me to blame him.
I'm doing weirdly okay today, maybe because I turned in an assignment on time yesterday that I half thought I was going to let myself miss the hard deadline on. It really is "let myself", to be honest. Thankfully I have the faculties required to just knock stuff out like a god when I need to. And I suppose I can't wax nostalgic about the period of my life when I had such high baseline anxiety from GERD and shit that I actually did all my assignments early, because, uh, I wanted them done in case I died or had to go to the hospital or some shit. Not particularly logical, anxiety thinking. Anyway, visual novels.
This week feels a bit slow. We do have one release in Maid for Loving You, but I have to admit I cannot muster any enthusiasm for it. Though I didn't exactly hate Azarashi Soft's work on Aibeya 2, even as I have it stalled after getting to the more porny part of the thing. That said, who gives a crap about maids? Give me the osananajimi variant of this setting! ...Or don't, Aibeya 2 is osananajimi too and I didn't finish that. Look I just like childhood friends okay. I may have [a bit of a complex][https://disearnestlydisearnest.wordpress.com/2019/04/30/幼馴染の居ないヴァルパージス炎/]. At least 10% of my brain is convinced our fateful reunion is just around the corner. The rest of my brain is engaged in forcefully suppressing the NTR感 of thinking of her with someone else. This is the only way I can understand NTR bois, actually. It scares me. Why did I start on this topic? Fuck. Anyway, I do like the single heroine game concept though. It's cozy.
It looks like this will be a December without angels yet again, if anyone remembers the 4chan ritualposter — but perhaps next December will not be so. Yup, someone's started up a project for Leaf's Tenshi no Inai 12-Gatsu. Which they're calling "[December when there is no angel][https://mercurialtapestry.net/2022/11/27/december-when-there-is-no-angel-translation-announcement/]" which sounds kinda garbo in English to me so I hope they think of something better. On the other hand the rest of the attitude on display in the post seems promising enough, so hey. I wish them luck. For some reason I thought this was just some generic moege, but it looks like it's actually a messy drama or something now that I actually look at the description on vndb. The EGS median is at 78, so it's not too badly rated by our Nipponese brethren.
Sona-Nyl is yet again showing minor signs of progress. One day it will actually be out. Probably. Imagine getting a translation by one of the finest writers on the scene and just slowrolling it to all hell. Ah well.
JAST Blue announced a new upcoming title: [Sorcerer's Choice: Angel or Demon][https://vndb.org/v21661] (_Mahoutsukai to Tenshi to Akuma_). I'd say something about it but even their [official promo page][https://jast.blue/detail/sorcerers-choice-angel-or-demon] has very little content, so I'll just say have fun BL squad. Where Lamento though?
Mahoyo is releasing 8 December. This is not a drill. It's going to be annoying to emulate it to play it, though. Maybe when I actually get to it I'll be be-jobbed, rich, and thus suitably be-consoled. I remember an old semi-shitpost podcast I did with the BOYS about [all the different mahoyo fan translations][https://forums.fuwanovel.net/topic/22460-mahoyo-translation-overview-podcast-w-zakas-mutts/] that are now probably going to be irrelevant. What a time.
While not listed on VNTS, Umikara is at 14/138 scripts done as per the translator's Discord. Hope KKHimawari has been having fun.
Oh, and Akagoei 1 is [getting a full re-edit][https://daybreaktl.wordpress.com/2022/11/23/november-update/] by one of the people on the team it seems. It's going to be released together with Akagoei 2, which might take some time, but is still worth thinking about if you were going to try it and have the needed patience. I wonder if the shape of any of my lines will be left in there by the end of it; I've helped Bee a few times when he was having a hard time getting things right. Which is actually a way of contributing I've settled on for a few projects (really just one right now): I'm a lazy fuck, but tackling a few difficult lines every once in a while isn't so bad. Not to mention giving general style advice, of course. It's probably made me a slightly less spicy person when it comes to translation criticism, to be honest. While I still will meme on people that are clearly not trying, or leaning on the ol' technological 'wonders' that DeepL and Google provide, it's different when you're on the team. Though I've only joined groups with at least some good feels to begin with, so who knows? I suppose it is better that I remain blissfully unaware, so that the implacable force of my scorn remains at a manageable level. Lives may be at stake.」

Review of the recently released translation of the Black Cyc classic, Gore Screaming Show. Watch it if you want.

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here.
Genre – Science Fantasy. Playtime – 6 Hours. Developer – ALICE IN DISSONANCE. Publisher – Phoenixx. VNDB
Before The Storm
LIGHTKRAVETE marks ALICE IN DISSONANCE’S first new fault title in seven years and this gap has lead to a substantial change in their overall style. Gone are the static character portraits, now each character has their own live 2d style model which moves as they speak and react. A dynamic camera now changes to focus on key characters or background elements and gives each scene more life. However, do all these bells and whistles come at the cost of what made the fault series so special? Let’s find out.
 

 
A World of Wonder - Narrative and Structure -
 
There is something special about the world of fault. Its blend of fantasy and sci-fi concepts always made for an engaging read in their previous games and this trend continues in LIGHTKRAVETE. Unlike in previous fault games there is no overarching villain to push the narrative forward, since this is a prequel, and as result the world building has to do more of the heavy lifting. The story starts by presenting the kingdom of before the events of the first game which provides it with a sense of place that had previously been lacking and sets the stage for the story. Once this has been established the narrative moves onto the meat of the world building, the technical mystery. Without spoiling the exact nature of it this mystery, it is an exploration of the limitations and practicality of utilising magical technology for a new purpose not previously achieved. This section of the story is by far the strongest as it has the player piece together the solution along with Khaji, our protagonist, by having the two gain a full picture of the puzzle at the same rate and when the solution is revealed it is extremely satisfying.
 

 
The only issue with the emphasis LIGHTKRAVETE places on world building is its overuse of in-universe terminology to the point of being actively distracting. One such example of this is the in-universe word for bear which is beare. This might at first glance seem like a petty nitpick, does a single letter difference really matter? The answer is in the frequency and the way these instances impede the players enjoyment by forcing them to stop and reread the sentence to understand it. This collectively adds up to distract for the excellent core narrative and, since most in-universe terminology is used were standard English would have been clearer, the writers could have easily avoided this problem by reducing their usage of these terms.
 
A story cannot exist on world building alone and so LIGHTKRAVETE has a character focused narrative to complement the world building and give it context. It is through Khaji’s struggles that this aspect manifests and we slowly get to see the development of his character in tandem with the growing mystery. His overall character arc is one of the most cathartic experiences in a recent visual novel release as he grows before our eyes from someone who is cowardly and unsure into a person who achieves his dreams. While it is not the most original arc, it is used by many for a reason and here its strength is obvious.
 
A Cast Of Many Qualities - The Characters -
 
The cast of LIGHTKRAVETE is one of the areas in which the game stumbles slightly as character development and interactions are not evenly spread among them leading to some characters feeling underdeveloped or unnecessary. This flaw can be explained by splitting the cast into three groups, the main characters, the minor characters and the old fault characters.
 

 
Having a memorable main cast is key to any visual novel and LIGHTKRAVETE succeeds at this for the most part. Khaji Oberg has the excellent character arc need for a protagonist and being in his head space throughout the story gives the player a mix of outsider and insider perspectives on the workings of the fault world. This high bar of quality defines all the important characters of the story and it is clear that the writer knew that this was where they wanted to focus their efforts and the fruits of their success are obvious.
 
It is when we reach the minor characters that the cracks begin to show themselves. This secondary cast are noticeable less fleshed out and seem to exist just to deliver exposition. The lack of emphasis on these less important characters is understandable given the short playtime of the game but it is a disappointment none the less. The larger issue is the one scene each of these character has where they explain their backstory and without exception they are tragic in some fashion. This is not so bad in theory, but these backstories are all delivered almost back to back over a small section of the story and the result is a parade of misery which comes across a slightly silly. If they had been spaced out over a larger time frame then this issue would have been less noticeable and each story would have been given the space to breathe.
 
The Spark of Life - Visuals and Audio -
 
If there is one area where ALICE IN DISSONANCE are at their strongest it is in the visual design and the quality of their narrative presentation. Each character portrait has been given a complicated live 2d style allowing for a stronger suite of dynamic expressions and the addition of motion to formerly static scenes. This works well for the talking heavy nature of the fault series with its focus on ideas and world building and adds emotion and spice to the character’s discussions. Complementing this change is the addition of a dynamic camera which focuses on aspects of the scene to increase the emphasis on certain characters and places while lending a sense of life to the world. Together these elements support the already strong narrative by lending weight or levity when needed to keep the player engaged with Khaji’s story.
 

 
However, this approach is not without issues and even if they are not deal breakers, they are still worth discussing. The first is the mouth movements while the character is speaking. If the game had voice acting then this would not be an issue at all, but since it doesn’t the silent mouth moving as the text is displayed makes the otherwise emotive portraits come across as lifeless dolls. The other problem is that some of the poses which characters take cause parts of their body to noticeable clip through each other. It is not a frequent occurrence but when it does happen it is distracting from what are otherwise effective narrative moments.
 
Verdict – 8/10 –  
 
LIGHTKRAVTE is an astonishing work of character and world building which demonstrates why ALICE IN DISSONANCE are masters of their craft.
 
Pros and Cons -
 
Pros:
+The fault universe continues to have some of the best world building around.
+Khaji’s character arc has an excellent catharsis to it.
+Visuals and animations are astounding.
+The technical mystery in the second half is extremely compelling.
 
Cons:
-Overuses in universe terminology leading to unnecessary confusion.
-Some character poses and movements do not look quite right.
-Old fault characters feel out of place.
-There are pacing issues in the first half.

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog HERE.
Genre – Slice of Life, Romance. Playtime – 40 hours. Developer – Yuzusoft. Publisher – NekoNyan and Hikari Field. VNDB
A Second Chance
  Dying is never pleasant, especially when you have lingering regrets. Takamine Kousei’s death is as sudden as his life was unremarkable and in his final moment he wishes his life could have been more. However, this is not the end for Kousei as he finds himself back at the start of the day he died but this time instead of meeting his demise he meets a Shinigami and a talking cat. They inform him that he is responsible for the time jump and God is not happy. The Shinigami offers him a way out of this conundrum, assist her with her work by opening a cafe. So begins Kousei’s tale of love and lost souls.  
 
Yuzusoft are well known for their slice of life visual novels and Café Stella and the Reapers' Butterflies does not deviate far from their comfort zone, for better and for worse. With a total of four heroines and one sub-heroine and a run time in the region of forty hours, there is no shortage of story on offer for fans of the slice of life genre. However, does the quality match the quantity? Let’s dive in and find out.
 
Of Love and Butterflies – Narrative and Themes -
  When it comes to visual novels of the slice of life / romance genre there is often a lack of an overarching plot in favour of smaller personal stories and Café Stella is no exception. Each route focuses solely on the issues of the heroine with only the loose threads of the supernatural and Kousei’s damaged soul joining them. This is overall not a bad thing, but you should set your expectations when buying the game.       The routes themselves have an excellent variety to their stories and do a good job at selling the romantic build up between each heroine and Kousei. However, there is a formula which each route follows and it becomes readily apparent once you have played a few of them. While this does not ruin them, since they do not have any important plot point which could be spoiled by the structure of the narrative, there is an undeniable repetitiveness which can make the individual events of different routes blur together. This is symptomatic of the broader formulaic nature of Yuzusoft’s work with similar narratives being played out in multiple games. As such Café Stella can bring feelings of deja vu for those who have played other games by the studio, whether this is a good or a bad thing will depend on how much you like their style.   However, there is an elephant in the room throughout the entire game, the supernatural. Each Yuzusoft game generally has a gimmick to spice up the slice of life formula. In the past this has been things like spies in Riddle Joker and witches in Sabbat of the Witch. For Café Stella it is the Shinigami and the butterflies that are the souls of the dead. These gimmicks always sit awkwardly alongside the romance and slice of life elements, never being properly utilised or existing as consequence free set dressing. Such elements can actively harm the experience as in the case of Riddle Joker’s unwillingness to deal with the realities of spying in any fashion, but for the most part they are just distractions that add little to the core experience.     Maidens Bound to the Dead – Character Overview - 
 
A likeable cast is a critical aspect of the slice of life / romance genre. If there is not a fight over who is best girl then there is a problem with your characters. This is one of the areas in which Café Stella excels when compared to its peers. The characters’ likeable personalities and strong chemistry is one of the standout features and is the main reason the game is worth playing.   The heroines have a good variety to their personalities with little overlap between them meaning that they standout in distinctly memorable ways. Kanna is a mischievous yet kind Shinigami, Shiki is a sharp tongued classic tsundere, Nozomi is the no nonsense childhood friend and Mei is a cheerful and slightly childish junior. It is a testament to the quality of the character writing when my favourite heroine is the sub-heroine Suzune, the perfectionist baker, which is rare since they are often not given a chance to shine with most resources being focused to the main heroines. Secondary characters receive a similar treatment with each being given the space they need to shine without them ever getting in the way of the main characters. This even treatment of the characters and their dynamics allows for all of them to be active players even outside of their own routes or conflicts and creates a rich feeling cast who are a pleasure to watch doing even the most mundane tasks.    
Undeniable Quality – Visuals and Audio -
 
One area in which Yuzusoft have consistently excelled it is in their visual design and its quality. Each heroine has a surprisingly large assortment of expressions and poses along with different outfits to the point at which you will constantly see something new from them. In a similar vein the variety of CGs and super deformed cut-ins makes the important moments of humour and emotion stand out, but at the same time they are not overused so each remains special. The bright colours and attention to detail throughout the visual design demonstrates a clear understanding by Yuzusoft of the visual identity of their work and of the genre. This results in a distinct presentation which clearly sets expectations of what experience is in store for the player.       One final aspect worth touching on is the extensive quality of life features present in Café Stella. These range from a route flowchart, the ability to suspend and resume anywhere, full controller and keyboard remapping, the function to favourite any voice line and many more. The sheer expansiveness of these features always surprises me whenever I play a Yuzusoft game and they are the example other visual novel developers should strive to match.     Verdict - 8/10 –
  With its engaging characters and well put together routes, this is one of the better examples of its genre and of Yuzusoft’s work.     Pros and Cons -   Pros:
+ Excellent visuals and audio as you would expect of a Yuzusoft game.
+ A genuinely likeable cast of characters.
+ The focus on the cafe makes for a nice change from the standard school setting.
+ A level of technical polish few other companies can match.
 
Cons:
- A supernatural element which feels as if the writers have no idea what to do with it.
- Has a formulaic structure to its routes which can lead to them feeling repetitive.
- The protagonist has an inconsistent personality.
- If you have played other Yuzusoft games then this may feel familiar.
 

Visual Novel Translation Status (11/09/2022)
Welcome to this week VNTS Review, and as for this week we have multiple releases as well, although unlike last week this time all of those are not MTL so you don't need to worry in regard of MTL here. To summarize it, those releases are Imaimo, Himeyoku, and yet another nukige from Cherry Kiss with the biggest release is obviously Imaimo. We also have several new project established, and that Sekai also have several updates on this week even though it's quite unfortunate that there's no Hamidashi translation progress from them. So overall I suppose I can say that this week here is another above average one, and let's see what I can write in regard of this week. Oh yes, as for the title I'll tell about it on PS later.
As for Cherry Kiss release, to be frank I have nothing to say other than that the localized title is obviously a parody of Pokemon English catchphrase. For the premise, well it's about the MC from the other world who summoned to the world that only has female as a sacrifice to seal the demon queen, and after he has sex with the queen who is satisfied so much that she pledge royalty to the MC and had him as the king, the MC decided to teach the meaning of equality by having sex with all races in his new world. Go get the VN if you want more Cherry Kiss nukige, and have fun.
Shiravune delayed their Monochrome Mobius release to November 16th with legitimate reason, in which apparently one of the staffs was get caught up by Covid which considering the number of daily cases in Japan (For the info the daily cases in August end could reach up to around 250,000 cases) it's most likely to be true. In exchange though they managed to have released Himeyoku, which at least it has some quite nice graphic even though I would like to see that Yamizome Liberator being translated. Anyway in here we have the MC who manage to get revenge by attacked the king who made his life miserable by using some sort of mysterious power, although his interest is not in politic but instead it's in regard of have sex with the princess, and so he used his power which revealed that he was got by made a pact with five female demon to rape the princess. Go get Himeyoku in Steam or Johren if you want to see more Escude VN, and have fun.
For Sekai's update, we have Yumeiro was at 30% edited, Nie no Hakoniwa was a 45% translated, Gakkou no Seiiki was fully edited, and last but not the least we have Our Marriage 1 was announced to be released on 23rd later along with it was already 90% in QA. Once again it's still too bad that there's no update on Hamidashi or even Raspberry Cube, but I suppose Sekai may start working on the former after they released the Chinese version of it first. We also have some update in regard of Slow Damage, in that it's currently in testing so we may have it released in the near future, although looking from how frequent JAST tweet something related to Gore Screaming Show related we may see it as JAST's next release.
Of course we have some fan translation update, and for the roundup we have Houkago Cinderella was at 58.88% translated along with 7.02% edited, ChuSingura was at 11.38% translated, Chronos was at 35% proofreading, Day 7 Ciel's route of Tsukihime Remake was finally fully translated, White Album 2 Mini After Stories was fully translated with two after stories are fully edited and playtested, and Eustia was at 97.87% in programming with Licia's chapter was at 88.68% in programming. We also have new project for Planetarian Snow Globe translation by Snow fan translation group, and for the info Snow Globe here is the short prequel of Planetarian with Snow Globe itself was already at a quarter translated. Almost forgot to mention that we already have one more sex scene from Aojashin Case 3 was translated, so for Aojashin currently we have 11 out of 17 sex scenes of it are translated.
We also have several updates from Daybreak, with one of those is in regard of Ginharu in that they will try to finish with it by November later, although whether it'll lead to full patch release later or not we'll see. Another update is in regard of Akagoei FD in that the translator already finished with Moe's route, and so he continued with working on Tae's route next. Lastly we also have new project from them, and said new project is Kusarihime in which it's the old Liar-soft VN from way back in 2002. Kurarihime itself is well known as the VN that inspired Urobochi Gen, Tanaka Romeo, and Kinoko Nasu which as we know are famous VNs writers, although looking from the graphic it may look dated. Then again, graphic itself won't be a factor alone when it come to see how good the VN is, so perhaps we may see people like Kusarihime later. We already have the progress on it, and as of now 120 out of 256 script files of it are translated which is good seeing that they set the release on 2023 later.
Nekonyan already announced that they'll have their next release, and said release is Ren'ai x Royale in which they'll release it in 30th later. No much to say other than it would be nice to just expect this as full comedy VN with some romance instead of romance VN with some comedy seeing that it's another ASa Project VN, and I mention this because I saw several comment on how Royale is less received compared to Karichaimashita along with on how apparently people have some problem with Karichaimashita here. Oh yes I did forget to mention this beforehand, so I'll say that ASa Project here did give one of side heroines a good side route with said routes has more substances compared to the side routes in Karichaimashita.
Last but not the least, we have Imaimo translation patch released. For the info Imaimo here is the prequel of Koichoco (Even though it's focused on different characters) with two of it's heroines, Chisato and Satsuki, appear as the relatives for Imaimo's heroines, and Imaimo is all age VN in the first place so no need to worry on either removed sex scenes or mosaic. For the premise it's about our MC Rikuto who need to face the fact that his father remarry to a single mother who is have a cute son (Ayumu), and said son is causing Rikuto's heart beat faster for some reasons. Obviously since sprite never produce BL VN, Ayumu turned out to be a girl who want to tell Rikuto that she's his little sister only to have no courage to do it, and because of the circumstances she was told to dressed as the boy by her mother. From there Rikuto start his new life with Ayumu, and possibly find his new life partner. Go get Imaimo if you want more sprite VN because it has nice art, and have fun.
That's all for what I can write in regard of this week VNTS Review, and see you next week.
PS - As for the title, it's obviously the direct translation of Imaimo full title. Or maybe not at all, because actually the direct translation for Imaimo full title is 'I Want to Say to my Older Brother That I'm His Younger Sister Now!', in which obviously it depict that Ayumu want to tell her status as the MC younger sister as soon as possible. Of course though it's another VA joke here, in which it's once again from Ayumu's VA, Chihara Minori, who voiced one of Rune Factory 3 bachelorette Sofia (Japanese one obviously) who's her quirk is to speak opposite of what she want to say, and I'll try to replicate it in the title even though I'd just write 'never' in all capital to emphasize the opposite speaking because there's no red font for the title. For the info, in Rune Factory 3 every time Sofia speak opposite the word will be painted red, and you can see Sofia's events in this video to understand it.

Welcome to this week VNTS Review. As for the title since we have Phantom Trigger Volume 8 Steam store was opened and the release date for Somnium 2 was already announced, I decided to combined the words from both so that we have 'Grisaia no Somnium' (ie 'The Gray-colored Dream' because 'Somnium' is the Latin word for 'Dream') as this week VNTS Review, and it should be obvious that it didn't mean that Frontwing develop yet another Grisaia in the middle of (Problematic) programming work for Sharin. For this week I can say that after last week with the number of interesting releases we finally have it calmed down with there's no much interesting thing happened in this week. Of course for some other people the news that we got at this week might be interesting to them seeing that there's still some updates happening, although in the end overall this week is rather plain one to me. Let's see what I can write in regard of this week as well.
Finally we have the Steam store for Phantom Trigger Volume 8 was opened, and yes it'll be simultaneous release with the version also has English language support. For the reminder the release date is still at February 25th, so you may note the date if one want to get the finale of Phantom Trigger that said will have triple times of text and voiced lines compared to the previous volumes. Hopefully the story would be worth of the bloated text and voiced lines, although seeing that it's the finale perhaps I should expect some actions like in Rakuen (Both has same writer after all). We also have Aojashin approved by Valve, so at least their controversial censorship didn't ended up for nothing like Evenicle 2. As for Somnium 2 (I'll call it as such instead of the official name (nirvanA Initiative)) exact release date, it'll be at June 24th later. For the reminder Somnium 2 will be available for PC and console, so you didn't need to buy the console just to play this.
From fan translation we have Harugi was at 48% edited, Shin Koihime Musou was at 53% edited, Loverable was fully edited and yet the translation was still at 99.94% translated (Yeah I know it's quite confusing), Taimanin Kurenai was at three quarter translated, Eustia was at 94.41% in programming with Licia's chapter was at 70.27% in programming, and we also have Nursery Rhyme was halfway finished with the script insertion. As for Tsukihime Remake update we have Arcueid Day 11 was fully translated with Arcueid Day 10 was at 44% translated, and we also see some updates on Ciel route with Ciel Day 7 was at 5% translated and Ciel Day 8 was at 14% translated. Lastly we have Senmomo was at past a quarter (26.66%) edited with Chapter 2 was at 40.40% edited.
That's all for this week VNTS Review and sorry if it's been quite short here. See you next week and happy Chinese New Year.
PS - Forgot to mention that Shiravune managed to resolve the problem in regard of Nope Nope Nurse, so the VN is now back at Johren and of course it's also released on Steam so you can get the VN from Steam as well. Speaking of Steam, Shiravune also released Kamiyaba on Steam so you can get that on Steam if you prefer to buy Kamiyaba from Steam.

Welcome to this week VNTS Review, and since we have Icing release along with the big update in Akaneiro I decided to combined the word from both VNs so we have 'A Cake Iced in Scarlet' as this week title (By the way the title here did resemble the Sherlock Holmes story 'A Study in Scarlet'). For more elaboration, icing here is the process to coat the cake with sugar and obviously there'll be a lot of making cake in Icing seeing that both of the MC and his wife are patissiers, while as for 'Scarlet' part here it's simply because Akane here can be translated as scarlet. Anyway as far as this week concern, while release wise we only have Icing and otome VN Ayakashimori, Sekai here did a lot of updates with their bigger name including finally announced the exact release date for Rewrite. Overall this week is an interesting one thanks to Sekai's updates, and let's see what I can write in regard of this week as well.
Like I say beforehand, we have Venus Blood Frontier fandiscs was have Kickstarter and the result is that they successfully funded it with the fund gathered was at 2,611,916 yen which is more than twice of the original goal (At 1,200,000 yen), and in case you want to fund it there's still time in that it'll be ended eight days later. We also have the estimation release time for this, and it'll be at March 2022 later which should be more than possible to fulfill after seeing both of Frontier and Hollow. For Icing we have our nameable MC Shigure who is a patissier that married his colleague Akiho, and like previous VNs from Hachimitsu Soft that were localized by artlink obviously we'll see a lot of romantic moment between the married couple even with both of them are also rival in regard of patissier skill (Not that it stop them to run a cake shop together). Go get Icing if you're in the mood to read the VN that has romance in a cake shop, and have fun.
For Ayakashimori, well no much to say other than we got the female MC want to be the member of Ayakashimori in that it's a special bureau that deal with youkai and that it's only available for Switch, so you can try it if you're an otome game fans that have Switch and have fun. Shiravune licensed two nukige with one of those was released back at 3rd (FUCKOMOTIVE) and another one will be released at 10th later (SISTERITUAL). What I know is that both VNs have two heroines each, and both has specific setting with FUCKOMOTIVE has train and SISTERITUAL has shrine along with blood related sibling sex scenes (Well it's in the title). Lastly we finally have Frontwing announced the last volume of Phantom Trigger and they announced the exact release date in which it'll be at February 25th later, although we didn't have them announce that it'll be available in English though even though it's pretty obvious that they'll also release it in English simultaneously.
From fan translation we have both of Asahi and Ouka routes of Snow were finished with the translator will be focused on translating both of Meiko and Legend routes (For the info the latter is not really the name of the girl, but rather the name of the route itself), Eustia was at 93.86% TLC-ed with Licia's chapter was at 67.35% TLC-ed, Chaos Head Noah was at 11.25% edited, Harugi was at 40% edited, 46 out of 138 script files of Nagomibako was edited, and Loverable was at 98.97% translated along with 98.64% edited. We also have Senmomo was at 18.85% edited with Chapter 2 was at 7.86% edited, and currently they're in need of a hacker. Lastly we have announcement from White Album 2 Discord that they'll release the patch in the upcoming weeks and very likely earlier before Christmas, and so we have 19 days of wait at most to finally have White Album 2 full translation patch here. That's all for the updates from fan translation section.
As for Sekai's updates, we have Akaneiro was at halfway translated, Amairo Chocolata was at 90% translated, Yumeiro was at 35% translated, and the secret project was fully edited along with them wait for the build. We also have them scheduling the release for Drapri 2 along with them finally started to work on Harukuru's engine with the current progress was at 20% (They still wait for the build though). They also finally has some updates on Tokeijikake, and that they finally have list the QA progress for both of Daybreak and Morning Mist (80% and 30% respectively) with the former was planned for the release at Q1 2022, which to say may be possible (As long as there's no additional bugs in Daybreak) seeing that they did announce that they'll release Rewrite at 17th later with the Harvest Festa release at later date (It's still at 20% edited for the info). Last but not the least, we have Amatsutsumi was in review by Valve which mean obviously it was already finished the QA along with the engine work, and hopefully the review progress can be going without much fuss so that we can have this released smoothly.
That's all for what I can say in regard of this week, and see you next week.

I love my cat.
Let’s get that out of the way from the beginning. Even though she is gone, as of today, I have never, for one moment, believed that I would ever stop loving her. For seventeen years and eight months, this calico wonder has made her home in my heart, never failing to wrap me around her paw and jerk me around by my heart strings.
As the undisputed mistress of all she surveyed (all eleven rooms and corridors of it), she has dominated the lives and conversation of our family for almost long enough for a child to have graduated from high school. In a very real sense, she was one of the most important pillars of our family, and her presence both lightened the atmosphere and gave us something to talk about even in the darkest of times.
My cat loved people… primarily because she knew a few stares and quiet nuzzles could get any given person to pet her or give her what she believed she wanted at any given moment. She liked being with people, even if it was just in the same room, completely ignoring one another (incidentally, her favorite game).
In her youth, distant as that is to me now, she was a rambunctious and hyperactive ball of calico fluff, her medium-length fur usually disheveled from one event or another until she chose to let us smooth it out. When we got saltillo tile on the first floor, she could be found with red dust on her belly constantly until it was sealed. When new carpet was put into the master bathroom, she was the first to roll on the floor, and when new furniture was brought into the house, she was always the first to ‘test’ it. Heck, I couldn’t keep her out of my computer chair when I wasn’t sitting in it.
As she grew older, she retained many of her kitten-ish traits, being enthusiastic and affectionate to often extreme degrees, given our previous experiences with cats. She purred loudly, meowed insistently, ran at ridiculous speeds only to slam into walls, and generally made us laugh and smile.
When we went out of town, she always made her displeasure known upon our return.
She was an inside cat, mostly by our choice. While she enjoyed short periods outdoors, she could generally be trusted to want back in whenever her slaves decided to go back in, due to an incident with a coyote in her misspent (I can hear her indignant meow at the thought of her time ever being misspent in my head, even now) youth. If her life was a somewhat boring one by feline standards, she made up for it by being loved and lovable in general.
When she first became ill, over a year ago, I had my first close encounter with absolute panic. The cat, as we always referred to her (subcontext: Empress) as being, was listless, had lost her appetite, and she had, for some reason, decided that my sink was her new home.
We took her to the vet, where she was diagnosed as having thyroid problems, as is typical in elderly cats (as she was by this time). We began giving her medicine on a daily basis, and for some time, she was doing relatively better, even if she never quite regained the spunk and vigor of the now-lost past.
However, a month ago, what vigor had returned to her was rapidly lost. She gradually ceased to eat, began to have bowel problems… and she began to starve to death. The only time she seemed happy was when she was sleeping on one of us, being lightly caressed, comforting herself with her own purrs.
It was with a heavy heart that we listened to the vet start speaking of quality of life, a typical speech made whenever a loved one nears death… and, our hearts already broken, we eventually assented to euthanasia.
Less than five hours later, I don’t know if it was the right choice. Was it a mercy, an act of love? Was it a betrayal of the absolute trust one can only gain from an animal when that pet is treated as family? Or was it something in between… I can never know. While I understood many things about my cat, I will never know what she thought on this, her last day, what she felt toward us as she went into the final sleep.
I will never know. There are so many things about that last day that I will never know. I feel my heart breaking all over again as I write this. I feel the empty feeling of loss. The standard words are no comfort. The euphemisms and trite words of comfort that come out of people’s mouths at times like this feel like excuses and obfuscations. The bitter flavor of grief sours food in my mouth and makes the world a darker place.
I can’t even make the excuse that she wouldn’t want me to grieve for her… because she is a cat, and no cat would ever miss out on a chance to be the center of attention.

Hello there, all you good people still following my content-starved blog! There will be no regular review post this week (I’ll be catching up next week with one about Reine Work’s Our Lovely Escape, and hopefully a week after that with one of the long-overdue games sent to me for review), but I’ve wanted to take this opportunity to share the reasons behind the recent slowdown on the site and talk a bit my plans for the future. A warning: this will contain a lot of personal musings that most of you are probably not very interested in. However, I kind of need this opportunity to vent and reset. I’ll add a tl;dr version at the end of this post.
Outside of my, not-extremely-successful attempt to jumpstart a new wave of activity on Fuwanovel, there have been a few other things happening behind the scenes. The major one was my academic project on visual novel fan translations, which led me to submitting a paper for an international fan studies conference in Cracow. Preparing the speech in English (this was the first time I wasn’t speaking in Polish on such an event), running a survey with people involved in fan translation projects… It all took a lot out of me and gave me little time and energy to actually enjoy VNs as such. It also coincided with a minor health issue, which despite its non-threatening nature made it impossible for me to sit straight for nearly two weeks – a truly infuriating thing when you should be working on your computer and are basically running out of time. This was probably a major factor which destroyed my motivation for working on the project, which in turn made it be the most painful and depressing one to date. I, however, still made my short presentation in the presence of prof. Matt Hills, one of the most influential researchers in my obscure field of study, and learned quite a lot from other speakers. Here’s some photographic proof, courtesy of my girlfriend who once more agreed to help me inflate my ego by documenting my speech. 😉

As you can see, I was asking the Heavens to help me and my listeners to get through those 20+ minutes of my horrible English accent. Not sure to what degree my prayers were heard, but at least there were no fatalities. Oh, and in the lower-left corner, it’s Matt Hills. That was both awesome and terrifying.

And here’s a rare moment where my conference ID wasn’t hanging backwards! You can see the fear in my eyes – one would think after nearly 10 similar presentations I’d be a little bit calmer, but it’s apparently in my nature to stress out over everything.

And here’s me taking one of two questions that were still possible to ask after I’ve used all the discussion time for my way-too-long PowerPoint slideshow. And yup, I will insert Flowers whenever that's even remotely appropriate. Suou x Rikka forever. You can't stop me!
While, in general, my project was fruitful and I’m satisfied with my performance, I also ended up so physically and emotionally drained that I’ve ditched the other two days of the conference, just enjoying my time in Cracow. Even after coming back, I had a day of what could be described as a full-on breakdown before I kind of got my shit together. All this, of course, has some very real consequences for the blog: for quite a while, I didn’t have the time and energy to really read VNs. And, obviously, without any new material to cover, I didn’t write anything either. It’s the first time since establishing the Blogger site that I have no “emergency” posts to use or quick ideas to supplement more involved write-ups with, even despite switching to the biweekly schedule. And honestly, I don’t expect to write much in-advance anymore. The “one post every two weeks” frequency is here to stay and I’m going to be flexible about it, switching content and dates when necessary.
The other thing is that I still want to make the blog a little bit more of my personal space. I’ve kept up the regular stream of content both to become a better writer and to prove a few things to myself. I think I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved, and while I’m definitely not discarding the general profile of the blog and the responsibilities I’ve taken upon myself (like covering the games sent to me), I’m going to have fun with it too. Write silly stuff connected to the weeb culture and my peculiar experience with it. I’ve already hinted at this at the beginning of the summer, but I’m even more determined to make it happen now. No hobby I’ve picked up over the years was this intellectually stimulating and satisfying as this one and I want to do all I can to keep it this way– I can't let things go too stale.
And while I’m doing all this weird stuff and overthinking things, I hope you guys will stay and still read my crappy writing. Exploring the creativity and passion of EVN devs is not something I’ll ever get tired of, and I hope we can enjoy their stuff together for years to come. Thank you all for following my work, and until next week!
 
tl;dr I’ve been to a fan studies conference which, together with minor health issues, ate a month and a half of my life. I’ll get back to “serious” posting next week, returning to the bi-weekly schedule. I might sneak in some weird posts about Japanese popculture between “proper” EVN ones. EVNs are love, EVNs are life (still). See you next week for actual content!

Heya, people! It's such a long time I don't see you guys, I almost forgot my password to this forum. Guess Fuwa is still alive and kicking just like me, huh. First of all, sorry I disappeared from the face of the Earth and if I disappointed any fans I might had in this site (silly me). Since last time I posted back in February, a lot of things happened so if anyone's curious (maybe the aforementioned imaginary fans of mine) about what the hell's been happening with me, do keep reading. I talk about VNs, anime, and other disgusting weeb things, but it does include some personal shit. Well, a blog is a blog.
   1) Maybe I mentioned this a huge while ago at some point, but I'm pursuing a master's degree in the structural engineering field. All was going well and good, but now it came the time for me to write my thesis. Oof. So yeah, that's the main reason I became a ghost as my weekday free times went down the drain along with my hopes and dreams. It doesn't help my thesis requires some programming knowledge that may be more than what I can chew, sasuga me (whining aside, it's coming along fine as of now, let's hope I can keep it up).
   2) Not only my free time evaporated but also my attention spam. I'm honestly having a hard time staying focused for more than 40 minutes in the same task. When that happens, I usually take a short break to relax before going back. Except I move on to something else, oops.
   3) Related to the problem mentioned in 2, I fearfully discovered a new wonderful world that's now high in my interests list: gacha games. Their content is usually bite sized (except in events, but I don't play all that seriously... I think), I can auto play to grind, and I can play on the train going to uni. No huge time investment at once required, so what can possibly go wrong (dramatic zoom on my face)? Fortunately, I'm still keeping my two accounts (yep) free-to-play and I feel that I grew a lot on the self control department because of this www. Seriously though, never invite me to a casino trip, I may have an undiscovered gamble addiction and I don't want to open that door. But yeah, if anyone else plays Opera Omnia or Shining Live send me a friend inviteeeeeeeeeeeeee!
   4) Even with all that going on, I still find time to at least watch my anime and read my VNs, surprisingly. Thank God for weekend. Guess cutting yourself off of social media truly does wonders too, huh. Not that I check Twitter on occasion to look at art or anything... Soooo about that weeb shit...
      4.1) La Squadra was right all along
      4.2) I'm still a proud BL trash. From what I recently finished, the highlights are Sweet Pool and Nie no Machi. Both are really really amazing games, both scored higher than 9 in my book, and I definitely want to write a review for them at some point. Spread that love, Maggie!
      4.3) I'm actually a bit slow on the otomege department, sorry >.<  I did get Steam Prison and read both of the Prisoner Routes, but I'm not in the right mindset to keep going with it. I wouldn't enjoy it if I force myself through it. Eltcreed and Ulrik were striking my fancy, so I want to savor them. ......Okay, that came out wrong.
      4.4) EVN ftw, I always find some time to read them. Nanoreno gave me some nice short experiences, the highlight being Monochrome Blues despite the ending kek. Oh, and read Heart of the Woods, people. It's an order. High quality shit right there.
      4.5) Also I keep stumbling upon horror games and I'm okay with this. Recently I played Death Mark. As usual, I went without a walkthrough, solving every mystery by myself. Totally worth it. And it also have very good sound design. Mashita best boi.
      4.6) It does sounds like a lot, but there's nothing much more than what I mentioned wwwwww
      4.7) Did I mentioned La Squadra? (<-- edit that bit out, I totally did, as I should)
   5) Now, about my Fuwa life. I'll probably remain on indefinite hiatus, but every time I find the file I wrote some ideas for Dank a Ronpa, I feel sad. "How could I write such a shit story?" Jokes aside, I can try to maybe finish it at some point when Derg finished his battle royale. Such a rude, I gave him such a brutal death in my story and I didn't even debut on his smh. But yeah, I accept suggestion of what to do with it? Give it a Berserk treatment and finish it soon TM? Write all the bad ideas I had for it and let you guys fill the blanks yourselves in a very lazy way? Make each one of you write a chapter, put everything together, approve it as canon and call it a day? Decisions, decisions. Actually, I'm actually paying a homage to it in this post, as I'm not proof reading anything, hope you spot the reference.
Aaaaaaaaaaaand that's it, I guess. For all of you that reach this line without pressing page down 3 times in less than 3 seconds, a big thank you. Please smash that like button and subscribe to someone's channel that's more active than me. Love, peace, and hope to see you all eventually when I get my degree! Until them!

Anyone who has read one of my reviews knows I'm something of a cynic and a pessimist.  I try to think the best about every VN I go into, but my first impulse is to see what is wrong, rather than what is right. 
Whether it is optimism and rose-colored glasses or pessimism and cynicism, and excess of either is often a negative influence on the quality of a review.  Generally speaking, I usually make an effort to find something I like about a VN's concept before going in, then I start the VN trying to enjoy it as an outgrowth of that.  By the end, this usually results in me having experienced both the negative and positive aspects of the VN... the problem is, when reviewing, it is all too easy to forget what is good about the VN.
As a result, when I'm writing up a review, the first thing I do is write up a list of the good points I found, ignoring the mitigating negative factors.  I then build the review around these and include the negative points in with the rest... but you can probably tell that being positive just doesn't come naturally to me, since I tend to be pretty harsh.
However, by using this system, I've found dozens of VN gems over the years that I probably would have discarded for perceived negative qualities if I didn't use this process.  Indeed, early on in my reading of untranslated VNs, I dropped numerous ones simply because they had a negative aspect that I got obsessed with.  I would later go back and replay them, only to find that the negative aspect wasn't as big a deal as I thought at the time, since I made the effort to go back with a differing perspective.
A poor quality in a reviewer is the tendency to ignore the negatives about something you like.  Another one is to rate things entirely based on aspects you only have a vague grasp or focus on (in my case, due to my eye problems, I'm not the best judge of artwork, and my musical sense is entirely based on how it enhances the atmosphere, rather than raw quality comprehension).  I'm a story reviewer.  I review almost exclusively based on the story, characters, and presentation.  As such, art and sound rarely have a place in my reviews, since I don't think I'm qualified to evaluate them except in the most general of terms.
I can tell when a VA did an exceptional job, because it stands out enough for me to notice.  I will even mention this in the review, since it takes a lot for a performance to stand out to me.  However, I never pretend to know the ins and outs of specific aspects of VA or musical quality.  I simply don't have the right kind of ear for that kind of thing, not being musically inclined. 
One thing I've noticed in some reviewers who prefer niche genres (such as myself) is to display a tendency I refer to as PGRD (or Popular Game Reactionary Disorder).  It is a fictional mental disease that many of us who have a distinct preference for a niche genre display that causes us to have a knee-jerk negative reaction to popular works, simply because they are mainstream.  This is a problem that is particularly common in Western otakus of around my age, who became fanboys during a time when watching anime, playing Japanese video games, and reading manga had a rather strong stigma that left us feeling isolated and defensive.  However, it is also present in people who prefer niche genres (I get the double whammy, being both).  That sense of isolation leads to a tendency to over-praise our favorite materials and bash anything that we see as being too popular.
In reverse, there are those who automatically dismiss anything that isn't mainstream.  Both types are reactionary in nature and have little to do with the quality of the materials in question.  Being a long-time sci-fi addict, I can't understand why anyone would enjoy Avatar (the movie).  However, if I make the mistake of saying that in front of a fanboy of the movie, I will inevitably get a vociferous lecture on how misunderstood the movie is by science fiction fans...
There are many such examples of such behavior I have experienced over the years, both in myself and in others.  As such, a reviewer has to be willing to examine his own motives for liking or hating something.  Are you being cynical for the sake of being cynical?  Are you over-praising something to the point of overlooking the obvious problems with it?  Are you making excuses while thinking you are making a reasoned argument?  On the other side, are you ignoring the voice of reason to give you an excuse to dislike something? 
In the end, bias is unavoidable... but it is a reviewer's duty to do their best to cast aside as much of it as possible, because people use our reviews as reference points when they pick what they want to play/read/watch.

Perceptions of the Dead 2, released on Steam on June 2018, is a light-horror visual novel by Ithaqua Labs, a team whose titles stand out from the usual output of Western VN studios through their unique, vibrant artstyle and full voice acting. Soon after the game’s initial release, I’ve reviewed its then-available first chapter, Misty Mournings. It was an hour and a half piece of content tying together all the stories and characters from the first, freeware Perception of the Dead, with the main storyline revolving around nulls – mysterious ghost-devouring creatures that pose a mortal threat to both spirits and human mediums. This, however, was meant to be only the beginning of the game’s story, with three more chapters promised in the Kickstarter campaign and scheduled for release over the next year. With the fourth story, House Haunting, now available and Perceptions of the Dead 2 experience complete, I’ve decided to revisit the game and take a closer look at all that additional content. Did it maintain the positive impression I’ve got from the first chapter?
Read the full article at evnchronicles.blogspot.com

I’ll be completely honest: I didn’t have a good opinion of NTT Solmare even before approaching the game this review is about. After exploring their sole non-otome visual novel, Moe! Ninja Girls, I was absolutely stunned with the predatory monetisation and poor quality of that title. I was still curious about their otome projects though and decided to check out one featuring the theme I personally enjoy a lot: vampires. Thus, I ended up playing Blood in Roses+, one of the over 20(!) games in the Shall We Date? series and what I found there was an extension of my Moe! Ninja Girl experience, along with some interesting surprises (which doesn’t mean any of them were particularly pleasant).
                First, however, a bit of context is required. NTT Solmare is a Japanese company producing e-books and mobile games primarily for the Western market. Shall We Date? Otome games are their flagship product and can be split into two categories: paid apps, which are mostly Android/iOS, English-localized ports of Idea Factory otome VNs and free apps which are produced by NTT Solmare themselves. Since 2011, they’ve released literally dozens of cheaply-made, but aggressively monetized games, particularly in the free-to-play segment. This is also the category where Blood in Roses+ fits in, being a fully free-to-play mobile VN, in which you can theoretically experience an impressive and constantly-expanding pool of content without paying anything. There’s a catch though… Or a dozen, which are all worth discussing in detail due to the unbelievable abuse of the VN format they represent.
Read the full article at evnchronicles.blogspot.com

Aojiru verse introduction #2: In'Youchuu
In the last post I listed the current games in the Aojiru verse, (I'm probably the only person on earth calling it this, but it must become a thing!), and I introduced the game that started it all; Hanamaru! Today I will dig deeper into what exactly you should expect from Aojiru games, and introduce In'Youchuu, the most iconic Aojiru-game to date.

Introduction:
Let us begin with a general introduction to Aojiru's games. These games are all fairly dark, both in general writing and story, as well as the H content. That being said there is also usually a decent amount of sol moments in each game, with a proper good ending that can be reached by avoiding a minefield of bad endings scattered throughout the games. For games like In'Youchuu with several sequels, this good ending will be the default canon that will continue to the next installment. Exceptions of this rule would be the standalone horror games, such as Fuka no Jugoku, which is a story of pure madness, with no real "good" outcome. There is just very little room for sol content in a game like that. But, the majority of Aojiru's games will feature at least some of it.
What's interesting about Aojiru games is that the sol moments are actually very enjoyable, and it really feels like they belong, despite of the dark themes these games have. They really nailed it with having just the right amount of "feelgood" content before shit goes bad, so you have time to get to know the characters before shit hits the fan. You get invested in both the story and the characters. Well I do, anyways. I never get tired of seeing Yamato and Mikoto, two characters from In'Youchuu, shouting insults at each other like an old married couple. The games also have some pretty adorable chibi art:

Many might brand the Aojiru games as mere nukige with no substance or plot, but this is inaccurate. Sure, the games have a lot of H-content and I can see a case being made for them being branded as nukige. But, they are absolutely not mindless nukige without any story. In fact, I find most of the stories told in Aojiru games legitimately interesting, and get very invested in the worlds and the characters introduced in them. Of course, I have to admit I am a fan of the dark H content that there is an abundance of in these games, but I also love the stories, and think games where the two elements can be combined are very cool. If you think the same, these are basically made for you.
In'Youchuu

Normally Aojiru games will feature some kind of supernatural entity, such as Nightmare from In'Youchuu-we will talk more about him in a second-or Kudan from Kowaku no Toki. (That dude scared the shit out of me when I first played Kowaku.) These two are very different beings, but both get classified as some kind of "youma", which is a monster born from negative emotions. Some are mindless creatures driven by primal urges, while others are incredibly intelligent beings with god-like powers.
In In'youchuu we follow a group of monster hunters-The Monster Subjugation Division: The Black Cats- who can use different kinds of spiritual and magical powers to destroy these creatures. (Let's make it simple and call them "The Black Cats.")
The four members of The Black Cats are Yamato, our protagonist, a half-demon who mainly relies on brute force when fighting. He's a big pervert, and is definitely not the brains of the operation. Then there is Mikoto, the oldest of the Shiratori twins, Mikoto and Takeru Shiratori. She might be the "oldest" of the two, but she is also the most immature of the girls. She always gets in arguments with Yamato, and gets scolded by her little sister, Takeru, for not thinking before she acts on a frequent basis. She hates doing paperwork and will do anything to get out of it. While she is not as well-versed in magic as her sister, she wields a powerful weapon, The Spirit Blade Raikou, and likes to fight in close combat like Yamato. Takeru, the youngest twin, is a cool and collected fighter who always analyzes the situation before charging in, unlike the other two. If not for her, Yamato and Mikoto would surely have gotten themselves killed already. Finally there is Yoru, the leader of the Black Cats and the reason for the group's name. He is a nekotama, a cat spirit. I said Yamato is not the brains of the operation due to his pervertendess and well, Yoru is... the same. He might be the leader, but Takeru is the one making the calls when it counts. Meanwhile, Yoru is off doing... this. (Told you there was some goofy content in these games )

From left to right we have Yoru, Mikoto and Takeru

And here is Yamato
In'Youchuu starts off with Takeru being sent to a school up in the mountains where there have been reports of monsters popping up at night. However, she never reports back to The Black Cats, and goes silent. Concerned about what could have happened, Yoru sends Mikoto and Yamato to the school to investigate Takeru's disappearance, and the nightmare begins.
Yamato and Mikoto start investigating the school, though find no signs of Takeru on the first night. She simply seems to have vanished. Meanwhile, there are clear signs of monsters hiding somewhere in the school, and the duo heads there at night when monsters are most active. At this point, you are given choices rather frequently, usually with each fight. One wrong choice and you will be sent off to a bad ending, where horrible things will usually happen to the characters. Trying to avoid these bad endings is in my opinion part of the excitment in playing these games. Make a wrong turn and you get "punished", as the characters fails, (though you could see this as a reward depending on how you look at it,) and if you make the right choice the story continues. Though, this does of course not mean you are guaranteed to be victorious. There are times where things just goes south, which is to be expected in games these dark.

A standard group of youma that you will encounter a lot. These are the mindless sort, that feeds off human organs and are driven solely by primal urges: hunger and the need to breed.
At the school we are introduced to some familiar faces, like Momono Momo and Sumire from Hanamaru! And also get introduced to a new face, Sui, a childhood friend of Yamato who gets pulled into the chaos that is unfolding at the shcool.
Eventually you start to figure out what is going on, and meet the first big bad of the Aojiru games: Nightmare. He is a humanoid youma with horse features, that feasts on the wombs of women and aims to create an army of monsters by making the women he eat into breeding machines. Needless to say, he is not a nice guy. Some of the bad endings with this guy... phew. Erhem, anyways.
In'Youchuu offers some pretty cool fight scenes, with everything from chuuni chants to epic battle CGs. Of course, I don't want to hype this part of the games up too much. Like, you shouldn't go into these games expecting Dies Irae level fight scenes. But, they are definitely enjoyable, and there is often at least one big climax at the end with some pretty cool stuff. There's tons of fight scenes, but the one big one towards the end often uses a lot more budget in the CG department, heh.

Nightmare. He looks both hilarious and terrifying if you ask me, heh.

Yamato in his transformed state, during a battle. Being a half-demon, he is capable of transforming himself into a demon for a short time, though it takes a huge toll on his mind and body.

Yoru, after going into combat mode. Yes, he is a badass.
I obviously have not linked too many NSFW images in this blog post. There is a lot of that in In'Youchuu, naturally. A lot. But, you can find them yourselves, I'm sure. What I wanted to do with this post was introduce more of the serious side of In'Youchuu, and in turn, Aojiru games as a whole. These games aren't just tentacle nukige with some dark scenes. Sure, there's lots of that, but there's much more to them. There's actual stories here, with well developed worlds and characters. I fell in love with these games because of the mix of seriousness and dark H. I am also just a huge fan of Aojiru's art in general.
I really hope an Aojiru game gets picked up for localization one day. Heck, maybe I'll be able to translate one myself down the line. That would be pretty exciting.
 
Anyways, if you do speak Japanese, I recommend giving one of these games a try. Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy the ride more than you expected. A lot of people see "nukige" and brush the games off as bad right off the bat, which is why I'm not overly fond of that branding. Yes, with the amount of H in these, it probably does fit to call them nukige, but there's also so much more to them.
That is it for my post on In'Youchuu 1. Next blog post will either be about the sequel, Shoku, or Kowaku no Toki, one of my favorites. I still haven't decided which one to go with yet. Either way, see you again then.