Vince

From England here, about 1h 30m from London southeasterly - I spend a fair amount of time in Portsmouth due to university though. Have seen surprisingly few English fuwans on my travels thus far, but I know of a few.
 
Someday I shall go to all your countries. All of them.

This show had SUCH a great potential, it was completely wasted, wasted away.
 
Amazing artstyle and unlimited budget works didnt gave us a great anime.
 
And Risa is probably the WORST, WORST protagonist ever made for an anime (yes, the anime is clearely centered around Risa and her encountering with the cool terrorists, because terrorists are cool lol ) 

This is always a sort of double-edged humor, haha. When it's a show you don't know or don't care about it can be very funny, but when it's something you like it's a much bitter smile... Since it's mostly based, paradoxically, on dishonesty and decontextualization.
 
As for ZnT, it's one of the biggest waste of potential of those last few years imo. It's a well directed show with a very interesting premise and a lot of ambition but the lack of a good writer pretty much ruined it. Lack of skilled scenario writers is the bane of most serious/ambitious anime of those last years.

Yeah, he talks about boobs so poetically you almost can't recall that he is talking about them.

Tyr-chan's turn nyaa~

get well reallwy soon man, or just play japanese porn games while in therapy, it may give you enlightenment

Chinese born in Indonesia and then move to Australia and soon i`ll move to Japan lol
Though whenever people ask where i am from i`ll say China though.

Which wouldn't be what the topic is about, anyway... 
 
 *shoots a glance to the chatters*  
 
Back on track, please.

Hey, I can't put all of my country's bad side there, I still have a pride being an Indonesian, this country should actually be one of leading countries, if only not for ***********************************************.
About free university tuitions, some of this country's universities also offer them, of course with some conditions applied.

You should care. It's a bliss to be born here. Forget the corrupt and egoistic politicians, forget the keep occurring flood and fire, forget the messy and crazy traffic, forget the piling rubbish everywhere, forget the bad infrastructure in some regions, forget the low rate of rupiah, forget the high cost of living in islands far from the center of government, forget the keep rising cost of staple products, forget the lack of achievements in sports, forget the suspension against PSSI from FIFA, and there, you get a heaven.

No problem! 
 
I decided to cut all ties with Yahoo when one of their "news" articles spoiled the ending to Breaking Bad for me, even without actually clicking on it.

Hello, Lady's biggest difficulty is Narita Shinri, whose speech patterns are so roundabout they have me giggling hysterically at times.  I'd say that it varies between 5.5-7 through most of its length.

Tyr-chan's turn nyaa~

Tyr-chan's turn nyaa~

That is so messed up.    
From what I have personally seen, this is inaccurate. Of course, I have seen terrible relationships like that but that picture doesn't apply to everyone. People are unique and carry many possibilities with them.

Takahiro's VNs are about at or slightly above the second rank beginner's level.  This is because of the fact that they use several obscure dialects, frequently have so-so involved narration (one of the biggest difficulties for beginners), and a tendency to make obscure references to elements of Japanese pop culture. 

First, knowing kanji isn't really necessary to play VNs with the translation aggregator/ITH combo (using jparser only) or the VNR's furigana function.  These are solely for getting used to the language, separately from the kanji.  To be frank, learning kanji takes a lot longer than learning how to read Japanese this way, and unless you want to wait two or three years before you start, I don't suggest using kanji-knowledge as a marker for when to start playing VNs in Japanese. 
 
These levels assume a basic background in Japanese grammar, syntax, and common vocab (particles, tenses, sentence structure, negative form, te-form, ta-form, etc. as well as words in common use in everyday conversation).  Understand, if you can't understand a raw anime episode (at least to a reasonable degree) you shouldn't even make the attempt.  While the written language has the advantage of a lack of the ambiguity lent to language by the intervention of a voice, it also has the disadvantage of being more complex than what is normally spoken in most cases. 
 
Furigana converters like jparser and VNR's furigana converter basically allow you to circumvent the need for kanji-knowledge by putting romaji or kana atop the kanji to make them comprehensible to the kanji-illiterate.  If you haven't mastered ALL of the radicals (with an understanding of WHY they effect the kanji they are attached to the way they do), as well as all of the kanji seen in everyday use, you shouldn't even make the attempt to play without these tools. 
 
Sorry, I ranted.  However, too much importance is placed on learning kanji, when it isn't really necessary to learn it before jumping into VNs.  Rather, you should understand their function.  Kanji function similar to the way parts of our words such as -ology (biology, astrology, etc using it as an obvious example) function, in that they lend specific meaning to widely-used syllables, which can lend the reader a richer understanding of certain words... if they already know those words, can recognize them in the context of the sentence, situation, and/or conversation.  Symbolic writing's advantage over and disadvantage against phonetic writing is summed up right there.  More meaning can be more easily conveyed in the written language, and thus understanding of the spoken language is weakened (thus too much kanji too early can lead to poor or flawed understanding of Japanese as a whole). 
 
Really, it is best to balance them out, but if you want to read VNs... learning the spoken language then using those tools is the fastest, most effective way to do so.  I advocate a spoken-language-leaning approach because it results in better understanding at the endpoint, but others prefer to enter from kanji because it provides a seemingly easier (if you are really good at memorization) route to simply stealing the gist of what is being written by just extracting the kanji and staring at them until you THINK they make sense.  This is also why Japanese>Chinese>English translations are just... terrible in most cases (speaking from experience as a fansubber/fantl).  The illusion of understanding without any grasp of the subtleties is usually all that kanji without a greater understanding of the language gives you.
 
Edit:  Sorry, I've had several people I know jump into VNs with kanji knowledge but a weak understanding of grammar... and the results to their understanding of what went on were hideous.  I couldn't believe some of the results (see the English reviews on the web of Devils Devel Concept, for instance... they don't even resemble the actual game).  Seeing the light bulb go on above their heads when I explained the meaning of a key line was gratifying for me... but also disturbing.  It wasn't so much about the generalized (very generalized) meaning... it was that they missed most of the key details of what was going on, details that frequently defined everything that happened after that, even though they didn't seem important at the time. 

No problem.  First level games are about as easy as VNs that don't suck get.  Second level games are harder but not completely out of range for someone just starting (given that they have pre-existing knowledge of Japanese). 
 
I felt that this was better than having someone ask for recommendations every time they make their entry into untranslated VNs, as this forum is getting cluttered with threads like that.

This is a list of good games to begin your journey into playing VNs in Japanese.  Inevitably, most of these games will be moege, charage, or nakige.  There is little to be done about this, as chuuni, sci-fi, and fantasy-action VNs have linguistic barriers that will be too much for someone still struggling with reading conversational Japanese.  In particular, the biggest barrier for someone who is used to dealing with Japanese that is 'spoken', rather than 'written' is the existence of literary Japanese.  The turns of phrase, different wording, etc. that an inexperienced reader might run into can either be seen as a learning experience or as pure confusion, depending on your level and state of mind.  As such, I am only putting down games that are readable for someone who understands spoken Japanese but is weaker in literary Japanese.  I will also put a 'second level' for those who are interested in challenging themselves a little but not too much.  This one will be for those who are willing to see if they can handle the easier action scenes, more difficult event descriptions, and the like.
 
 
First Level:
 
Maji Suki Marginal Skip
Suzunone Seven
Kamikaze Explorer
Tsuisou no Augment (this game is hilarious, and it is not a moege.  I recommend this to people who liked the atmosphere of Yume Miru Kusuri)
Akabanzu - Real na Sekai de Boku ga Kimi ni Dekiru Koto (this game has only minor scientific terms and jargon, mostly related to AI and MMO's.  Since it is distinctly possible you ran into these terms just watching anime, I went ahead and put this up.)
Chuning Lover (this game is just generally rofl)
Ichiban Janakya Dame Desu Ka (one of the few almost-pure comedy in my personal lineup)
Otomimi Infinity
Sakura Iro Quartet (this and the game above are for mimikko fetishists)
Ryuusei Kiseki (sci-fi moege, fairly easy.  Hardest parts are when the protag begins preaching about his hobby)
Shiawase Kazoku-bu
Sukimazakura to Uso no Machi (surrealist fantasy moege... mildly funny, interesting in general)
Toppara - Zashikiwarashi no Hanashi (use this as your crash course in youkai)
12/30/2014 edit
Love Revenge
Real Imouto ga Iru Ooizumi-kun no Baai
08/15/2016 Edit
Sakigake Generation
Minamijuujisei Renka
Primal Hearts
Primal Hearts 2
World Election
Koko Kara Natsu no Innocence
 
 
Second Level:
Irotoridori no Sekai (yeah, it is being translated, but it isn't done yet)
Konata yori Kanata Made (relatively low-difficulty action/event scenes, as well as being an excellent entry point into the utsuge genre)
Tiny Dungeon series (relatively normal conversational and event scenes, and the actions scenes are relatively low-difficulty, if somewhat fast-paced)
Draculius (similar to above in the action)
Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no (this game is probably one of the top three non-action/sci-fi/fantasy games I've played and it is harder than the games on the first level... but in exchange it is also a lot better, lol)
Hyper→Highspeed→Genius (relatively high difficulty to first level, but it is easier than the games I'd prefer to introduce people to, lol)
Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate - The Code Name is "Shield 9" (fanboys of fantranslations know this as one of the many dead projects)
Ore no Tsure wa Hitodenashi
Kaminoyu (this one and the one above are your source for non-human love in this stage, lol)
Otome ga Tsumugu, Koi no Canvas (higher difficulty than first level primarily due to the art terms)
Aete Mushisuru, Kimi to no Mirai
Akatsuki no Goei (first one only, later ones are too hard for Second Level)
Re: birth Colony Lost Azurite (this, Tiny Dungeon, and Draculius are probably the hardest games on this list)
Fake Azure Arcology (direct link to the game above, and ditto)
Kimi to Boku to Eden no Ringo
Koiiro Soramoyou (famous for certain VN fanboys)
Kimi to Boku to no Kishi no HIbi (recent release, fairly easy, good protag)
Lunaris Filia (a vampire charage, for those who want some of that)
Naka no Hito nado Inai!! Tokyo Hero Project
Dracu-riot
Sakura Tale
Tojita Sekai no Tori Colony (this game is pretty hilarious, especially if you insist on seeing all of the loop ends before getting to the true end)
Tsuki ni Yorisou, Otome no Sahou (similar to Koi no Canvas, in that the terms that will give you the most trouble are the technical ones - this time for sewing and clothing design)
12/30/2014 edit
Zannen na Oretachi no Seishun Jijou
Kimi no Tonari de Koishiteiru
Sekai wo Sukuu Dake no Kantan na Shigoto
Nanairo Reincarnation (borderline within this if you are familiar with the base concepts of youkai and ghosts as understood by the Japanese)
Sakigake Generation
 
 
 
 
Edit:  This will be the last in my series of lists.  I will edit them with additions occasionally, but I won't be making any new ones.  Have fun yall.

If I have a daughter, she's the one living no matter what. If it's a son, the wife's the one that's living no matter what.
 
I'd like to at least get the okay from whoever's the chosen one during the fateful moment though in that they will be able to live on without the others.
 
If they both say no, aight bb lates I'll be the one to shoulder the burden of being the lone survivor~

good luck with this translation

Dunno what my mom would do if she found evidence that I had porn in my games.
 
I mean, c'mon. She flipped when she saw my browser history having 'google search: kiss x sis'.
W-What about Imouto Paradise?

Enjoying books is all about escapism. When reading you can disconnect yourself from the real world and go off somewhere else for a while without using drugs or being crazy.

...You had me totally fooled.
I had no idea.