Nerathim

Finished Torta's route in Symphonic Rain.
I didn't think much of it until the epilogue : seriously, what the fuck?!
And then, back to the main title, just like that. It's so sudden that I don't even know what to think about it.
My mind right now :

Of course, Kagome is the best osananajimi of all time.  She is what an osananajimi should be.

(Rewrite)

best girl shipping the best pairing of the game
I couldn't ask for more

For me, it was in Muv Luv Alternative, the death of 

Yuuko's route is merciless.

Yuuko's route is merciless.

I'm about to start on episode 3 of Umineko. You know, this VN is fucked up. Really fucked up. I kinda forgot how dark Higurashi was. I only played the first chapter of that but I still should have known. Umineko is a different kind of dark, though, because the atmosphere is one where everything is kind of ridiculously over the top, with literal cackling evil villains and fourth wall breaking debate scenes. But even still, the depth of the brutality and violence can be pretty shocking. If they actually had event CGs for the violent images being described, Kara no Shoujo would look like a fluffy moege by comparison. 
 
None of this is a bad thing. I'm glad there are no event CGs for those scenes. Either they would dampen the effect of your imagination constructing the scenes from the narrative, or they would just be way too much. As it is, the written text perfectly provides the desired impact while letting your imagination go wild. You know, like books. 07th's games are written much more like novels than most VNs because they can't fall back on the art, and I can appreciate that. That the PS3 version added actual good art almost seems unnecessary, and I now understand how someone could enjoy this without it, but even still I appreciate the updated visuals as a good compliment to the experience.
 
Overall, I'm still really excited to continue reading. The VN goes deeper into the witch stuff than I expected at first and I thought that would turn me off but now that more characters are being introduced, I'm interested to see where they go from here. I feel like I've been marathoning this for days and have barely made any progress. That's both a good feeling and a little intimidating, but I'm not going to back down now.

I was looking through VNDB, and happened to stumble across this jewel:
Butter me up
 
Now I wonder if it has the same excellent quality as the fruit VN? Hmmmm...
What do you think?

Well I rambled about this before but Makina's route has only one major shortcoming, apart from her stupid move to get back the apple seedling, which was her good end. That can't possibly be a good end. One of the members of the couple is still wearing the collar, Makina is hinted to be breaking inside bit by bit even though she wants to fight it and Yuuji must feel like a corpse almost since he can't protect Makina anymore and that's what he wanted to do.
 
Michiru's was a good one in my opinion but went a bit too far with the cellular memory instead of going with a split personality that was a byproduct of her desire for escapism. Although Many people disliked it I liked her drama over Meowmel, since it showed her fear regarding any connection. Her choice was the worst simply because there was no probable cause and effect between them.
 
Sachi's was maybe the third best because of the sheer amount of though, concern and sometimes coldness needed to approach her problem. The, maybe exaggerated, way things proceeded was what made it memorable and fun to read. Her choice although not directly linked to her bad end in a physical way, you can say that if she chooses to kill herself instead of her image that she has of her mother, it could prompt her to literally die since Yuuji wasn't there for her at the hospital after her decision.
 
Yumiko's was a tad bit disappointing because I think they could have developed the power struggle between the fugitives and Yumiko's father a bit more. I would have liked a bit more confrontation other than the final one(excluding the good end epilogue). But Yumiko's character did make up for it, her deredere side was awesome so there's nothing to speak about there. it just felt like it lacked a bit of substance. it could have developed more in the grand scheme of things like Makina's route did, since it did have that potential. I mean it was Sakaki Michiaki's Zaibatsu for christ's sake.
 
Last but definitely not least, Amane's route was the best. Her introductory part including her non stop effort to do everything for Yuuji both in and out of the bedroom, might seem lacking(for lack of a better word) at first but after the always awesome Angelic Howl it makes so much sense what drove her to do that that it becomes a good part instead of the initial lacking feeling it gave. Also she had undoubtedly had the best bad end that gives hints for the sequels and makes use of Yuuji's characteristics. Many criticize the fact that the hunter came out of nowhere, but it is a plausible appearance, I mean there was abound to exists some animosity, even if unfounded, by at least one parent of any of the victims that died, also he only found out about her location after she was seen by that group that called her cockroach between themselves. It was the only route where I definitely didn't have any qualms what so ever. Also, her good end was one that me shed not so manly tears, the tone and the perception of the passage of time, were emotional, the way she described what and how it happened all the way through Yuuji's death to the final CG where a young Yuuji extends his and to the now dying  Amane as if to welcome her to their ever lasting reunion, just gave me goosebumps.
 
This is by no means an objective view on the game's routes, but it is what I feel about them. I didn't say anything about the common route because Down nailed it pretty well.
 
EDIT: I forgot to mention Yuuji, for me he is the most likable MC ever. The way he is broken inside can be justified through his past while being realist in his own exaggeration of his perceptions of how everything happened, and although he has some power he can still be a realist, a cynical, a open-minded and dreamy person all at the same time, even if it seems contradicting. Yuuji as an MC deserves a 10/10.

Probably grisaia for me as well. However I can never get my head around this particular scene.

How To Read Moege 101 - A Comprehensive Guide
 

 
Preface
      Many people struggle with learning a second language. If it just so happens that you're trying to learn Japanese, you can probably already tell by now that it's not an easy task. I can relate to the tormenting frustration of desperately wanting to read a certain VN, but being unable to merely due to a lack of Japanese proficiency. Having to look up every word in the dictionary is not only time consuming - it's also actually not that productive because chances are, you won't remember half of what you read. You shouldn't dive into a visual novel that's way above your difficulty level. You need to prepare body and soul with some hearty foreplay. Yes, foreplay. But alas, you don't have the slightest idea as to how you should go about doing that. You have my condolences. That's why I am writing this guide - not to teach you how to read Japanese per se, but to make it easier for you to read your very first untranslated 'moege'. After reading a few on your own, you will start to get the feel of Japanese writing, humour, expressions, and maybe even pick up some kanji. I am merely dropping you off at the doorstep - you still have a long road ahead of you. Good luck.
 
1) Understanding How Moege Work
      Moege is derived from the two words, "moe" and "game" (self-explanatory). You're usually going to be paying attention to the characters more than anything else in the game. Sure, they look nice, but what I really mean is their personality. Indeed, personality. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that personality is more important than looks! That only happens in 3D (but let's not get to that right now)... Anyway, there are a select few 'generic' and frankly 'stereotypical' heroine-types that you will find in pretty much every moege. I won't go into too much detail, but I'll describe a few of their unique traits. This will not only help you connect to the heroines better, but it will also help you guess or 'predict' what they are saying (even if you can't read the Japanese) which will be further explained in the next section. I am only going to list five, though I'm sure there are many more out there waiting to assault their onii-chans.The stereotypical heroine archetypes I am going to expand on are:
 
The Tsundere



 
The Senpai



 
The Onee-chan



 
The Klutz



 
The Osananajimi (Childhood Friend)



 
      Now, I realize that there may be a tsundere senpai onee-chan klutz osananajimi somewhere out there, but let's leave that for now. Due to popular demand, I will unveil a brand new section for everyone's favourite (including mine) - the imouto.
 
The Imouto



 
2) Reading Between The Lines
      Now that you have most of the basic heroine-types nailed down, it's time to learn how to read between the lines (or, "I don't know these words, but judging from their facial expressions, tone, the situation at hand, and their stereotype, I can probably guess what's going on!" for short). The point is that you shouldn't get stuck on a few words you don't know. Sometimes it's best to read through context instead. Like I said before, foreplay. You can grind (hue) all those difficult kanji symbols (that you may or may not ever see again) later. That's all just memorization, and a whole lot of studying. But right now we're tackling a more technical aspect of the Japanese language. Now's the time to sit down and enjoy a moege.
 
3) Kanji/Vocab You Should Probably Know
      These are kanji or basic vocab words that you will see in almost every moege. I will add to this list as necessary, so feel free to leave a comment if you think I missed anything key. I will cut it off somewhere so people don't get overwhelmed though, so pick the ones you think show up in 99% of exclusively moege. For now, I will briefly go through them all:
 



 
4) Where To Start
      Honestly, there isn't really a list of VNs I can give you. Besides, that wouldn't be fun. You should read things you think you'll really enjoy. But if moege are not for you, then suck it up. You have to learn to walk before you can learn to run. I guess all I have to say for now is that Cube, ALcot, and Favorite (albeit games by Favorite are harder reads) are all companies that make great moege that are, at the same time, relatively easy to read. If you find yourself bored to death starting out, feel free to pick another game. If you think it's still too hard for you (this is kinda late but make sure you've mastered basic hiragana and katakana), push on through. Don't stumble every time you come across a word you don't know, or you don't know what's going on. Just playing through will help you, even if just a little.

Yuuji is more philosophical than badass, that's why he's an outstanding protagonist. Unlike many others he has his own opinion of what life is, his own beliefs, and act accordingly. Despite the fact that's impossible to self-insert with Yuuji, he easily compensates with his personality and his rich thoughts all along the game, to be blunt I've never seen a so well written character in any other media, books excepted. And it's thanks to Yuuji that Grisaia heroines are so good, he brings out the best of what each of them has to offer.

Pretty much during every sex scene. 

Maybe you should have listed all of the VNs with adult protagonists that you have actually read. 
 
A noteworthy one that hasn't been mentioned yet is Zanmataisei Demonbane, an early nitro+ mecha VN with minor cthulhu themes starring a washed up private detective in his '20s. It's... decent. I won't go much further than that. It's got some good comedy, I thought. Apparently everyone says the ps2 version was a lot better, but we're never going to see that in english.
 
edit: There's also Sekien no Inganock, that's actually a really good one.

First of all, the fighting scenes are really better in Realta Nua because of the good use of differents CG in a really short period of time, fuwa has this version like Berilium said but it's not just the voices, it contains everything from RN with the exceptions of  H-Scenes (they aren't in Realta Nua but they are in the fuwa patched version).
To cut it short, go for Realta Nua.
 
 
(FSN h-scenes are legendary, they sucks objectively but you MUST read them haha)

As you guys can probably tell from my profile picture, I think Sachi from the Grisaia trilogy is adorable.  Definitely the cutest heroine I've seen.

First of all, the fighting scenes are really better in Realta Nua because of the good use of differents CG in a really short period of time, fuwa has this version like Berilium said but it's not just the voices, it contains everything from RN with the exceptions of  H-Scenes (they aren't in Realta Nua but they are in the fuwa patched version).
To cut it short, go for Realta Nua.
 
 
(FSN h-scenes are legendary, they sucks objectively but you MUST read them haha)

Hmm... When the characters have no voice I tend to give them russian, french, german and other accents just for fun
 
But I think I'm fairly good at getting a grasp of what voice fits whom. 
For example, in Grisaia no Kajitsu, the protagonist isn't voiced.  But he tends to use complicated vocabulary in everyday conversation and to go into overly long explanations of simple stuff. I adapted my voice according to these parameters.

Rewrite OP is great for sure and I agree for Grisaia too.
btw I really like Mahoyo opening, quite different from the classic opening with a lot of sprites presenting the cast on a voiced japanese ost.



However it's the only visual novel I've seen with such a style for the opening, so apart from that,
Shikkoku No Sharnoth :



Umineko No Naku Koro Ni:



Ef - A Fairy Tale Of The Two :



And Muv-Luv Alternative obviously :

No that's Urobuchi, with Ryukishi the characters are losing their minds.
 
 
 
? I don't understand what you mean. By character design, I refer to the "looks", if it's pretty or not.
Good chara-design :


(Very) Bad chara-design :

999 and Virtue's Last Reward on DS, of course.

Did you try Umineko ? Ryukishi has gained experience and it shows, except some pacing problems everything is better and the VN itself is really original (adult cast, a bunch of messages about the notion of reality, family relationships, the truth in all its forms, differents forms of love, the work of fiction...). The risk taking is admirable imo, being a bookworm myself it's the only VN who made me remember some products from this media, and even if you don't like Umineko, you will love the soundtrack, it's worth it in any case.