Eclipsed

Summer Pockets Reflection Blue
...I'll be honest, I'm like, totally a grandpa now and so if I red Summer Pockets like 10 years ago back when I red the other Key SoL funstuff like of Rewrite / Little Busters maybe I would've liked Summer Pockets a bit more and included it in my SoL Hall of Fame, but nowadays it's just not really my cup of tea anymore lol 
To be fair I didn't make it to the true route/ending to get to the good ol' KEY magic bits but mannn I ran out of steam hardcore after going through the four main heroines and not being interested in the Reflection Blue heroines. I'll check it out sometime later when I'm in the mood for SoL

^...Because I wanna do dirty things to you, Shiroha- I mean uhhh, for safety reasons!
But yeah, gorgeous visuals and whatnot, but just not in the mood for slice of life atm
 
 
 
 
~~
Okay so, Meteor World Actor. I know, wtf is that title right?

^It's a police/crime VN set in a futuristic fictional world that has superpowers and fantasy races like Elves and Segitts. I know, what a weird mix right?
 
The protagonist is (first name) Ruka Hiryu, a detective from the outcast sideliner "13th Division" of the National Police Agency (NPA). He's an antihero type with a bad attitude, slacker work ethic, and pisspoor financials but is competent enough to hold his own when it matters (sometimes) (every now and then) (maybe)

^That's Claris, Ruka's Elven kouhai rookie partner who just joined NPA but got shoved into the troublemaker 13th Division 'cuz she's an elf. Racial discrimination at its finest. Ruka likes to belittle and bully her but as you can see she can be pretty feisty herself.
The story plays episodic, which each major case-of-the-week focusing on certain characters/heroines while giving more insight into Ruka's character and his longterm motivations.
The cast is diverse and fantastic. Most of the time people are just bagging on Ruka for being a worthless good for nothing detective but there is a good sense of unspoken camaraderie between the cast

^Ruka only lies 125% of the time, nbd
 
It unfortunately ends in a cliffhanger, because eff you that's why, but don't worry, you can read the sequel Badge and Dagger, but that'll also end in a cliffhanger right when they get to the good bits with getting ready to hunt for the big baddie, because again eff you. Except this time the sequel sequel is not out yet sadface

Hear ye, hear ye --
 
In case you hadn't noticed, Fuwanovel has a blog app which includes two dev-exclusive blogs (Updates & Recruitment) to help you out. The idea is that you post in one of these blogs, and it's broadcast to all the sites in the Fuwa network.
Project Updates Feed (blog link) (rss) -- this is for non-trivial updates like introductions when your project first joins the Fuwa Ongoing Projects board, demo releases, events, announcements, final releases etc. You should also be posting in your project thread (i.e. small or check-in updates shouldn't be posted here) Help Wanted/Recruitment Feed (blog link) (rss) -- to be used as necessary. You can re-post job openings once every 3 days if you've having trouble finding help These two blogs are being integrated into the forums index, the Fuwazette blog, and the Reviews Hub, but in order to post in them you have to get a special "Project Manager" permission set from an admin. One person from each project will have free posting rights to both blogs (you pick who it'll be).
The Developer role will 
give you access to post on the Dev update feed. Permissions to Moderate your own thread (lock/hide etc.) brag with a badge    as being part of the community the title you work on is guaranteed to added to frontpage once it releases. *You might have get requested by emi to give additional info or images of your title once it releases. 
 
To get blog posting access you should have a project on this OP board, then please PM Emi the following:
Who you want to get the permissions and what their relationship is to the project (team lead, PR, etc.) The name of your project The url of your project thread in the fuwa forums  
After getting permissions: How to make and format a post:
Click "Add Entry" on the blog page (Updates) (Recruitment)   Write and format the post just as you would making a post on the forums We highly, highly suggest you use at least one image in your post for us to use in the Wordpress featured image function. PLEASE NOTE: The first image in the blog post will be its "featured image" (the image used to represent the post on the other Fuwa sites), so make sure it looks nice, is appropriate (no nudity, etc.), and is of decent size (preferably larger than 300x200px). ^ If you choose to include an image, please do everybody a favor and compress it before using it It may take up to an hour for the post to appear on all the Fuwa sites, but if a post isn't appearing in <=60 minutes, contact an admin  
I'm going to do my best to make this a useful tool for you guys, and please don't hesitate to get back to the staff or Emi with feedback/input.
 

Koisuru Natsu no Last Resort
English Translation Patch (by KoiRizo translation team)
 
Summary
"S-Senpai! There's... something... a promise I made. On this island... I need you to... t-to spend our time here as my boyfriend!"
Soutarou just manages to pay his school fees by doing part-time jobs. After helping his junior Umi and skipping his shift, he was fired from his part-time job and was having problems making ends meet. Umi felt responsible for his present situation and introduced him to a part-time job at a Southern resort.  With deep blue skies, clear seas and vibrant vegetation, the place looked exactly like in the travel magazines. 
Moreover, he was surrounded by many girls: energetic little sister-like Sango, affectionate tennen ojousama Riho, shy and earnest Shiori, and the kind but also strict manager Nagisa. Arriving at the resort, Umi turned to him and asked him to spend the time there as her boyfriend.
Welcome to paradise!
 
Ending Guideline / Suggested Route Order
There are five heroines: Umi, Shiori, Riho, Sango, and Nagisa.
Nagisa's route is unlocked upon completing at least one route. A bonus "3P" route will be accessible on the main menu upon completing at least one route. Contains two H-scenes: one for Protagonist x Shiori x Sango, and another for Protagonist x Umi x Riho. My (planned) route order is Umi -> Shiori -> Riho -> Sango -> Nagisa, but feel free to go however you want!
 
Route Guideline
 

Kouzaki Umi
 
 

Maki Shiori
 
 

Kitsuki Riho
 
 

Tsukumi Sango
 
 

Kariu Nagisa
Unlocked upon completing at least one route
 
 
Attribution
This KoiRizo walkthrough was created by Eclipsed based on info attained from http://seiya-saiga.com/

OVN Thread Guidelines

How should I Format the Thread?
No specific formatting style; just follow these Minimum Formatting Guidelines to include a proper thread title, project introduction, and progress: 
 
Thread Title
Your thread title should be of this type: VN/Project Title + (Latest Update)*
*(Latest Update) is optional, use it for your most recent released update ie. (Common Route Patch Released)
If for any reason you feel the need to make the title follow any different standard, contact a mod and explain your reasons. Exceptions/changes can be made.
 
Project Introduction
Introduce your project team, the project you are working on, and any relevant info such as the Visual Novel's name, a VNDB link (if available), your website, recruiting status, etc.
 
Progress
Outline the current progress made in your project.
Keep this up-to-date. You should have this section even if you haven't made any progress yet.
 
Beyond the Minimum Formatting, you can also take a look at this sample guide of a typical thread's contents:
Where does my Thread go?
If you are looking to start a VN project or already have one underway, you can simply make a thread following the already detailed guidelines in the Original VN Projects forum.
If you are currently recruiting members, consider making a thread recruiting over in the Recruitment subforum.
Note that this is separate from your main project thread where you give updates and people comment.
Once work on the project has finished and the project is complete, it'll be moved to the Released subforum.
Finally, be aware that inactive projects will be moved to the Archives. A project is considered inactive if it goes without any updates for over a year. Additionally, recruitment threads will be removed from the Recruitment subforum after 6 months of no updates on the main thread.
Do not worry too much if you end up making your thread in the wrong section. A staff member is likely to move it to the correct place.
I'm Recruiting - What should I do to get more People?
If your project is recruiting here are some various things you could try:
Add [Recruiting] and prefix it to your thread title.
If you are currently recruiting members, consider making a thread recruiting over in the Recruitment subforum.
Take advantage of the forum's development blogs! More info how to access dev blogs here.
You could check various external places and websites: {/r/visualnovels; Aarinfantasy; LemmaSoft}
Make your own Website/Thread and have it linked to VNDB. People who come across said game will all be redirected towards your efforts.
You could try to look through our Fan Translator Skills Registration thread in order to find the right people.
For more PR methods, check this thread, where you can learn how to make Recruitment Blog Posts or how to promote your Project. 
Check this thread for member suggestions!
  
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Posts which violate the general Forum Rules will be moderated as usual.
However, this board will be more strictly moderated than the other boards.
 
Multiple Short Projects
If you are promoting multiple short (<2 hours) projects in the same series (such as episodic or chapter-based projects), they should all be covered in a single thread, so as to not dilute and fragment visibility, views, and discussion.

Hiding Posts
Due to the nature of the board, irrelevant chatter is discouraged. However, support, feedback, and relevant discussion is very much welcome in their respective threads.
 
Posts which WILL be hidden include:
Off-topic chatter* Excessively harsh criticism** *Posts that do not in any way involve or are relevant to the project team, their project, or the product they are working on.
**Keep the criticism constructive. Criticism that begins to berate, belittle, or outright harass a project's efforts will be hidden.
 
Posts which WON'T be hidden include:
Feedback "Good luck!" posts. "I'm looking forward to this!" posts. "Thank you very much!" posts. Questions regarding the translation, the team, or the progress. Discussion regarding the translation or the team. Discussion about the game in question (In the eventuality of a final release, these will be split into a new topic for discussion over in VN Talk forums). If a post of yours is hidden and you wish to contest, please PM a moderator for further inquiry.
Do NOT contest moderation decisions publicly - these posts will be hidden. Keep it to PMs.
 

Kara no Shoujo: The Second Episode
 
Licensed by Mangagamer
 

Summary
"To become my true self... I'll become one with them."
Prewar-era Japan. Deep in the snowy mountains of northwestern Japan there exists a settlement called Hitogata, the Village of Dolls. On the night of the festival honoring the clay idol Hinna-sama, a girl is murdered. The villagers all blame Hinna-sama's curse. One outside the faith has joined in the festival of Hinna-sama, and brought the painful death of the curse down upon themself.

October, 1957. Two years have passed since Kuchiki Touko's abduction from her hospital room. Tokisaka Reiji's younger sister saves a man who had tried to commit suicide. He, too, is the most recent victim of "Hinna-sama's curse". Reiji begins his investigation, clinging desperately to the hope that Touko can be saved, and at the same time, a strange religious group said to have dissolved six years ago begins to move again to put a certain plan into motion...

The curse will be carried out, whether by the gods or by human hands.
 
Ending Guideline / Suggested Route Order
Kara no Shoujo: The Second Episode is a linear story with eleven endings. There are no individual heroine routes.
There are seven gameover endings, four endings, and one true end. You have access to all gameover ends, but only one ending on your first playthrough. The other three endings and true ending can only be accessed upon getting this ending and starting your second+ playthrough. You also need to get Bad End #2 "To Search for Toko" to get True and Obsession Ends.
  Route Guideline
*Due to the mystery nature of this VN, it is strongly advised that you make your first playthrough without a walkthrough to avoid spoilers! You can do it!
*Though, to avoid being locked into Bad End #3, you have to make sure you visit Yukiko at least 3 times during your Free Time before 1/9


First Playthrough
I have included Save Points in the walkthrough for Memories of That Day below since all Bad Endings can branch from it.
End (Ending 08)
 

Memories of That Day
 

Bad Ends (Endings 01 ~ 07)
 

1. Hinna-sama’s Curse


 

2. To Search for Toko...
 



3. The Holy Prophet
 



4. Disappearance
 



5. Yukio
 

 

6. Karen




7. The Two Yukaris
 

Second Playthrough
Must obtain Ending #08 "Memories of that Day" and start a new playthrough to get these following endings. Also must get Bad Ending #2 "To Search for Toko" to get True End and Obsession Ends There are extra dialogues and scenes scattered throughout the story this time, so pay attention if you are control skipping! There are H-scenes for Yukiko, Ayumu, Nanako, and Meguri.
Ends (Endings 09 ~ 11)


Normal End


 

True End
 



Obsession

 
Attribution
This Kara no Shoujo 2 (kns2) walkthrough is based on info attained from a source with some adjustments made by Eclipsed.
 
 

^"If you're not tired of the KEY formula yet, want another dose, but don't have time for behemots such as Clannad or Summer Pockets - go for it"

Sold. I already have Loopers on my Switch but haven't gotten around to it; but I'll definitely move it up on my to-do-list 😛 

~~
AI: Nirvana Initiative was good. If you liked the general reading experience from The Somnium Files you should be able to enjoy this as well.
The Somniums can be solved more logically this time around instead of having to trial and error yolo choosing random actions and hoping for the best so that's a plus.
The dual-protagonist system is... unfortunate; splitting screentime between Mizuki and Ryuki definitely imo weakens the both of them than if the VN focused on just one of them. Ryuki was aight, but ngl would've totally preferred Mizuki to be the sole protagonist cuz bias
The big twist... was a whole bunch of "...that's it?", especially with how it'll literally, and I mean quite literally, be told to you upfront in plain English handholding spoonfed style after a certain part in the story. It's VERY underwhelming.

8/10. I gave the first game 8.5/10. The first game just keeps you hooked with the always-a-step-behind murder mystery. Second game tries to be grand with the whole Nirvana Initiative plotline and falls flat

~~
Currently reading the most randomest thing ever, Making*Lovers. If you're ever in the mood for a legit dating sim where the narrative is all about a modern day no-relationship-experience whatsoever young adult male protagonist meeting a likewise no-relationship-experience whatsoever heroine by some contrived circumstantial chance, they awkwardly hit it off, but slowly and surely fall in love as they get to know each other and involve in each others' lives, this thing will be quite a treat. No overarching plot or common routes here, the entire focus of this VN will be on the protag and the heroine of your choice's fated encounter and blossoming romance.

If you don't got a thing for the sassy just-an-acquaintance from the good ol' college days, ya oughta rethink your life decisions:


 

^"If you're not tired of the KEY formula yet, want another dose, but don't have time for behemots such as Clannad or Summer Pockets - go for it"

Sold. I already have Loopers on my Switch but haven't gotten around to it; but I'll definitely move it up on my to-do-list 😛 

~~
AI: Nirvana Initiative was good. If you liked the general reading experience from The Somnium Files you should be able to enjoy this as well.
The Somniums can be solved more logically this time around instead of having to trial and error yolo choosing random actions and hoping for the best so that's a plus.
The dual-protagonist system is... unfortunate; splitting screentime between Mizuki and Ryuki definitely imo weakens the both of them than if the VN focused on just one of them. Ryuki was aight, but ngl would've totally preferred Mizuki to be the sole protagonist cuz bias
The big twist... was a whole bunch of "...that's it?", especially with how it'll literally, and I mean quite literally, be told to you upfront in plain English handholding spoonfed style after a certain part in the story. It's VERY underwhelming.

8/10. I gave the first game 8.5/10. The first game just keeps you hooked with the always-a-step-behind murder mystery. Second game tries to be grand with the whole Nirvana Initiative plotline and falls flat

~~
Currently reading the most randomest thing ever, Making*Lovers. If you're ever in the mood for a legit dating sim where the narrative is all about a modern day no-relationship-experience whatsoever young adult male protagonist meeting a likewise no-relationship-experience whatsoever heroine by some contrived circumstantial chance, they awkwardly hit it off, but slowly and surely fall in love as they get to know each other and involve in each others' lives, this thing will be quite a treat. No overarching plot or common routes here, the entire focus of this VN will be on the protag and the heroine of your choice's fated encounter and blossoming romance.

If you don't got a thing for the sassy just-an-acquaintance from the good ol' college days, ya oughta rethink your life decisions:


 

^"If you're not tired of the KEY formula yet, want another dose, but don't have time for behemots such as Clannad or Summer Pockets - go for it"

Sold. I already have Loopers on my Switch but haven't gotten around to it; but I'll definitely move it up on my to-do-list 😛 

~~
AI: Nirvana Initiative was good. If you liked the general reading experience from The Somnium Files you should be able to enjoy this as well.
The Somniums can be solved more logically this time around instead of having to trial and error yolo choosing random actions and hoping for the best so that's a plus.
The dual-protagonist system is... unfortunate; splitting screentime between Mizuki and Ryuki definitely imo weakens the both of them than if the VN focused on just one of them. Ryuki was aight, but ngl would've totally preferred Mizuki to be the sole protagonist cuz bias
The big twist... was a whole bunch of "...that's it?", especially with how it'll literally, and I mean quite literally, be told to you upfront in plain English handholding spoonfed style after a certain part in the story. It's VERY underwhelming.

8/10. I gave the first game 8.5/10. The first game just keeps you hooked with the always-a-step-behind murder mystery. Second game tries to be grand with the whole Nirvana Initiative plotline and falls flat

~~
Currently reading the most randomest thing ever, Making*Lovers. If you're ever in the mood for a legit dating sim where the narrative is all about a modern day no-relationship-experience whatsoever young adult male protagonist meeting a likewise no-relationship-experience whatsoever heroine by some contrived circumstantial chance, they awkwardly hit it off, but slowly and surely fall in love as they get to know each other and involve in each others' lives, this thing will be quite a treat. No overarching plot or common routes here, the entire focus of this VN will be on the protag and the heroine of your choice's fated encounter and blossoming romance.

If you don't got a thing for the sassy just-an-acquaintance from the good ol' college days, ya oughta rethink your life decisions:


 

^"If you're not tired of the KEY formula yet, want another dose, but don't have time for behemots such as Clannad or Summer Pockets - go for it"

Sold. I already have Loopers on my Switch but haven't gotten around to it; but I'll definitely move it up on my to-do-list 😛 

~~
AI: Nirvana Initiative was good. If you liked the general reading experience from The Somnium Files you should be able to enjoy this as well.
The Somniums can be solved more logically this time around instead of having to trial and error yolo choosing random actions and hoping for the best so that's a plus.
The dual-protagonist system is... unfortunate; splitting screentime between Mizuki and Ryuki definitely imo weakens the both of them than if the VN focused on just one of them. Ryuki was aight, but ngl would've totally preferred Mizuki to be the sole protagonist cuz bias
The big twist... was a whole bunch of "...that's it?", especially with how it'll literally, and I mean quite literally, be told to you upfront in plain English handholding spoonfed style after a certain part in the story. It's VERY underwhelming.

8/10. I gave the first game 8.5/10. The first game just keeps you hooked with the always-a-step-behind murder mystery. Second game tries to be grand with the whole Nirvana Initiative plotline and falls flat

~~
Currently reading the most randomest thing ever, Making*Lovers. If you're ever in the mood for a legit dating sim where the narrative is all about a modern day no-relationship-experience whatsoever young adult male protagonist meeting a likewise no-relationship-experience whatsoever heroine by some contrived circumstantial chance, they awkwardly hit it off, but slowly and surely fall in love as they get to know each other and involve in each others' lives, this thing will be quite a treat. No overarching plot or common routes here, the entire focus of this VN will be on the protag and the heroine of your choice's fated encounter and blossoming romance.

If you don't got a thing for the sassy just-an-acquaintance from the good ol' college days, ya oughta rethink your life decisions:


 

Here's a hot take
How the hell did Subahibi get an overwhelming majority 9+/10 ratings (avg 8.68) on VNDB?
Yeah, sure, innocent lighthearted SoL beginnings turned GOTCHA! pyschological multiple viewpoints wtfmux that rabbit?! delusional EnDSkY savior bonanza
But nothing that made me feel like goddamn, this is a 10/10 masterpiece!@#. 
I gave it a 7/Good. Gets too rapey at times. And Takuji can go suck it.

~~
I feel bad for people who followed 9-Nine since its first episode released in 2017 and had to wait until 2020+ to get the final episode. Idk how episodic releases fare against just making one complete VN, but whatever floats your boat. I got the luxury of finding out about this VN in 2022, so huzzah me, can just marathon the whole thing!
9 9 was fun. It's another modern day high school setting with a dash of the supernatural/superpowers. Good balance of highschool SoL Romance and Supernatural Overarching Plot Build Up to keep things interesting, with 4 Episodes to keep ya busy and add to the superpower lore(each Episode is dedicated to one of the 4 heroines, yee Enforced Route Playthroughs). The payoff when you finally get to Episode 4 is similar to, if not only a fraction of, the payoff you'd get from making the trek from Muv Luv to Muv Luv Alternate. Things can get pretty high stakes and epic, just don't uh, overload. Heh.

7/10 Ep 1-2,
8/10 Ep 3,
9/10 Ep 4.
~~ 
I was gonna do a misc. thoughts for both Subahibi and 9-Nine, but uhhh I kinda got too lazy, srrz. And I kinda just wanna start reading:
 

Here's a hot take
How the hell did Subahibi get an overwhelming majority 9+/10 ratings (avg 8.68) on VNDB?
Yeah, sure, innocent lighthearted SoL beginnings turned GOTCHA! pyschological multiple viewpoints wtfmux that rabbit?! delusional EnDSkY savior bonanza
But nothing that made me feel like goddamn, this is a 10/10 masterpiece!@#. 
I gave it a 7/Good. Gets too rapey at times. And Takuji can go suck it.

~~
I feel bad for people who followed 9-Nine since its first episode released in 2017 and had to wait until 2020+ to get the final episode. Idk how episodic releases fare against just making one complete VN, but whatever floats your boat. I got the luxury of finding out about this VN in 2022, so huzzah me, can just marathon the whole thing!
9 9 was fun. It's another modern day high school setting with a dash of the supernatural/superpowers. Good balance of highschool SoL Romance and Supernatural Overarching Plot Build Up to keep things interesting, with 4 Episodes to keep ya busy and add to the superpower lore(each Episode is dedicated to one of the 4 heroines, yee Enforced Route Playthroughs). The payoff when you finally get to Episode 4 is similar to, if not only a fraction of, the payoff you'd get from making the trek from Muv Luv to Muv Luv Alternate. Things can get pretty high stakes and epic, just don't uh, overload. Heh.

7/10 Ep 1-2,
8/10 Ep 3,
9/10 Ep 4.
~~ 
I was gonna do a misc. thoughts for both Subahibi and 9-Nine, but uhhh I kinda got too lazy, srrz. And I kinda just wanna start reading:
 

Here's a hot take
How the hell did Subahibi get an overwhelming majority 9+/10 ratings (avg 8.68) on VNDB?
Yeah, sure, innocent lighthearted SoL beginnings turned GOTCHA! pyschological multiple viewpoints wtfmux that rabbit?! delusional EnDSkY savior bonanza
But nothing that made me feel like goddamn, this is a 10/10 masterpiece!@#. 
I gave it a 7/Good. Gets too rapey at times. And Takuji can go suck it.

~~
I feel bad for people who followed 9-Nine since its first episode released in 2017 and had to wait until 2020+ to get the final episode. Idk how episodic releases fare against just making one complete VN, but whatever floats your boat. I got the luxury of finding out about this VN in 2022, so huzzah me, can just marathon the whole thing!
9 9 was fun. It's another modern day high school setting with a dash of the supernatural/superpowers. Good balance of highschool SoL Romance and Supernatural Overarching Plot Build Up to keep things interesting, with 4 Episodes to keep ya busy and add to the superpower lore(each Episode is dedicated to one of the 4 heroines, yee Enforced Route Playthroughs). The payoff when you finally get to Episode 4 is similar to, if not only a fraction of, the payoff you'd get from making the trek from Muv Luv to Muv Luv Alternate. Things can get pretty high stakes and epic, just don't uh, overload. Heh.

7/10 Ep 1-2,
8/10 Ep 3,
9/10 Ep 4.
~~ 
I was gonna do a misc. thoughts for both Subahibi and 9-Nine, but uhhh I kinda got too lazy, srrz. And I kinda just wanna start reading:
 

Here's a hot take
How the hell did Subahibi get an overwhelming majority 9+/10 ratings (avg 8.68) on VNDB?
Yeah, sure, innocent lighthearted SoL beginnings turned GOTCHA! pyschological multiple viewpoints wtfmux that rabbit?! delusional EnDSkY savior bonanza
But nothing that made me feel like goddamn, this is a 10/10 masterpiece!@#. 
I gave it a 7/Good. Gets too rapey at times. And Takuji can go suck it.

~~
I feel bad for people who followed 9-Nine since its first episode released in 2017 and had to wait until 2020+ to get the final episode. Idk how episodic releases fare against just making one complete VN, but whatever floats your boat. I got the luxury of finding out about this VN in 2022, so huzzah me, can just marathon the whole thing!
9 9 was fun. It's another modern day high school setting with a dash of the supernatural/superpowers. Good balance of highschool SoL Romance and Supernatural Overarching Plot Build Up to keep things interesting, with 4 Episodes to keep ya busy and add to the superpower lore(each Episode is dedicated to one of the 4 heroines, yee Enforced Route Playthroughs). The payoff when you finally get to Episode 4 is similar to, if not only a fraction of, the payoff you'd get from making the trek from Muv Luv to Muv Luv Alternate. Things can get pretty high stakes and epic, just don't uh, overload. Heh.

7/10 Ep 1-2,
8/10 Ep 3,
9/10 Ep 4.
~~ 
I was gonna do a misc. thoughts for both Subahibi and 9-Nine, but uhhh I kinda got too lazy, srrz. And I kinda just wanna start reading:
 

Mbn to be able to re-read VNs; I apparently red Princess Evangile like 6 years ago and gave it a solid 8 and it was definitely at the time one of my favorite charamoeges. Recently I tried re-reading like Little Busters! and Grisaia no Kajitsu, both of which are literally like my second and third VNs, but nope I remember just barely enough that they're both completely a drag for me to even bother continuing 😪
Over the past month I finished the otome Bustafellows. I ended up giving it an 8.5/10, so same rating as what I gave for the likes of Code;Realize and CollarxMalice. But I think I enjoyed Bustafellows a bit more than those two, so maybe 8.75/10? LOL But VNDB doesn't allow such a blasphemy partial rating oh wells
What makes Bustafellows so stellar is if you particularly enjoy a cast that has superb camaraderie, friendship, familial bond etc with each other. Bustafellows is ALL about that life. The setting of New Sieg (fictional modern US) with its corruption-behind-the-scenes and band of five heroes each having their own place in society + heroine protagonist all living under the same roof banding together to do vigilante work just allows for many funtimes. 

What a solemn group picture LOL
Every Hero route will have the protagonist-heroine Teuta meddle with his private affairs, eventually culminating in them falling in love along with the other Heroes stepping in with the "Yo, we're bro's, let us help you out!" to resolve the conflicts. It's a good way to make use of all the characters without doing the whole out of focus thing.


YO, BRO'S BEFORE HO'S

Teuta herself is one of the more vibrant heroine-protagonists I've had the pleasure of reading. I don't even remember Ichika's or Cardia's personalities- I think they were stoic and realistic, or whatever genericness that allowed the reader to self-insert better. Teuta's strong willed, positive, and speaks her mind. She's also FULLY VOICED, can you believe that? At first it was off-putting for me- usually I don't like my protagonists voiced because it slows down my reading and whatnot- but at the end of the day having Teuta voiced for Bustafellows with all of her emotions ended up enhancing the narrative experience so much more than if I were to just use whatever headcanon voice I conjured up for her.
The romance is exquisite. Teuta conforms to her Hero of choice EXTREMELY well it's almost shocking how "made for each other" Teuta is able to be with each Hero, vs. some other VNs where sometimes you just laugh at how quickly and abruptly some pairings get together. It's probably partly because it was by design here- a majority of the Hero route flags are triggered by a 'personality' test Teuta takes during the common route and so yeah, the pairs do naturally end up having much in common.

The sassy and snarky playboy Helvetica
 

The playful self proclaimed "Underworld Boss" Scarecrow
 

The overly stoically logical Mozu
 

The lone wolf badass Shu
 

The charismatic and dependable posterboy Limbo
 
~~
There's plenty of supporting cast as well that adds to the one-big-happy-family-that-has-each-others'-backs theme. Teuta in particular has two lifelong childhood friends Luka and Adam who will make sporadic appearances throughout your time with Bustafellows and they're always a treat to see because you just know whenever they pop up that they'll take care of Teuta. She really is the central pillar that joins everyone together in this VN.



Luka and Adam are probably some of the best side support characters I've had the pleasure of reading. Their "lifelong friend" status really made me appreciate them.
 
And so, you may want to avoid stumbling into some of the bad ends. Overall they're pretty mild, but some can get JARRINGLY dark. Teuta's a great protagonist, and everyone loves her, but she's not invincible 💀
SUPER SPOILERS AND PROBABLY NSFW:
 

Koisuru Natsu no Last Resort
English Translation Patch (by KoiRizo translation team)
 
Summary
"S-Senpai! There's... something... a promise I made. On this island... I need you to... t-to spend our time here as my boyfriend!"
Soutarou just manages to pay his school fees by doing part-time jobs. After helping his junior Umi and skipping his shift, he was fired from his part-time job and was having problems making ends meet. Umi felt responsible for his present situation and introduced him to a part-time job at a Southern resort.  With deep blue skies, clear seas and vibrant vegetation, the place looked exactly like in the travel magazines. 
Moreover, he was surrounded by many girls: energetic little sister-like Sango, affectionate tennen ojousama Riho, shy and earnest Shiori, and the kind but also strict manager Nagisa. Arriving at the resort, Umi turned to him and asked him to spend the time there as her boyfriend.
Welcome to paradise!
 
Ending Guideline / Suggested Route Order
There are five heroines: Umi, Shiori, Riho, Sango, and Nagisa.
Nagisa's route is unlocked upon completing at least one route. A bonus "3P" route will be accessible on the main menu upon completing at least one route. Contains two H-scenes: one for Protagonist x Shiori x Sango, and another for Protagonist x Umi x Riho. My (planned) route order is Umi -> Shiori -> Riho -> Sango -> Nagisa, but feel free to go however you want!
 
Route Guideline
 

Kouzaki Umi
 
 

Maki Shiori
 
 

Kitsuki Riho
 
 

Tsukumi Sango
 
 

Kariu Nagisa
Unlocked upon completing at least one route
 
 
Attribution
This KoiRizo walkthrough was created by Eclipsed based on info attained from http://seiya-saiga.com/

Noble☆Works
English Translation Patch (by The Oxford Comma is Superior Subs)

Summary  
"Well, I'll just come out and say it. We want you to... become Shuri's body double!"
Fujishima Takumi is a regular high school student just trying to make ends meet via his part-time jobs. Unfortunately, one day his employer becomes bankrupt and bails without giving Takumi his pay. Depressed and now broke, Takumi wanders the streets and eventually bumps into someone... who looks exactly like him! Turns out this clone of his is Kanemoto Shuri who is from a rather wealthy family.   Due to very, very special circumstances involving Shuri's medical condition and constant harassment of kidnappers, Takumi is asked by the Kanemoto household to attend the prestigious Rokuroku Academy in Shuri's place. Initially only accepting due to his financial needs, Takumi slowly but surely finds himself enjoying his new life as the doppelganger of Shuri...
    Ending Guideline / Suggested Route Order There are five heroines and one bonus route: Akari, Sena, Hinata, Shizuru, Maya, and The bonus route is unlocked after completing at least one route.
Extras (CG + H-scene viewer) are unlocked upon completing at least one route. Sprite viewer is unlocked upon completing all routes + bonus route. You may play in any order you like (besides bonus first), I'm going Akari -> Hinata -> Sena -> Maya -> Shizuru -> bonus
 
Route Guideline Beware: there are three "return-to-title-screen" gameover choices:  
Kanemoto Akari
   
 
Tsukiyama Sena
   
 

Kunihiro Hinata
   
 

Masamune Shizuru
 
   
Nagamitsu Maya
   
    ~~ Bonus Route (accessible upon completing at least one route)    
  Attribution This walkthrough was created and formatted by Eclipsed with information based on trial-and-error (10%) and the Fiddler (90%).
Special thanks to Fiddle for his suggestions, edits, facts, and in general for letting me fiddle with his diddle

Mbn to be able to re-read VNs; I apparently red Princess Evangile like 6 years ago and gave it a solid 8 and it was definitely at the time one of my favorite charamoeges. Recently I tried re-reading like Little Busters! and Grisaia no Kajitsu, both of which are literally like my second and third VNs, but nope I remember just barely enough that they're both completely a drag for me to even bother continuing 😪
Over the past month I finished the otome Bustafellows. I ended up giving it an 8.5/10, so same rating as what I gave for the likes of Code;Realize and CollarxMalice. But I think I enjoyed Bustafellows a bit more than those two, so maybe 8.75/10? LOL But VNDB doesn't allow such a blasphemy partial rating oh wells
What makes Bustafellows so stellar is if you particularly enjoy a cast that has superb camaraderie, friendship, familial bond etc with each other. Bustafellows is ALL about that life. The setting of New Sieg (fictional modern US) with its corruption-behind-the-scenes and band of five heroes each having their own place in society + heroine protagonist all living under the same roof banding together to do vigilante work just allows for many funtimes. 

What a solemn group picture LOL
Every Hero route will have the protagonist-heroine Teuta meddle with his private affairs, eventually culminating in them falling in love along with the other Heroes stepping in with the "Yo, we're bro's, let us help you out!" to resolve the conflicts. It's a good way to make use of all the characters without doing the whole out of focus thing.


YO, BRO'S BEFORE HO'S

Teuta herself is one of the more vibrant heroine-protagonists I've had the pleasure of reading. I don't even remember Ichika's or Cardia's personalities- I think they were stoic and realistic, or whatever genericness that allowed the reader to self-insert better. Teuta's strong willed, positive, and speaks her mind. She's also FULLY VOICED, can you believe that? At first it was off-putting for me- usually I don't like my protagonists voiced because it slows down my reading and whatnot- but at the end of the day having Teuta voiced for Bustafellows with all of her emotions ended up enhancing the narrative experience so much more than if I were to just use whatever headcanon voice I conjured up for her.
The romance is exquisite. Teuta conforms to her Hero of choice EXTREMELY well it's almost shocking how "made for each other" Teuta is able to be with each Hero, vs. some other VNs where sometimes you just laugh at how quickly and abruptly some pairings get together. It's probably partly because it was by design here- a majority of the Hero route flags are triggered by a 'personality' test Teuta takes during the common route and so yeah, the pairs do naturally end up having much in common.

The sassy and snarky playboy Helvetica
 

The playful self proclaimed "Underworld Boss" Scarecrow
 

The overly stoically logical Mozu
 

The lone wolf badass Shu
 

The charismatic and dependable posterboy Limbo
 
~~
There's plenty of supporting cast as well that adds to the one-big-happy-family-that-has-each-others'-backs theme. Teuta in particular has two lifelong childhood friends Luka and Adam who will make sporadic appearances throughout your time with Bustafellows and they're always a treat to see because you just know whenever they pop up that they'll take care of Teuta. She really is the central pillar that joins everyone together in this VN.



Luka and Adam are probably some of the best side support characters I've had the pleasure of reading. Their "lifelong friend" status really made me appreciate them.
 
And so, you may want to avoid stumbling into some of the bad ends. Overall they're pretty mild, but some can get JARRINGLY dark. Teuta's a great protagonist, and everyone loves her, but she's not invincible 💀
SUPER SPOILERS AND PROBABLY NSFW:
 

Oh god I think I'm gonna become hella spoiled by Yuzusoft
I forgot that they actually put in the effort to change character sprites to go in tandem with what whatever the characters are currently saying. Bless whoever they hired that has enough OCD to take the time to do all of that.
It actually makes me want to listen to the entire dialogue rather than doing my whole min/maxing sweetspot reading because it really does amplify the reading experience significantly.
~~
Anyways I ended up going for Riddle Joker, cuz I need me some high school superpowers
Friggen' Himawari, bless its the-whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-cough-Aqua-Best-Girl took a whopping the entirety of Episode One+Two for me to finally settle down and really start enjoying the narrative for what it was, but Riddle Joker was instant hook line and sinker for me and I'm enjoying everything right off the bat.
Protagonist is (first) Satoru Arihara, a combat-capable-but-slacking-in-studies realist high school boy and he's part of a secret organization of "Astrals" who seek to use their powers for the greater good, vigilante style.
His latest mission: to infiltrate the nation's first prominent Astral education/research facility.
He has a younger sister, too. Foster sister. Nanami Arihara. And man, every VN I'm reading lately is making me realize I'm simply the siscon type, godhelpme, Nanami is fantastic. She's the well meaning younger-than-protagonist-but-responsible/mature-enough-that-she-essentially-takes-care-of-him-like-an-older-sister-type, but she's very, very shy/introverted around others and will have her vulnerable moments where she'll call "Satoru-kun" the coveted "Onii-chan" instead. She's also Satoru's partner in crime in the secret organization they're in, so they have that dynamic going on for them as well. Jeez, what more can you ask for in a brother/sister relationship?

I'd go straight back to sleep all day errday, just so I could get awakened again and again and again by such a kawaii sister lel.
 
But step aside Nanami, first impression best girl hands down goes to:

Ayase Mitsukasa.

Anyone who knows me, knows pink is an automatic win, no questions asked. Pink, responsible role model, student council president...all this is about as common and standard as it gets but I shall never tire of it heh.
Now, I would've been fine with Ayase as is because I'm ez, but hoh boy this oughta be fun(SLIGHT SPOILERS):
 

Fatal Twelve. It popped up randomly in the Switch store the other day, jeez y'all gotta market better!
 
Fatal Twelve is a, uh... battle of wits style battle royale death game? Except there's no hard violence- no epic Fate/Stay battles to the death. At the other end of the spectrum, there's no glorified verbal debates like Danganronpa's Class Trials. That's probably my biggest first impression disappointment going into this VN lol.
The basic premise is that 12 people died, and through an enigmatic process called Divine Selection they are put through a 12 week altered reality where none of them actually died. The goal? To eliminate all other participants via weekly Elections in the Court of Fate. Other than that they are relatively free to do as they please with their newfound time. In order to Elect someone, a participant must have their opponents' 1) Name 2) Cause of Death 3) Life Regret. An eliminated participant will have their death become reality once again, and any physical actions or influence they made between their original death and the current present is erased. The sole survivor of the Divine Selection gets the privilege to defy fate and live on while the rest perish as fate originally intended.
The whole process is supervised by none other than Parca, a snarky self proclaimed Goddess of Destiny.

Yo you're cute and all, but, I mean, wtf kind of name is Parca?
The 12 participants all have different backgrounds and circumstances ranging from mafioso, wealthy businessman, housewife, single old man, smuggler, rich indian prince, female child, and of course, our protagonist, your every day ordinary high school male high school female with a delinquent appearance: Rinka. She really is just a high school kid, as she mainly spends the first half of the Divine Selection just mulling about her school's upcoming culture festival and friendships, with her research into the other participants being limited to really amateur attempts such as trying to Google them on the internet. The adults do all of the heavy lifting, forming alliances and long con betrayals. 

Who looks more out of place here, the handsome Nigerian Prince or the delinquent schoolgirl lol.
The story plays episodic/weekly, with the first few weeks being easily forgetful since they were used to eliminate the fodder cast and establish the mechanics of the Divine Selection as well as give you a feel for how the other participants are going about their days. Might as well have called this VN Fatal Six, since that's when the remaining cast get to have some better interactions and scenarios with each other. As I said earlier, the weekly eliminations in the Court of Fate also leave much to be desired, as those segments really lack any climax feel. No oomph. One person just Elects someone, calls out their name, cause of death, and regret, and that's it. Moving onto the next week.

YO I FEEL SAD THAT THE DIVINE SELECTION ELECTION ELIMINATIONS BASICALLY BOIL DOWN TO LIST YOUR OPPONENT'S 1-2-3 LINERS AND NOT HOUR LONG DANGANRONPA CLASS TRIAL SEGMENTS
 
Pretty curious to see how this can end, like if there'll be any jaw dropping twists or if it'll just end straightforwardly.


~~
Another VN err otome that just came out today that I've been waiting for is Bustafellows. For some reason I thought this was made by the same devs IdeaFactory/Otomate who made the blockbusters Code;Realize and CollarXMalice, but apparently not. Still looks like it has the potential to be included in the list of high quality otome VNs that everyone who gets into otomes should read though.
You play as Teuta, a cheerful 21yo freelance journalist living in modern fictional U.S. New Sieg. Looking for her next scoop she happened upon one of the heroes, Limbo, a famous skilled arrogant lawyer on the side of justice. Hoping to catch an interview she calls out to him, but much to her shock he just collapses and dies, blood pouring out of his chest.
So what does she do?

She timeleaps one hour into the past into the body of another in order to warn Limbo about his impending doom.


...Oh yeah, this should be good.

Fatal Twelve. It popped up randomly in the Switch store the other day, jeez y'all gotta market better!
 
Fatal Twelve is a, uh... battle of wits style battle royale death game? Except there's no hard violence- no epic Fate/Stay battles to the death. At the other end of the spectrum, there's no glorified verbal debates like Danganronpa's Class Trials. That's probably my biggest first impression disappointment going into this VN lol.
The basic premise is that 12 people died, and through an enigmatic process called Divine Selection they are put through a 12 week altered reality where none of them actually died. The goal? To eliminate all other participants via weekly Elections in the Court of Fate. Other than that they are relatively free to do as they please with their newfound time. In order to Elect someone, a participant must have their opponents' 1) Name 2) Cause of Death 3) Life Regret. An eliminated participant will have their death become reality once again, and any physical actions or influence they made between their original death and the current present is erased. The sole survivor of the Divine Selection gets the privilege to defy fate and live on while the rest perish as fate originally intended.
The whole process is supervised by none other than Parca, a snarky self proclaimed Goddess of Destiny.

Yo you're cute and all, but, I mean, wtf kind of name is Parca?
The 12 participants all have different backgrounds and circumstances ranging from mafioso, wealthy businessman, housewife, single old man, smuggler, rich indian prince, female child, and of course, our protagonist, your every day ordinary high school male high school female with a delinquent appearance: Rinka. She really is just a high school kid, as she mainly spends the first half of the Divine Selection just mulling about her school's upcoming culture festival and friendships, with her research into the other participants being limited to really amateur attempts such as trying to Google them on the internet. The adults do all of the heavy lifting, forming alliances and long con betrayals. 

Who looks more out of place here, the handsome Nigerian Prince or the delinquent schoolgirl lol.
The story plays episodic/weekly, with the first few weeks being easily forgetful since they were used to eliminate the fodder cast and establish the mechanics of the Divine Selection as well as give you a feel for how the other participants are going about their days. Might as well have called this VN Fatal Six, since that's when the remaining cast get to have some better interactions and scenarios with each other. As I said earlier, the weekly eliminations in the Court of Fate also leave much to be desired, as those segments really lack any climax feel. No oomph. One person just Elects someone, calls out their name, cause of death, and regret, and that's it. Moving onto the next week.

YO I FEEL SAD THAT THE DIVINE SELECTION ELECTION ELIMINATIONS BASICALLY BOIL DOWN TO LIST YOUR OPPONENT'S 1-2-3 LINERS AND NOT HOUR LONG DANGANRONPA CLASS TRIAL SEGMENTS
 
Pretty curious to see how this can end, like if there'll be any jaw dropping twists or if it'll just end straightforwardly.


~~
Another VN err otome that just came out today that I've been waiting for is Bustafellows. For some reason I thought this was made by the same devs IdeaFactory/Otomate who made the blockbusters Code;Realize and CollarXMalice, but apparently not. Still looks like it has the potential to be included in the list of high quality otome VNs that everyone who gets into otomes should read though.
You play as Teuta, a cheerful 21yo freelance journalist living in modern fictional U.S. New Sieg. Looking for her next scoop she happened upon one of the heroes, Limbo, a famous skilled arrogant lawyer on the side of justice. Hoping to catch an interview she calls out to him, but much to her shock he just collapses and dies, blood pouring out of his chest.
So what does she do?

She timeleaps one hour into the past into the body of another in order to warn Limbo about his impending doom.


...Oh yeah, this should be good.

Fatal Twelve. It popped up randomly in the Switch store the other day, jeez y'all gotta market better!
 
Fatal Twelve is a, uh... battle of wits style battle royale death game? Except there's no hard violence- no epic Fate/Stay battles to the death. At the other end of the spectrum, there's no glorified verbal debates like Danganronpa's Class Trials. That's probably my biggest first impression disappointment going into this VN lol.
The basic premise is that 12 people died, and through an enigmatic process called Divine Selection they are put through a 12 week altered reality where none of them actually died. The goal? To eliminate all other participants via weekly Elections in the Court of Fate. Other than that they are relatively free to do as they please with their newfound time. In order to Elect someone, a participant must have their opponents' 1) Name 2) Cause of Death 3) Life Regret. An eliminated participant will have their death become reality once again, and any physical actions or influence they made between their original death and the current present is erased. The sole survivor of the Divine Selection gets the privilege to defy fate and live on while the rest perish as fate originally intended.
The whole process is supervised by none other than Parca, a snarky self proclaimed Goddess of Destiny.

Yo you're cute and all, but, I mean, wtf kind of name is Parca?
The 12 participants all have different backgrounds and circumstances ranging from mafioso, wealthy businessman, housewife, single old man, smuggler, rich indian prince, female child, and of course, our protagonist, your every day ordinary high school male high school female with a delinquent appearance: Rinka. She really is just a high school kid, as she mainly spends the first half of the Divine Selection just mulling about her school's upcoming culture festival and friendships, with her research into the other participants being limited to really amateur attempts such as trying to Google them on the internet. The adults do all of the heavy lifting, forming alliances and long con betrayals. 

Who looks more out of place here, the handsome Nigerian Prince or the delinquent schoolgirl lol.
The story plays episodic/weekly, with the first few weeks being easily forgetful since they were used to eliminate the fodder cast and establish the mechanics of the Divine Selection as well as give you a feel for how the other participants are going about their days. Might as well have called this VN Fatal Six, since that's when the remaining cast get to have some better interactions and scenarios with each other. As I said earlier, the weekly eliminations in the Court of Fate also leave much to be desired, as those segments really lack any climax feel. No oomph. One person just Elects someone, calls out their name, cause of death, and regret, and that's it. Moving onto the next week.

YO I FEEL SAD THAT THE DIVINE SELECTION ELECTION ELIMINATIONS BASICALLY BOIL DOWN TO LIST YOUR OPPONENT'S 1-2-3 LINERS AND NOT HOUR LONG DANGANRONPA CLASS TRIAL SEGMENTS
 
Pretty curious to see how this can end, like if there'll be any jaw dropping twists or if it'll just end straightforwardly.


~~
Another VN err otome that just came out today that I've been waiting for is Bustafellows. For some reason I thought this was made by the same devs IdeaFactory/Otomate who made the blockbusters Code;Realize and CollarXMalice, but apparently not. Still looks like it has the potential to be included in the list of high quality otome VNs that everyone who gets into otomes should read though.
You play as Teuta, a cheerful 21yo freelance journalist living in modern fictional U.S. New Sieg. Looking for her next scoop she happened upon one of the heroes, Limbo, a famous skilled arrogant lawyer on the side of justice. Hoping to catch an interview she calls out to him, but much to her shock he just collapses and dies, blood pouring out of his chest.
So what does she do?

She timeleaps one hour into the past into the body of another in order to warn Limbo about his impending doom.


...Oh yeah, this should be good.

Yesterday I finished Konneko. It took me 62 hours, but they got stretched over almost 4 months I played all-ages PS2 version.
As for the premise - you play as Yuu Katase, who lost his parents when being few years old. Currently he lives with Kawahara sisters - his two cousins - Touka, who is about the same age as him, and her older sister Mizuha, who works as a teacher at the school they both attend, and acts as the head of the family, since the sisters are also orphans.

Touka suffers from some misterious condition, which makes her memory "reset" from time to time. This "curse" makes central background for the game, and affects each route in one way or another. The game begins when Touka gets released from the hospital after one of such "resets". Then there's Yuu's classmate, Mana Sakurai - smart but a bit strange girl, who loves to tease Yuu, but somehow they get along, and Nako Yuuki - a bit tsundere-ish girl from neighbor class, who seems to know Yuu even though he doesn't remember her.

And finally there's Nanami - bratty blonde ojousama who moves into neighbor house, and calls Yuu her "oniichan".

And finally there are two notable side characters - Kazune Tachihara (Yuu's homeroom teacher) and Miki Kirihara - Nako's best friend:

How to sum it up...
It features quite likeable cast of characters, and I found comedic parts (which there are a lot) pretty funny. Routes get a bit more serious, going into light nakige realm - I liked it. Whole VN is based on the variations of childhood friends trope - meaning that each of the five main heroines (Touka, Mana, Nako, Mizuha and Nanami) has some past connection to the MC. That's what caught my attention, since I seem to like this trope. I'd say it's executed pretty well, and there's nice variety between routes, despite all being based on this trope. PS2 version adds two side-routes for Kazune and Miki - they branch off of the Mana's and Nako's routes. While Kazune's route was rather underwhelming (and I often found her character a bit annoying, especially due to her speaking style - she was often speaking veeeeeeryyyyy sloooooowlyyyy and in a childish way), Miki's was really good, and it also featured some nice character development for Nako.
In the console version, Nanami's route is locked until you complete all other routes. I wouldn't say it's True Route, but it explains more about the "curse" I mentioned in the beginning. It's also worth mentioning, that in the PC version Nanami's ending is borderline utsuge, since credits start rolling at a rather sad point in the story, and it clashes completely with the mood of the whole game. Console version fixes that, adding pretty long-winded post-credits epilogue for Nanami.
So, we have good parts covered, now for the drawbacks.
My first gripe is about scenario - all routes except Mizuha's and Nanami's lack epilogues - they end a bit too early for my taste. Yeah, the endings are optimistic, but I'd like to see some timeskip epilogue or sth like that.
The other ones are more about technical side and production values. First - when there's music change, the previous track gets cut abruptly, with no fade out. I found it very jarring, and it made the story feel a bit "disconnected", since the scene transitions weren't as smooth as they should. Next - this VN would definitely benefit from a bit more backgrounds, since too many scenes were played over generic street background (or even black screen). And finally - only the abovementioned characters have sprites and voices. Everyone else is invisible and silent.
Considering all of the above, it's 7.5/10 - lots of good parts and lots of drawbacks, but enjoyable.
*******************************************************
Also, as usual, I skimmed through +18 PC version. And again it was huge letdown. H-scenes felt very tacked-on, and often out of character. Right after love confession in the moonlit classroom, I feel like a kiss (PS2) is much more appropriate than going straight for a blowjob (PC). Really, those scenes were just like flipping through standard hentai catalogue. Meh...
And then there's lack of proper ending for Nanami, which seals the deal.
********************************************************
EDIT: I was wrong about Nanami's true ending in PC version - it just got relegated to the "Omake" menu.
********************************************************
For my next read, I think I'm going to choose another Maruto's work - Parfait.

So, after a long break with VNs I'm finally back. I'm currently reading Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning, and I'm loving it so far! Right now I've finished 3 chapters, and I'll try to write a more extensive reaction after I finish the whole VN.

Oh god I think I'm gonna become hella spoiled by Yuzusoft
I forgot that they actually put in the effort to change character sprites to go in tandem with what whatever the characters are currently saying. Bless whoever they hired that has enough OCD to take the time to do all of that.
It actually makes me want to listen to the entire dialogue rather than doing my whole min/maxing sweetspot reading because it really does amplify the reading experience significantly.
~~
Anyways I ended up going for Riddle Joker, cuz I need me some high school superpowers
Friggen' Himawari, bless its the-whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-cough-Aqua-Best-Girl took a whopping the entirety of Episode One+Two for me to finally settle down and really start enjoying the narrative for what it was, but Riddle Joker was instant hook line and sinker for me and I'm enjoying everything right off the bat.
Protagonist is (first) Satoru Arihara, a combat-capable-but-slacking-in-studies realist high school boy and he's part of a secret organization of "Astrals" who seek to use their powers for the greater good, vigilante style.
His latest mission: to infiltrate the nation's first prominent Astral education/research facility.
He has a younger sister, too. Foster sister. Nanami Arihara. And man, every VN I'm reading lately is making me realize I'm simply the siscon type, godhelpme, Nanami is fantastic. She's the well meaning younger-than-protagonist-but-responsible/mature-enough-that-she-essentially-takes-care-of-him-like-an-older-sister-type, but she's very, very shy/introverted around others and will have her vulnerable moments where she'll call "Satoru-kun" the coveted "Onii-chan" instead. She's also Satoru's partner in crime in the secret organization they're in, so they have that dynamic going on for them as well. Jeez, what more can you ask for in a brother/sister relationship?

I'd go straight back to sleep all day errday, just so I could get awakened again and again and again by such a kawaii sister lel.
 
But step aside Nanami, first impression best girl hands down goes to:

Ayase Mitsukasa.

Anyone who knows me, knows pink is an automatic win, no questions asked. Pink, responsible role model, student council president...all this is about as common and standard as it gets but I shall never tire of it heh.
Now, I would've been fine with Ayase as is because I'm ez, but hoh boy this oughta be fun(SLIGHT SPOILERS):
 

Sometimes we do or say things simply because we can