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Done with chapter 2 of Higurashi! I was a bit disappointed by

Spoiler

the twin switcheroo plot twist, since it's been done to death in both movies and games over the years. As soon as you learned that Mion had an identical twin, I immediately figured that at some point, one of them would pretend to be the other. Honestly though, I was actually thinking they might spice it up by pulling a double twist by, rather than just Mion pretending to be Shion over the phone, making it turn out to actually be Shion pretending to be Mion. I was kinda expecting some big reveal in the torture dungeon at the end, along the lines of "Shion" in the cell having Mion's demon tattoo. Shion's attitude was shifting a lot from scene to scene, so I figured she was hiding her real personality most of the time and would use that to her advantage in one way or another, but it never happened. Maybe it will in one of the other chapters. I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Other than that, I'd say this chapter was better and more exciting than the first one, and I'm looking forward to reading chapter 3 next weekend!

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1 hour ago, Seraphim88 said:

Done with chapter 2 of Higurashi! I was a bit disappointed by

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the twin switcheroo plot twist, since it's been done to death in both movies and games over the years. As soon as you learned that Mion had an identical twin, I immediately figured that at some point, one of them would pretend to be the other. Honestly though, I was actually thinking they might spice it up by pulling a double twist by, rather than just Mion pretending to be Shion over the phone, making it turn out to actually be Shion pretending to be Mion. I was kinda expecting some big reveal in the torture dungeon at the end, along the lines of "Shion" in the cell having Mion's demon tattoo. Shion's attitude was shifting a lot from scene to scene, so I figured she was hiding her real personality most of the time and would use that to her advantage in one way or another, but it never happened. Maybe it will in one of the other chapters. I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Other than that, I'd say this chapter was better and more exciting than the first one, and I'm looking forward to reading chapter 3 next weekend!

Well... Let's say that I'm curious to see what you will think about the answer arcs. :)

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If I were to theorize a bit, I'd say I'm highly suspicious of

Spoiler

Shion. Mion was acting pretty strange in the torture dungeon at the end, so I'm still not entirely convinced that was actually her. One thing that stood out to me especially was that when she was talking about desposing of Rika's and Satoko's bodies, she was speaking like they were just nuisances to her. Even if the real Mion actually killed them to cover up her crimes, I find it hard to believe she would actually disrespect them post-mortem like that (considering the fact that they used to be friends). Shion, on the other hand, wasn't friends with them (as far as I know), so for her to speak of them like that wouldn't be nearly as odd.
The police found Mion's body in the well, saying she fell down there while attempting to flee or hide, but it could just as well (no pun intended) have been a case of Shion orchestrating everything and then pushing Mion down the well to pin the blame on her and attempt to solidify her role as the culprit.

It's going to interesting moving forward and see if I'm right on the money with any of this.

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2 hours ago, Seraphim88 said:

I'm looking forward to reading chapter 3 next weekend!

Oh boy... Honestly, chapter 3 is my favorite so far <3 It's not as long as chapter 2 (I think?) but it's the hardest one to theorize about ;) I just gave up on theories as soon as I finished that one but I'm gonna get my theories back as soon as I re-read everything before chapter 5 :D 

Spoiler

I never thought I would feel for Satoko this much, damn novel.

 

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1 hour ago, Seraphim88 said:

Decided to pick up 428: Shibuya Scramble again, which I put on hold a couple of months ago for whatever reason. Almost immediately, I was met with this:

C6fqzj.jpg

I think it's safe to say those researchers were right.

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist ....... Predictive Programming is a thing.

Many forms of media have subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) references to future events. Sometimes referencing events 30 years into the future.

How, or why this happens ......... is anyone's guess.

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I haven't updated my progress on 11eyes in a long time so I guess it's finally time! I finished the common route two weeks ago and I just began Yuka's route. I'm surprised the route would be this long as this is not even the true ending but if there's one thing this vn does a lot, is to drag things for way too long soo....

Spoiler

 

I'm gonna be honest, I don't love the comedy here but I really laughed with Takahisa ending his sentences with "Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche" hahaha Also, Kukuri inviting us on a date? Was not expecting it, having in mind I am in Yuka's route :x 

Oh yeah, if there's one thing this vn does well is the creepy transition of slice of life to the Red Night setting... It's hella unsettling. But not just with the Red Night; any change of tone or mood is done well (e.g.: when Misuzu talks about the way Kakeru's muscles are adapting way too quickly and that is unnatural  ).

 

I stopped reading as soon as they got into the Red Night but I will be updating my reactions daily as I'll try to read an hour every day c:

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I've been reading another indie otome called Dark Nights. It's like Cinderella Phenomenon in the sense that it's a high-quality medium-length indie vn which probably should have cost money but is free. It's also something I've been looking forward to for years because the art is really pretty and Pinlin, the solo dev who worked on it is seriously talented and her art is absolutely gorgeous. So far, I'm only on my first route but it's been doing a good job at setting this horror tone and a multi-route mystery.

I also played another free-but-should-have-been-commercial indie I've been looking forward to- Ebon Light. There are love interests but it's not a traditional otome (although I do count it as one) because the romance is more of a side thing than the main thing. It's more plot-focused and is a little more game-y with stats. It also has beautiful western-style art and a dark fantasy aesthetic which really kept me hooked. You get to shape the MC's personality in this one so there's a lot of branches and ways to get a good ending.

Edited by Daydreamer97
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I have been rereading the Majikoi series lately in my spare time. I have enjoyed it the first go round, but I haven't finished it since I finished Momoyo's route. I think the game is good, but I enjoyed it more with a good cup of warm sake.

 

I have also been playing Senren Banka a lot as well, but I haven't played this one since release day and I got bored after a few chapters. I normally play these games when I have time, but i have been in a gaming rut and I have been waiting for some new titles to come out. Maybe I need to get something for me to learn Japanese so i can play some of the untranslated games. 

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Sooo I've read more on 11eyes and this time I've read this whole Red Night episode I left off the other day.

Spoiler

So yeah, the fight with Acedia. I really liked it! It wasn't as repetitive or dragged as the others. That demoniac sword's invocation from Musuzu and the hands and needles piercing her arm was kinda gross but I guess that was the point? I liked it; right after that, the cut across Acedia's face (or his sister's?) was pretty satisfying.

Kinda random, but I wish they gave Kakeru a full voice-acting bc I find his voice really interesting... I mean, it's not unique at all but I enjoy a little more personality to his character (other than being a fucking emo, that is). 

About that Lisette cross-vision bit... Boi, I felt really bad for her :(( That kinda gave me kuroinu vibes, yikes. I was NOT expecting it but I mean, the knights did say she had "sinned" so there had to be something coming for her. But man, biting off her tongue? That's nasty.

I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would, maybe because the pace is faster now and there is more action and mystery and not as much slice-of-life bs (I HOPE).

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Finished Totono last night.

Spoiler

I really wanted to like it but for how much thought went into the little details the main points the game is trying to make seem weirdly half-baked, especially when it comes to player agency.

My main issues with the NTR-scene have already been discussed by @Seraphim88 and @Dreamysyu. The scene itself even makes some sense in theory. In the first route you as the player choose to curse Miyuki to get her good ending because the protagonist is too scared to get NTRed by her otherwise. But in Aoi's route you're suddenly totally fine with getting NTRed because you want to get Aoi's ending, which of course pisses Miyuki off, to put it mildly. The problem with how the game plays this is that it isn't the player who decides to change his stance on NTR, it's the in-game protagonist. There isn't even an "Accept Aoi anyway"-choice that at least points out the player's hypocrisy to some degree.

Another thing that bugs me is that for all the game's talk about you as the player needing to take responsibility for your choices it lacks any hint of self-awareness. It never acknowledges that it basically forces you into this course of action with its enforced playing order and every choice against Aoi leading you back to an ending you already read. It trains you from the beginning to go along with Aoi's wishes (from the point you get a preliminary ending if you choose to not change the game world), yet punishes you when you do just that. To me it feels like rather lazy writing that someone as smart as Miyuki isn't able to see that it's the game's rules rather than the player's decisions that set her up for despair, despite being able to access the backlog and save states. 

Anyways, there is a lot of cool stuff in Totono, I just wish they thought their premise through more thoroughly instead of trying to be as edgy as possible.

 

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Day 4 of reading 11eyes. This time, we spend time with Tachibana and Yuka, mostly.

Spoiler

To be honest, I'm feeling a little weird spending so much time with Tachibana and her little "date" scene... I don't mind it but I'm in Yuka's route :x I think the thing that makes me uncomfortable is that I'm liking Tachibana more than Yuka xD It's not that hard since Yuka is fucking annoying but still,,

"And in my eyes, the ghost of my sister no longer hovered over her." (Kakeru, after his date/talk with her on the rooftop) Ah, yes, now that it doesn't seem like incest, I can date her lol

When they were talking about Vlad and his "sadistic means" and life... I'm just expecting Kakeru to go bat-shit crazy by his eye, I CAN FEEL IT.

And finally, "Their names are Latin for the Seven Deadly Sins"... I mean, I get it, the original reader is Japanese and probably doesn't know Latin or a lot abt Christianity but as a Portuguese speaker, this wasn't exactly something new or surprising haha

I'm pretty excited to see how the story is going to develop for Yuka and Lisette :o

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Day 5 of reading 11eyes. This time, we got into yet another Red Night and a fluffy maid event.

 
 
8
 Advanced issues found
 
1
Spoiler

So, I'll write some of my notes.

  • Oh man, that almost-kissing scene with Yuka... I like this bold Yuka!
  • It's really curious that Kakeru and Yuka never met the others before on the rooftop, even though they go there all the time, apparently. Coincidence? I don't think so!
  • I'm getting suspicious of this whole Kakeru-and-Yuka-being-adopted thing. Not that I'm doubting, it's just that there mush be more to it...
  • Misuzu is utterly adorable in that maid outfit but I must say that, although her panties are really pretty (I want a pair for myself, please), Takahisa can go fuck himself for all I care, ugh. Yeah, he is the "funny" perv but c'mon, that's just being an asshole. Other than that, the band-aid panties in Shiori really disturbed me, holy shit...

Oh yeah, if there's one thing I like is the contrast between paces: the common route was dragged to a point of exhaustion but Yuka's route is really fast and to the point, which is getting me really excited to keep reading it! :D 

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Finished Annerose and I overall enjoyed it: decent action, good artwork and voice acting. Kind of wish it was longer to expand more on some of the side heroines. Still I can't help but wonder something...

Spoiler

why did they even bother making Miki's H scene avoidable? The game pretty much assumes it happens regardless of your choice.

 

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13 hours ago, Silvz said:

play Steins;Gate 0 after it

I'm still waiting for the Steam improvement patch from Committee of Zero. At this point, I'm starting to doubt it'll ever be released, so maybe I should just go ahead and play the game without it.

Edited by Seraphim88
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I've had a pretty productive weekend, finishing up 428: Shibuya Scramble as well as reading both chapter 3 and 4 of Higurashi. I originally intended to just read one chapter a week, but chapter 4 is much shorter than the rest so I figured I might as well read that too so I can get started on the answer arcs next weekend.

428: Shibuya Scramble
The story isn't all that interesting on paper, but the way it's presented, combined with the great soundtrack and an interesting and quirky cast of characters, make for a memorable whole. Although I do have to say that, for a completionist such as myself, it was quite a pain to get all endings and jump back and forth in the timeline to find all the hidden content.
My favorite part of the game was after the Mean Clean bonus scenario, when you got to view behind the scenes footage from the recording sessions. After seeing static images with silent dialogue for 40-or-so hours, it made a surprisingly big impression on me to get to see the actors actually play out some of the scenes those images were taken from, along with hearing them speak for the first time.
On that note, I actually managed to find a documentary with interviews with the cast, which I will definitely check out when my Japanese has improved some more.

Higurashi, chapter 3
As I mentioned in a previous post, chapter 3 is called "The Shortest Scenario", but in actuality, it's basically as long as chapter 1 and 2 so I don't really know why they chose to use that tagline.
The chapter itself was... hard to get a grasp on. It was equal parts exciting and confusing, with a lot of new questions raised, like

Spoiler

why there was another Keiichi attending the Watanagashi festival while the current one was out murdering Satoko's uncle. The events at the festival were seemingly exactly the same as what took place in chapter 2, except that Keiichi turned Shion away here for one reason or another. He still ended up outside of the ritual implement storehouse, which is where she led him in Chapter 2, for some reason, though.
All of these events, including the "demoning away" incidents, could probably be explained by some sort of many-worlds interpretation, but I'm guessing it's not quite that simple. For one thing, it doesn't explain why some of the characters start acting really out of place at times.


Higurashi, chapter 4
By far the shortest chapter of the question arcs, but I imagine that is because it apparently wasn't originally planned as part of the main series. In chapter 3, they refer to chapter 5 as the actual continuation of the story, so chapter 4 is really more of a filler episode. It was still a good read with some well executed and intense scenes, but it falls behind the previous chapters in terms of quality, in large parts due to the fact that there aren't any truly significant developments in the story that we didn't already know about. I also find Ooishi annoying, so him having such a large role in this chapter affected my overall impression. (My opinion of him improved somewhat, though.)
The thing that stood out the most to me in this chapter was when

Spoiler

Rika's behavior suddenly changed. She started laughing and acting eerily similar to Takano. It's clear from the previous chapters that something's up with Takano, especially considering that she's up and about despite supposedly being dead at the time.

I'm looking forward to finding out what's up with that.

I've been getting exponentially more confused as the story in Higurashi has moved along, so it's going to be very interesting finding out what the hell is really going on.

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Finished Totono and while i thought the storytelling was a lot better than DDLC, one thing i found interesting was the different approaches each vn had for their true ending and the reason why i prefer DDLC's is on the spoilers.

Spoiler

While Totono acts like trying to get the endings for both girls is disrespectul, DDLC gives a true ending if you savescum for getting scenes with all the girls, showing appreciation for that. My take is that when you go for a VN as a reader rather than a self-insert, you'll most likely fall in love with the world of the VN itself rather than a specific character. Therefore, NOT going for all the girls to see all that the specific world of the VN has to offer is actually disrespectful to the world itself, and i feel DDLC kinda nailed that message.

 

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2 hours ago, Seraphim88 said:
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why there was another Keiichi attending the Watanagashi festival while the current one was out murdering Satoko's uncle. The events at the festival were seemingly exactly the same as what took place in chapter 2, except that Keiichi turned Shion away here for one reason or another. He still ended up outside of the ritual implement storehouse, which is where she led him in Chapter 2, for some reason, though.
All of these events, including the "demoning away" incidents, could probably be explained by some sort of many-worlds interpretation, but I'm guessing it's not quite that simple. For one thing, it doesn't explain why some of the characters start acting really out of place at times.

 

These questions show how hard the games are and that you haven't figured them out yet :P

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8 hours ago, Silvz said:

These questions show how hard the games are

Yeah, no kidding! There's a ton of information to take into account, some of which contradict each other, so if someone actually manages to figure out the entire mystery simply by playing the question arcs, I'd say they deserve something like this:

pXL7kZ.png

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I had the most randomest "Oh hey I wonder what Spike Chunsoft made over the past couple years, I was a real big fan of Danganronpa/Zero Escape"

Not really feeling up for 'dungeon crawling rpg' so I skipped Zanki Zero

But I splurged on Al Somnium Files, an adventure sci-fi murder mystery (?) https://vndb.org/v26532

Also randomly picked up the modern 2019 version of YU-NO even though they're just the publisher for that https://vndb.org/v1377

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