VN Reading Club: Cycle 1 Retrospective

[kyrt]

Most people on here probably know about the visual novel reading club and anyone who doesn't I implore you to check it out. This thread is essentially a retrospective thread in order to look back at the visual novels we played through this first cycle. The first cycle started with Comyu and ended with Swan Song. In the course of this thread I have a few questions I want people to think about and if you feel up to it answer. This thread may have spoilers please put spoilers in a spoiler tag in case people visit without actually having read everything. After answering those ten questions I have ten additional questions related to general feedback if you wish to respond to any of them.

 

For those who have forgotten here's the links to each of the cycle 1 visual novel club threads.

 

/topic/9940-vn-reading-club-revival/?hl=reading+club">VN Club Revival

/topic/9949-vn-reading-club-may-2015-co%CE%BC-kuroi-ryuu-to-yasashii-oukoku/?hl=reading+club">VN Reading Club - May 2015 (Cou - Kuroi Ryuu to Yasashii Oukoku)

/topic/10402-vn-reading-club-june-2015-yume-miru-kusuri/?hl=reading+club">VN Reading Club - June 2015 (Yume Miru Kusuri)

/topic/10815-vn-reading-club-july-osananajimi-wa-daitouryou-my-girlfriend-is-the-president/?hl=reading+club">VN Reading Club - July 2015 (Osananajimi wa Daitouryou ~ My Girlfriend is the President)

/topic/11104-sekien-no-inganock-vn-reading-club-august/?hl=reading+club">VN Reading Club - August 2015 (Sekien no Ignanock)

/topic/11448-vn-reading-club-september-swan-song/?hl=reading+club">VN Reading Club - September 2015 (Swan Song)

 

Ten Question Cycle 1 Retrospective

 

1. What was your favorite vn theme of cycle 1?

2. What was your favorite visual novel read this cycle?

3. Who is your favorite heroine in this cycle?

4. Which was your favorite route for this cycle?

5. Who was your favorite Main Character?

6. Who was your favorite side character?

7. Which character did you most wish had a route that didn't?

8. What was your favorite bgm or piece of music out of the games this cycle?

9. What were your favorite visual novel moments of this cycle?

10. Which visual novel are you most sad did not get chosen this cycle out of the choices you had?

 

Here's some general questions related to how the club was ran and organized; 

 

1. What improvements would you like to see for the vn reading club?

2. Would you be interested in doing a gameplay vn either as a theme month or possibly as a season long side activity?

3. If you did not participate in club what factors prevented or turned you away from participating?

4. Is there anything you would change about the club?

5. Did you believe the time limit for reading a visual novel and discussing it was acceptable?

6. Would you be interested in participating in a side club where we would read shorter under ten hour visual novels or original english language visual novels?

7. Do you prefer the current way we do discussions or would you prefer guided discussion questions periodically throughout the reading?

8. Do you have any ideas for themes you would like to see in the future?

9. Which visual novel would you most like to see be read in club?

10. Would you be interested in doing a trivia game or some other activity at the end of each visual novel?

11. Any other suggestions or comments about the vn reading club or the way we do things?

[Yotek]

I'll get the ball rolling on this.

 

1. No sure what the question is for theme. Like.... which month had the best options for VNs or what theme most appealed to me from the ones we picked?
2. Yume Miru Kusuri- I LOVE that VN. To be fair, I read it before the club. If I had to pick my favourite new one, it would probably be Ignanock, so much so that it inspired me to start transcribing again.
3. Ati, I am obsessed with heterochromia. Puchi would probably be second.
4. I'm torn between Kirimiya Mizuki and Shiraki Aeka's routes. Both were a bit crazy.
5. Tsukasa
6. Ugh such a hard question. Either Kuon or Qoo Little-Little.
7. Despite normally not going for this heroin type, Qoo Little-Little
8. Hopelessness from Ignanock

9. When you're on the roof with Aeka and you are both choking Antoinette almost to death

10. Probably would have to say the Devil on Gstring. I need an excuse to finish all the routes. Usami was just too amazing. I cried so hard on that ending.

 

1. I think one of the challenging things it picking the VN itself. Might help to have the voting start the week before the month starts so we can have it finalized right away. Other improvements might be to only select shorter VNs to help the slower readers, like myself, finish in time. On the May voting, it looked like each leader picked a VN. Have 1 theme, the leaders pick 4-5 VNs and explain why (without spoiling) we should pick it.
2. If you mean a gameplay one like Yumina the Ethereal, I would be game. Hopefully, there are ones out there that aren't as long.
3. There was one I partially participated in. Had to stop because rape scenes make me physically sick.
4. Maybe a little more attention like a post on the main site when the novel is selected or is voting. Possibly have the topic pinned and removed at the end of the month?
5. The time for me was a little tricky but for discussion I think it was spot on. If we let it go too long, people forget what they read. Too short and not everyone can participate.
6. I would if I had the time. Sadly, with everything on my plate. School, full time employment, and music I can't really commit much more time.
7. Guided questions are an excellent idea. The one concern I have is that the person with those questions will have had to play the game before. If that's not a problem I'd love to see that implemented.
8. So far the themes that have been suggested are really creative. However, I will say I love sappy romance stuff. More of those are always appreciated.
9. I could use an excuse to finish a few VNs: The devil on Gstring, Suika, and Hoshimemo.
10. I think that would be a fun activity. Just to throw some ideas out (not volunteering to do it... at least while still in classes) but could do quiz with polls or google forms. Maybe potential raffle on really hard questions (I'm sure I could pick up some VN swag at ACEN during May to help out.
11. There is only one thing that hasn't been said that needs to be said..... Yukino worst girl!
    Okay, I just had to say that, I did enjoy My girlfriend is the prez. I want to thank those who brought the club back, the people who posted, and the people of the academy that made this possible... It's been fun. Let's make it even better.

[Turnip Sensei]

Retrospective

1. Chuuni is love!

2. Inganock. That was just an all around beautiful VN.

3. Don't really have one, maybe Ati?

4. Hisoka's from Comuy

5. Gii

6. Ruaha

7. -

8. Hopelessness from Inganock

9. The riot in Swan Song

10. Sharin no Kuni. I was reading that anyways and anything would have been better than Osadai.

 

General questions

1. The picking for the next VN could start before the end of the previous month, so that you would actually have a month to read the VN. Also polls to gauge peoples opinions after or during the reading phase would be interesting.

2. It would be fun to play a longer gameplay VNs in tandem with others, but preferably within a longer time frame and as a separate happening. That way it wouldn't interfere with the normal monthly VN and I would have enough time to play it leisurely and not have to commit too heavily on one game.

3. I have perfect attendance!  (Although I dropped Osadai after few routes because it bored me to death)

4. - 

5. The month is pretty good time limit. I will still remember what I read even if I went through the VN in a flash, and slower readers should have enough time as well.

6. Yes. I like to read shorter VNs as change of pace anyways, so it would be perfect.

7. The current system works when there's enough interest, like in case of Comuy, but when there isn't the conversation ends up pretty dead. In those cases, periodical questions and having someone helping to keep up the conversation would pretty nice. 

8. Mystery and more chuuni. Also playing Nakige or Utsuge as a club would be really interesting as well.

9. I don't really have anything specific I want to read, I'm happy reading what others want to read. (most of the time)

10. Trivia could be fun as would other activities.

11. Keep up the good work!  The old VN club was my favorite thing when first joined fuwa, so I'm really happy to see the revived version doing well. 

[Fred the Barber]

Super late reply here, sorry about that, but anyway, here goes. With the caveat that I only played a couple hours of Swan Song, here are my answers:

 

1. What was your favorite vn theme of cycle 1?

       No strong opinion on this one. I think I like picking a genre as a theme, like the chuuni month, so that we end up with more variety in genres (i.e., I hope a nakige month happens).

2. What was your favorite visual novel read this cycle?

       Sekien no Inganock

3. Who is your favorite heroine in this cycle?

       Ati (Sekien no Inganock)

4. Which was your favorite route for this cycle?

       Hisoka route - getting wrecked is the best (Comyu)

5. Who was your favorite Main Character?

       Akihito (Comyu)

6. Who was your favorite side character?

       Rondo Rondo (Comyu)

7. Which character did you most wish had a route that didn't?

       Nanase (Comyu)

8. What was your favorite bgm or piece of music out of the games this cycle?

       Burn With Love (Sekien no Inganock). Normally the H-scene music is the absolute worst music in the game; this track proved it doesn't have to be. Both Sekien no Inganock and Comyu have great OSTs, though, so this was a tough question to answer.

9. What were your favorite visual novel moments of this cycle?

       Near the end of the last route in Comyu, when the remaining members of the cast are pretty much dead, but they go out and give it one more go anyway. Great music and a great CG.

10. Which visual novel are you most sad did not get chosen this cycle out of the choices you had?

       Symphonic Rain, but happily, that has now been remedied. Runner-up goes to G-Senjou, and then Ever17.

 

Here's some general questions related to how the club was ran and organized; 

 

1. What improvements would you like to see for the vn reading club?

       Lining up the vote at the end of the month, so there's a full month to read, would be a good idea.

2. Would you be interested in doing a gameplay vn either as a theme month or possibly as a season long side activity?

       I probably won't vote for it if I have the option of gameplay vs. something I'm more interested in, but I really wouldn't mind if we did gameplay as a theme month - like I said in an earlier answer, variety in genre is goodness, especially if it's a genre I don't think I'm interested in, but which I haven't really tried.

3. If you did not participate in club what factors prevented or turned you away from participating?

       The one month I didn't participate, Swan Song, I was just too afraid I was going to find the content upsetting.

4. Is there anything you would change about the club?

       Nope

5. Did you believe the time limit for reading a visual novel and discussing it was acceptable?

       The question is too vague - some months, the person running the club tried to put a limit on discussion before a certain date. I think it's pointless. Read a VN a month, and talk about it when you want to, seems to be the only way it's really going to work out - peoples' schedules are too different.

6. Would you be interested in participating in a side club where we would read shorter under ten hour visual novels or original english language visual novels?

       Sure. If the main one is a very long novel (like, say, Comyu), I might pass on the shorter one for that month, but as long as the main one is only moderately long (say, 30 hours), then having another complementary one running would be good.

7. Do you prefer the current way we do discussions or would you prefer guided discussion questions periodically throughout the reading?

       Having someone actively working to keep the conversation lively like that would be beneficial, so I'd support adding some guiding questions periodically.

8. Do you have any ideas for themes you would like to see in the future?

       Not really.

9. Which visual novel would you most like to see be read in club?

       Now that we're doing Symphonic Rain, probably G-Senjou (but let's wait for the official release) or Ever17. Also wouldn't mind Steins;Gate.

10. Would you be interested in doing a trivia game or some other activity at the end of each visual novel?

       Probably not.

11. Any other suggestions or comments about the vn reading club or the way we do things?

       Thanks to all the folks who are organizing it! Having a regular rhythm and good choices to vote between is quite nice, and I like the community discussion opportunity it results in.

 

[Edit - missed replying to a question, and formatted for readability]

Edited October 11, 2015 by Fred the Barber