Vn Reading Club - January 2016: Gahkthun

[Yotek 37]

Do a tiebreaker vote for just those 2?

[kyrt 291]

The voting as of earlier was the following

Noble Works - 10

Gahkthun - 10

Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate - 8

Hanachirasu - 2

Grisaia no Kajitsu - 2

We are now in a tie breaker session with only Noble Works and Gahkthun in the running. The new poll will be up for a little less than 24 hours so go ahead and begin voting on which of the two remaining visual novels you want to win. If we get tied again then I'll put my vote forth to break the tie. 

 

[Yotek 37]

hhhmmm I voted for Koichoco but it wont let me vote in the tie breaker... i would have picked Noble Works.

[Fiddle 1699]

From my experience, voting in polls works a little silly on IPB forums, and it seems that this is preventing anyone from recasting a vote after having voted for choices that don't exist anymore. Perhaps there should be a new poll? If I recall correctly, this can be done by editing the topic to delete the current poll, publishing the edited topic, and then editing again to put in a new poll.

[Fred the Barber 1829]

Gahkthun chapter 4 extra scene spoilers:

Spoiler

 

[Kosakyun 789]

Huh. I think we were punished or something for discussing Gahkthun before the initial week of reading had passed. Rip all my posts. Anyway, Tuesday's the official end of the initial week.♡

I shall try to not post in advance.

[Dergonu 2508]

2 hours ago, KosakiFag said:

Huh. I think we were punished or something for discussing Gahkthun before the initial week of reading had passed. Rip all my posts. Anyway, Tuesday's the official end of the initial week.♡

I shall try to not post in advance.

So ... its all your fault! Shame on you!

 

[Fred the Barber 1829]

It's January 9; are we still under a gag order? Well, anyway, here's my thoughts on chapter 5:

Spoiler

First of all, wow.

Neon in that swimsuit. And to a leseer extent, Annabeth et al.

 

Second of all, wow.

Berta vs. Tesla was sweet

 

Moderately deeper thoughts:

I love how so much of the story is being told through hint and implication, especially using the "exercise for the reader" section, rather than through simple infodump. This chapter, I don't think there was even an incorrect answer in the "exercise for the reader", and since I'm a little dense I couldn't put together the full story until near the end of the chapter, but that section nonetheless made the VN richer by pushing me to consider the relationship between the two stories. I really like this approach, since there isn't any substantial punishment if I happen to get an answer wrong (and I think there were no wrong answers this time, anyway?), but it still manages to engage my brain a bit and get me to emotionally invest a little deeper. It strikes a really nice balance between making your choices matter and letting you see the story the way it was intended.

But, really, if you'd asked me the least likely anime trope to appear in a Steampunk Series VN, I might very well have thrown out "beach episode" as an answer, only to be proven wonderfully, beautifully wrong by this most excellent chapter.

 

[Kosakyun 789]

5 hours ago, Fred the Barber said:

It's January 9; are we still under a gag order? Well, anyway, here's my thoughts on chapter 5:

  Reveal hidden contents

First of all, wow.

Neon in that swimsuit. And to a leseer extent, Annabeth et al.

 

Second of all, wow.

Berta vs. Tesla was sweet

 

Moderately deeper thoughts:

I love how so much of the story is being told through hint and implication, especially using the "exercise for the reader" section, rather than through simple infodump. This chapter, I don't think there was even an incorrect answer in the "exercise for the reader", and since I'm a little dense I couldn't put together the full story until near the end of the chapter, but that section nonetheless made the VN richer by pushing me to consider the relationship between the two stories. I really like this approach, since there isn't any substantial punishment if I happen to get an answer wrong (and I think there were no wrong answers this time, anyway?), but it still manages to engage my brain a bit and get me to emotionally invest a little deeper. It strikes a really nice balance between making your choices matter and letting you see the story the way it was intended.

But, really, if you'd asked me the least likely anime trope to appear in a Steampunk Series VN, I might very well have thrown out "beach episode" as an answer, only to be proven wonderfully, beautifully wrong by this most excellent chapter.

 

Ahahahaha. Well, you put me up to this.

I was trying to resist posting until Tuesday, but since you posted, I'll just pin the blame on you.

Spoiler

Yes. Neon's swimwear. Oh my god.

Actually, everyone's swimwear. I know it sounds wrong, but I was really excited for all the events regarding that chapter. The chapter made me not regret reading Gahkthun so early. Oh, how lucky I am to be able to gaze at all these pretty girls in their swimwear! 1908 was surely a great time to live. How lucky, Tesla-kun. I just couldn't help but smile when I saw the girls in their swimsuits! Ah, Liarsoft, thank you for giving me the opportunity to view such treasures of this world.

Anyway, going back to the serious part of the chapter, I liked Berta vs. Tesla as well. It makes me appreciate how different the fighting scenes in Gahkthun are compared to Sharnoth and Inganock.

Inganock spoilers:

Spoiler

Inganock had a really interesting concept in terms of gameplay, that being the 'Inner Thoughts' segment. However, what I found really lacking in Inganock was the fight scenes. You never were interested in what would happen. I mean, sure, I was interested to some degree in what method Gii was going to use to beat the Creature/Kikai user/Otherworldly Being, but you always knew that Gii would win in the same way, with just one attack. Well, except versus Kerkan, which I really appreciated.

Gahkthun, on the other hand, has really exciting battle scenes. The first one with Walther was exciting, yes, but every battle after that became even more exciting, with the exemption of Erich Zann vs. Tesla because heh. You could feel the excitement starting from Berta vs. Tesla specifically, since they're both really powerful people. Makes you wonder if Kikai users could easily beat them, heh. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I appreciate how the battle scenes improved from Inganock to Sharnoth to Gahkthun. It makes it all the more entertaining.

Now, regarding the segment of 'an exercise for the reader', it is indeed interesting. You're forced to try and think about the circumstances of the people in the exercise. Who they are, what they're doing, what's happening, and what they could have possibly done. Yes, what they could have possibly done. I only really found it out sort of late. I tried to pick the best choice out of the three in my opinion, but there came a time that I got my answer wrong. That's when it hit me. Now, I appreciate the segment even more because it makes you see the circumstances of the person in focus on that chapter. It makes you think about why and how they were forced to do their current actions, by aid of Coercive Suggestion or not. It's a creative way of using flashbacks and background checks, imo.

Now, I'll prevent myself from posting too many things, so I'll just go and post my overall opinion on each chapter I've read and my real-time comments while I was reading them. Last one I posted was Chapter 3, so I'll go straight to Chapter 4.

Chapter 4:

Spoiler

The conflict regarding Odile Zann felt the same way like that of Theodore's case----it's less exciting. Probably because it didn't concern the Governing Council as a whole and their goals concerning the Bell of Gahkthun, but it was also a level lower in terms of excitement compared to Chapter 1. I'm not saying that it's bad though. I was still entertained in this chapter. I was pretty surprised regarding the discovery of who the perpetrator of the crime was, but I had my doubts about him. His eyes were pretty lifeless the first time you saw him, so he didn't really give off the vibe of an innocent person. Anyway, it's a nice, relaxing chapter. More Neon-Tesla interactions are always welcome.

Extra thoughts about the dates of the events:

Spoiler

This chapter was also weird in regards to the dates where it happened. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 3, the dates and the day of the week that they corresponded to was accurate in terms of real life. April 16, 1908 was really a Thursday in our world as well. This is true for other dates found in the game as well. However, this chapter had dates that did not match with their supposed day in the week. July 12 is stated to be a 'Friday', when it was a 'Sunday'. Of course, following the actual events in the game, the day where the case was accepted should have been a Friday, since the next days would be a Saturday and a Sunday. However, July 13 was a Monday and July 14 was a Tuesday. I could not think of any other possible reason as to why this is wrong except for Sakurai mistaking the dates for what day they corresponded, or it was translated wrong. I wouldn't know about the second possibility though, since I have no idea what the days of the week are in Japanese.

 

Chapter 5:

Spoiler

NOW HERE, HERE IS WHAT TAKES THE PRIZE.

SWIMSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUITS

I HAVE BEEN BORN IN AN ERA OF WONDER AND FASCINATION. OH HOW GREAT THE DISCOVERY OF THE BEAUTIES OF THIS UNIVERSE! OH HOW LUCKY ARE WE TO HAVE WITNESSED THIS BEAUTIFUL SIGHT! JUST LIKE THE AURORA LIGHTS, ONLY A SELECT FEW ARE ABLE TO VIEW THIS WONDER OF THE UNIVERSE, AND WE ARE PART OF THOSE PEOPLE! OH, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU GOVERNING COUNCIL!

Now, going back to the serious stuff. I feel uncomfortable when I see Neon feeling down. I dunno why, but I just feel so uncomfortable when she's down. That down thing is especially apparent during times where I think she gets jealous. Though I'm not entirely sure, even if all the parts of my brain that think logically scream that Neon's jealous. Even if she's acting unreasonably like any person who just gets really jealous at times. I can't seem to convince myself fully that she's jealous, even if it's so damn obvious. Anyway, that made the interaction between Jo and Tesla very painful, probably because I'm pretty used to just watching the person I like talk to everyone except me from the sidelines. 

The most notable part of this chapter was, of course, the battle between Berta and Tesla. This chapter just proved to me how big of a bastard Wilhelm Reich is. I'm still hoping that he gets struck by lightning in the story, actually. Anyway, what made it all the more significant for me was the 'exercises' that we were given throughout the chapter. I mean, sure, I always thought that Berta looked like a girl, but I never really expected her to actually be a girl. I was kind of convinced that she was the boy in the exercise, but that was blown away after the sparring match between Berta and Tesla. But damn, I was really surprised when the game told us that she wasn't the girl as well. Rather, the two people there were her freaking parents. Oh my god. That surprised me a lot. It's still probably the most surprising one I've read out of the eleven chapters I've seen so far. Anyway, good 'ol fighting came back here. It was actually exciting, since I did not expect Tesla to bring out the big guns so early in the story. It felt like some mecha anime when he brought out the Electric Knight, heh. Kinda like the Power Rangers too, since Berta called Typhon after losing in a straight-up match against Tesla.

The chapter was really nice. How they ended it was nice as well. They ended the scene where Berta was writing a letter in an ambiguous way, which, I think, makes it even nicer. Now it's up to us, or rather, up to Berta what she'll do when she's reunited with her father. She finally has her freedom back, after being chained by the idea of having an obligation to take revenge against her father.

Also, fuck you, Wilhelm Reich.

Fuck you so much.

I hope you get hit by lightning soon.

So I haven't put my real-time comments yet due to my USB not being read by the computer, so kek. I'll put it in the future.

By the way, I'm constructing a timeline of events for Gahkthun, so if you guys ever want to see the timeline, I can always share it. I grew fond of keeping tracks of dates when I started reading this one. Probably will continue for all other visual novels which state the exact dates for events. Some dates weren't stated directly in the visual novel, so I had to think about them on my own.

I'm currently at the final chapter, but I'll refrain from posting my thoughts about chapters which haven't been read or haven't been started on by others to prevent spoiling or whatever. But being spoiled by stuff in spoiler sections of the post is the spoiled person's fault, so no blame pls.

[Nerathim 64]

Quote

Makes you wonder if Kikai users could easily beat them, heh.

It's funny to try to think about "WaB-verse" powerlevels. After reading Inganock,Sharnoth and Gahkthun I'm believing M is the strongest character. (i could hardly think of a more boring question considering how interesting those VNs are )

[Kosakyun 789]

8 minutes ago, Nerathim said:

It's funny to try to think about "WaB-verse" powerlevels. After reading Inganock,Sharnoth and Gahkthun I'm believing M is the strongest character. (i could hardly think of a more boring question considering how interesting those VNs are )

Spoiler

Yup. It's kind of silly trying to think about their powerlevels, since how they deal with their enemies are kind of different.

I have no idea how Kikai users perform their stunts, for example. They just look humanoid, so no idea how they do their stuff like simultaneous application of pressure from all sides.

 

[Turnip Sensei 196]

Looking at how everyone is enjoying Gahkthun and experiencing the same joy I did weeks ago makes me think; "Ah, this must be how Tesla feels looking at the students living their youth"

I just managed to finish some gigantic projects I have been neglecting for the longest time, so now I can focus on re-reading Gahkthun and making more in-depth observations. 

For now, here's some for Chapter 2.

Spoiler

So the 2nd Chapter was at the first glance a better introduction to the world and the setting. We get clearer picture how the School Island works and it's different sections.

But more importantly this Chapter gives us insight to Tesla's character and his past. Most of hints are very subtle, dropped sneakily in-between the conversations between Tesla and Neon and her friends,  which also help showing off Tesla's personality.

We learn about Tesla's powers and the Blessing (or curse) of the Thunderbird. How he can't lie, doesn't age, but has lost most of his senses.

We learn about his mysterious past and how he has been at least in some contact with Shadows of this world. Not only is he an enemy of the "Society", but an Arch-Enemy at that, having stolen the Machine belt. He's also very knowledgeable about the occult, casually dropping names of forbidden tomes. Not mention his relationship with the Witch, Keziah Mason. (Note, pretty much all of these are shout-outs to Cthulhu Mythos)

And then there's some delicious foreshadowing for those who already know what's going to happen.   

 

[Fred the Barber 1829]

Chapter 6 spoilers:

Spoiler

This part amused me:

 

As for the shower scene, well, that's not my cup of tea. Everything wrapped up happily enough by the chapter ending, so it's fine, but I still really wish I hadn't seen it.

 

The heartwarming moment in the movie with Tesla pulling Neon against his shoulder made the whole thing worth it, though.

 

[Kosakyun 789]

I finished the whole thing last night before I slept.

I decided against posting about it before I slept, since apparently I lost the ability to form coherent words after reading the last few scenes. Honestly, I did not expect that. Everything just exploded at my face. Like ugh. It just gushes deep inside of me, you know?

Anyway, I'll put my thoughts about Chapter 6 to 8 for now. I'll try to provide a more coherent reaction to whatever I finished reading. Don't worry, it wasn't bad. It was good imo.

Here goes Chapter 6:

Spoiler

Whelp. This felt like Chapter 3 and 4 all over again since there wasn't really a major power to battle it out against Tesla in the chapter. However, we're given a look at the resolve that Anne Beart has regarding acting as the Academia's 'Iron Wall' and its effect on her overall growth as a character in those four years she had been serving the Disciplinary Police. It also shows how weak and frail a person can be in facing their greatest fears. Of course, this goes for ones who even went as far as steeling themselves into something as sturdy as iron.

I was thoroughly entertained by the movie theater part of the chapter, of course. Maybe it's because this was 1908, and people weren't really used to watching movies, but damn son. I know it's Neon's first time watching a movie (and what better one to be the first than a horror movie, right) but that was really entertaining. Had I known that someone could be that scared of a movie, I would have loved to go with them to one. Well, I have gone to one with friends, and I did get my arm pulled by my crush towards her (which is pretty ironic at this moment in time, since I pretty much regret liking her that much), but they weren't that scared. Bottom line is, Neon's a real cutie and I would not hesitate to hug her at anytime in my life that I would possibly be with her. THE SMILJAS' BLOODLINE IS GREAT

Also, I believe Fred has stated this for himself, but yeah. That scene with Anne Beart and the Killer Clown was pretty fucked up. I thought something lewd was happening, to be honest. Kinda confused because Anne's description of the act was kind of brutal and stuff, but I expected it would be something like that since she was kinda being molested and 'raped' there. Surprisingly enough, it actually burrowed into her left buttock. What the fuck, Killer Clown. How the hell does it feel to have a hole on your left buttock? I couldn't begin to imagine. Regardless, it was a pretty creepy scene, appropriate for the character of the Killer Clown. While one could argue that that specific scene could have been handled in another way while still portraying the same character for the Killer Clown, I think the scene that we read was pretty effective in leaving us confused and creeped out. I genuinely think that I'd be more creeped out reading that scene rather than a scene where the Killer Clown was attacking Anne Beart while emanating its bloodlust.

Miscellaneous notes regarding dates:

Spoiler

Once again, I'm a bit confused with the dates regarding the Extra Scenes. Sure, the dates are now accurate regarding our own September 1908, but now they don't really match up with the date of events concerning the Killer Clown. Anne Beart had spotted the Killer Clown for the first time in four years on September 15, 1908. This would put the first visit of the Killer Clown in Disciplinary Police HQ on September 16, the second day. However, the extra scene 'September 16, Albert' shows us Albert and Izumi's reaction regarding an event concerning the Killer Clown and the sudden flash of lightning or something. Neon, of course, reacts to this, since she was a witness of the events that took place. That automatically doesn't make sense, since supposing this happened on the morning of September 16, the Killer Clown hasn't even shown itself once in the Disciplinary Police HQ, which negates all possibilities of the event showing up in the newspapers or tabloids.

The second one is concerning September 19, The Lady Knight. September 19 was originally the date in which Chapter 6 ended, with Neon and Tesla meeting Anne and JJ in the movie theater. This was apparently the first time when Nikola Tesla asked about her left buttock's scar, which surprised Anne. Now, that reaction doesn't make sense if you consider her reaction in September 19, The Lady Knight, since it supposedly happened earlier than the event in the chapter itself. It means she was surprised two times that Nikola Tesla knew of the scar, even though she was surprised earlier in the day as well. It was like she heard it for the first time, heh. Anyway, it's probably because it's an extra chapter. This was very entertaining, by the way. Good to see the Iron Wall crumble like that.

 

Chapter 7:

Spoiler

FINALLY EMILIE'S BACKGROUND I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

What can I say about this chapter...? Hm. The relationship centered upon in this chapter felt a lot like Romeo and Juliet, to be honest. I didn't get that Louis-Charles was the boy in the exercise at first. I was a little too late. I guess I got it right after the scene where Emilie and Charles confront each other for the first time in the Marseille Academia Festival. Anyway, a relative of the Bourbons and a descendant of Napoleon? Pretty interesting. Also, I didn't like that Neon's first day in the festival was used up working for Emilie. Like, nani the fuck? That's even worse than what she does in Tesla's mansion. And her first fucking day of the festival was wasted there. I mean, it's not all Emilie's fault, ofc. It's Neon's fault as well. Anyway, it's nice that they had a budding relationship there.

Once again, this chapter proves how much of a big fucker Wilhelm Reich is. Manipulating Emilie's heart into cutting ties with Charles and killing Tesla? I initially thought she was going to kill both, but I was proven otherwise. Actually, it would be a lie to say that I didn't expect that to happen to some extent, but seeing it actually happen was, well, surprising. I was thinking they'd leave it at their goodbyes and all that, but they actually had sex. At first, I was kinda weirded out with it, thinking why they were having sex. At the middle, however, it finally occurred to me as Emilie was having her internal monologue about how this kills off the girl that likes Charles and her talks about how she's getting turned on and all of that. It was an act to prove to herself that she can kill off her affection for Charles, even while getting this intimate with him. A pretty risky and hard decision, considering she loves him a lot, but she pulled it off. Goes to show how Coercive Suggestion can actually steel someone's resolve so much that they'd kill off what's inside their heart to achieve what they want to achieve.

Now, the battle scene. Lmao Tesla just evading everything and stuff. I thought he was gonna deal with Artemis II and III as well, but it resolved in a different way. It was your typical 'pls don't do this this is wrong!' scene with Neon in the begging role, but it wasn't bad. It was a refreshing sight, seeing the plot resolve through Emilie breaking the hold of Coercive Suggestion on her heart, finally freeing everything she's feeling. It was a nice sight. And to think they'd become such a cute couple. I guess the monarchs and the revolutionaries shouldn't really have a say in something like this.

Chapter 8:

Spoiler

Nothing much to say here, except yay more Neon x Tesla moments. Other than that, they're finally thinking about the possibility of Wilhelm Reich actually manipulating them through the use of Coercive Suggestion. Took them a while. Florence also still hasn't done anything yet. This chapter also hints on Jo being the next person to activate the Cracking Field, which is pretty nice. All we need to do now is to wait for what'll eventually happen. As they say in these times, it's the 'calm before the storm'.

Chapter 9:

Spoiler

Being a sculptor sure is a sad life. I like how creative they got using the 'gate' as the Art of Auguste (I don't even know if I got the name right). It was entertaining in its own way. It's also a pretty relaxing chapter, not heavy on the story side. But it kinda shows how Art-bearers are made by the Bell of Gahkthun, and what nature the Bell takes on. It's actually pretty dark if you think about it, since the Bell grants you destructive powers on a whim through a person thinking that they'd want to wish something from the Bell. Of course, everything like that is just pure trash to Tesla-kun since he is our super bishounen lightning knight in shining armor hero.

OP Electric Knight. In all aspects. OP OP OP OP OP----

Anyway, getting to the main point. How hard it must be for an artist to pursue his passion, only to be obstructed by an entity far more beautiful than any of his creations. I think the exercise this time was really nice. I got it wrong, of course, given my personality, but it was nice seeing that one could find his radiance not through a momentary love, but a love that has been blooming ever since his early years. It was really nice. Nothing much to say, really, except those hands are really lewd. Y-You shouldn't be touching Neon in all those weird places!

I put Chapter 8 and 9 because they're pretty short. Anyway, enjoy the rest of the novels, guys. I really enjoyed reading it, and am glad that it was the one picked by the club. It's kinda funny that I finished it even before the initial impression week started, but eh. That's because Gahkthun was picked, I guess.  

[Turnip Sensei 196]

1 hour ago, KosakiFag said:

Here goes Chapter 6:

  Reveal hidden contents

Spoiler

The shower scene was one of the scene's in where I felt that Gahkthun took a big step back compared to the other Steampunk games. I can understand the reasons, and it works pretty well to make the reader uncomfortable, but it's not that effective. It kind of lessens the internal fears of Anne to a concrete one. A irrational fear of something incomprehensible turns into easily defined fear of ones' safety, and the scene felt little flat after that. I would have wanted more inner struggle from Anne, seeing her accept her fears. And the clown could have been easily used as an amazing threat. Since they took so many inspirations from Cthulhu stories, they could have also borrowed the philosophy that sometimes the the threat itself is more effective than the action and the fear of unknown is easily the strongest one.

Still, it's a pretty good chapter and they handled Anne and her weaknesses very well. And it's not like the shower scene was completely awful, I was just little disappointed how they took a pretty fetishistic approach to it, especially considering how well the other Steampunk games have handled themes like this.    

 

[Eclipsed 1974]

I like how Noble Works got a few last minute stealth votes

Gj Kosaki for finishing Jocky Thoon. How long did it take you, hour wise?

[Kosakyun 789]

3 hours ago, Turnip Sensei said:

  Reveal hidden contents

The shower scene was one of the scene's in where I felt that Gahkthun took a big step back compared to the other Steampunk games. I can understand the reasons, and it works pretty well to make the reader uncomfortable, but it's not that effective. It kind of lessens the internal fears of Anne to a concrete one. A irrational fear of something incomprehensible turns into easily defined fear of ones' safety, and the scene felt little flat after that. I would have wanted more inner struggle from Anne, seeing her accept her fears. And the clown could have been easily used as an amazing threat. Since they took so many inspirations from Cthulhu stories, they could have also borrowed the philosophy that sometimes the the threat itself is more effective than the action and the fear of unknown is easily the strongest one.

Still, it's a pretty good chapter and they handled Anne and her weaknesses very well. And it's not like the shower scene was completely awful, I was just little disappointed how they took a pretty fetishistic approach to it, especially considering how well the other Steampunk games have handled themes like this.    

 

Spoiler

Looking at it that way, it is, indeed, pretty disappointing compared to the other ones. I hadn't thought about incomprehensibility in terms of fears because I've been set on thinking that the very idea of the Killer Clown was pretty incomprehensible in itself, without knowing its true nature. But yes. Aside from being creeped out and Anne acknowledging the reality of her situation and what she should do, I didn't really feel the depth of one's fear and how it could easily shake the resolve of a person. Thank you for reminding me of that. The very idea of the Killer Clown's existence should have been enough.

 

2 hours ago, Eclipsed said:

I like how Noble Works got a few last minute stealth votes

Gj Kosaki for finishing Jocky Thoon. How long did it take you, hour wise?

I was taking notes, so a chapter took me around 1.5 hours to 3 hours, except for Chapter 8, 9, and 11. I'd say it would take you around 15 hours if you don't dwell on stuff too much, and an average of around 20 - 25 hours. It depends on reading speed, ofc. It took me around six days to finish the whole thing, so considering that I read it from 3 to 5 hours a day, the estimates are pretty okay. 20 hours for me, more or less.

[Nimbus 214]

Thanks to a certain someone I will soon be overthrowing my previous posts got deleted (I'm just kidding Tay, I still love you). So here are my thoughts on the chapters I've read.

Chapter 1
 

Spoiler

Excellent start to what could be my favourite Lair-Soft vn (which isn't in and of itself noteworthy as Sharnoth was shot and inganock was great but had noticeable flaws).

The atmosphere in this chapter was pretty damn good and made Neon an instantly sympathetic and downright adorable character. All the other characters are enjoyable as well, especially Tesla, although I will say that the character that intrigues me the most is Charles, something about him I find very mysterious.

I love the art-style as well. Given that the previous two titles were somewhat dreary with their art it's nice to see a little colour in a Lair-Soft game. I was a little put off by the size of the noses, as a great philosopher once said "Where are you people from, Nose City?" but they've since grown on me.

Chapter 2 and 3

Spoiler

The intrigue strikes back! The more I play this the more invested I gt in the characters. Tesla has fast become one of my favourite vn characters and the way he bounces off Neon's dialogue is simply superb. I like how the conflict is building up to something much greater than itself, adding to that is the fact that the interactions with Nightingale seem to make things less black and white.

Chapter 4 

Spoiler

This chapter reminded me of an early chapter from Inganock where Gii must cure a girl from a deadly parasite. Not helping is the fact that both these victims are female musicians. I loved the fight scene in this chapter, particularly Neon'e description of Tesla and his anger, that really drove home the fact that we have no idea what this guys limits are, how far he'll go and what is capable of pushing him. So although the chapter did feel like a re-skin it was worth it just for that one moment.

I will also say that the fight sequences is this vn are a great deal better than Inganock which was one of my primary criticisms of that vn.

By the way, does anyone know how many chapters there are?

[atorq 139]

1 hour ago, Nimbus said:

By the way, does anyone know how many chapters there are?

12-ish, chapter 12 is separated into two parts and there are some chapters that are very short.

[Turnip Sensei 196]

I'm glad that at least someone appreciated my badly formed ramblings about Chapter 6. I really should avoid writing about complicated topics just after waking up in a hurry.

Anyways here's some thoughts about chapter 3&4

Spoiler

Chapter 3 didn't have as juicy parts as the two previous chapters, but we get to learn more about Tesla through his actions. It's not as evident in Chapter 3, but at least by Chapter 4 it should be clear that Tesla is not joking when he's talking about saving everyone. Tesla is superhero in the truest sense of word, he is absolute in his conviction. 

While chapter 3 was somewhat lacking in terms underlying themes, the 4th Chapter does a much better job. In a way it's the first episode that offers a quite complete experience on it's own.
The whole ordeal between Odile and Erich Zann is a pretty classic example of losing sight of what's really important and end up hurting the other while trying to help, all because of misunderstanding. Add some ill-guided advise and you have the ingredients for very simple and very effective drama. Effective because it's easy to understand and relate to, and thanks to good execution it really works.
The relationship between the siblings is build up very efficiently, showing the outward side of it through Odile's tales and hinting at the more complicated side through the "exercises for the reader"-segments. And this is where the strength of segment lies. It's both a simplification and metaphorical representation of the issues at hand, but it also works as a theme for the chapter, capturing the important part.    

The ending also captures the beauty that comes from subtlety very admirably. There's no need the hear the final words between the siblings to understand their meaning, and as Tesla said, it would be uncouth to do so. Some things are more beautiful when left unsaid.  

 

[Kosakyun 789]

13 hours ago, Nimbus said:

Thanks to a certain someone I will soon be overthrowing my previous posts got deleted (I'm just kidding Tay, I still love you). So here are my thoughts on the chapters I've read.

At least you're able to salvage yours, one way or another. I just simply gave up on salvaging mine.

9 hours ago, Turnip Sensei said:

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The ending also captures the beauty that comes from subtlety very admirably. There's no need the hear the final words between the siblings to understand their meaning, and as Tesla said, it would be uncouth to do so. Some things are more beautiful when left unsaid.  

 

This. I forgot to note this in mine.

Spoiler

That scene actually had me smiling, because while Tesla is oblivious in most cases, the way he said that they didn't need to hear the end of it all was really heartwarming. You don't need to hear the ending to those words to see that everything has become alright once again. Beautiful.

 

[Fred the Barber 1829]

Finished Chapter 7:

Spoiler

Heck yeah, Neon! This chapter finally resolved the one thing that's really been troubling me for the whole VN so far: Neon not being much use (unless you count her recharging Tesla's batteries). It was great to see her out there, with a deadly weapon pointed at her, not backing down a bit. Weak heroines don't do much for me, so having Neon's role always being at most either observer or victim was starting to grate on me.

Also, this chapter reminded me that I'm really enjoying Gahkthun's tongue-in-check setting: it's a school, sure, but it's a school where everything is either completely bizarre (see, student council) or totally over-the-top, and even the school festival is no exception to that. Granted, there are other examples of some of this (the student council in Utena would make a prime example), but most are ordinary in most ways and have one or two quirks. Gahkthun sometimes seems like it's actively seeking out VN high school tropes just so it can turn them on their heads.

 

[Nerathim 64]

I am really hesitant to purchase Gahkthun, MG sells it a very high price without any bonus content or even a mere physical copy but at the same time buying it will help fostering more Liar-Soft in the west. As of now I could totally kill to read Shining Night too. :V

Man, if only JAST had published the VN the price would be justified, I always liked their releases.

[Kosakyun 789]

46 minutes ago, Nerathim said:

I am really hesitant to purchase Gahkthun, MG sells it a very high price without any bonus content or even a mere physical copy but at the same time buying it will help fostering more Liar-Soft in the west. As of now I could totally kill to read Shining Night too. :V

Man, if only JAST had published the VN the price would be justified, I always liked their releases.

But then we would have gotten it in 2019

Anyway, just buy it if it's at a sale someday in the future. I'm pretty sure it'll foster more Liarsoft in the West, yeah, which really works for us. It'll make more good titles from Japan come out, which would foster more interest in the genre. Of course, I'm not one to say this, because I'm neither an expert on economics and business nor do I have a credit card. It's something I'm really sad about, but it's brought upon me by my circumstances.

Nevertheless, it's never bad to provide support to companies we like. Just do it if you feel like giving them support, even if the price is quite high.  

[Turnip Sensei 196]

It's time for everyone's favorite beach episode! In other words, my thought about Chapter 5.

Spoiler

While the the beach part consist of mostly sexual harassment from Tesla, there's some nice character development and introduction mixed in-between. We get to know the Governing Council better, get some early taste about their characters. Especially the exchange between Jo and Tesla is noteworthy, not only because it's interesting on it's own, but also because it sets up some nice development for Tesla and Neon. It's rather endearing watching Neon struggle with her own feelings.
Oh, and something little I forgot to mention last time. Just as you should pay attention to Jo's outgoing and rather assertive personality, Emilie's rather fascinating take on "Noblesse Oblige" is worth of consideration as well. It was more prominent in Chapter 4, but more about that in later time.

The "exercise for the reader" segment in this chapter is among the better ones. The intentionally vague wordings and the changing perspective makes you change your own conclusion each time and keeps you wondering. The familiar format offers a rather different experience, effectively showcasing the power of this segment. The misdirection is truly well crafted and the feeling when all the pieces fall together is satisfying.
We also start too see the other overarching theme of Gahkthun; the errors of their youths. This time it's not misunderstanding. It's the zeal of children, deciding to burden oneself with problems of their parents in their own blind and clumsy, yet absolute sense of justice. It's hard to see the errors in one's own righteousness, especially if you have lived with for so long as children. That's why there's need to be someone to show the way, someone to scold and make you really think about what is right. It's important to err and learn for your mistakes, there are many things you can't realize without failing first.

It's very fascinating watching Berta's composure and attitude change during the battle. Even though she was coerced in to it, she still, at least for some part, fights on her own will to achieve something. Girl who has acquired so much through hard work and determination, who must question her means and goals while facing something unbeatable. How she changes from a steadfast warrior to children throwing a tantrum when she realizes her own foolishness, the foolishness of both her current actions and her goal.
And final letter scene is good end for it all. You can sense that she has been searching for an answer, but what kind of conclusion she reached, we don't know. Or if she's still looking for one, confronting her past little by little. Once again, the beauty is in subtlety.