Does Period get better? [Period discussion]

[Silvz]

I wanted to make a joke with periods, but nobody from Fuwa would understand <3

On the serious side: I've tried reading Quartett! and failed because of the voices situation. Now, I decided to move to Period, from the same company - but, unfortunatelly, not the same style - and I still don't see the point in it.

It's not that I dislike it, Period seems to be a good moege, with comedy similar to Key... but without the laughing. But I always see good ratings and comments about Period, so I want to know if it gets better, and when or why.

Please, only minor spoilers, ok? What does make Period good?

[Deep Blue]

I don't know myself since I'm a male but all the females friends I know they keep complaining about their periods... so I don't think they get any better with time... 

never read that vn so I don't know xD

[Ariurotl]

No, not really. It's thoroughly average. Also, it introduces a couple of mystery elements that ARE NOT RESOLVED AT ALL. There's a fandisc, so maybe the answers are there. But if you want to know

Spoiler

what's the deal with angel people and (presumably) aliens

you won't find any answers in the VN.

There are some other infuriating plot points that I disliked... I'd say the main route (Asahi) is worth it, but the rest not so much for various reasons.

[TexasDice]

The Angel-girl route was the best, but I haven't finished the VN and the other three routes I did read were really bad. Period is really high on Melodrama, but I liked most of the slice-of-life stuff,  because that kind of felt like Da Capo 2.

[Hayashi]

I will read Period due to the amazing flatness of all the characters, penttanko btw. 

[Nier]

7 hours ago, Ariurotl said:

No, not really. It's thoroughly average. Also, it introduces a couple of mystery elements that ARE NOT RESOLVED AT ALL. There's a fandisc, so maybe the answers are there.

That's what annoys me, it's the fact that both fan-translations and official releases ignores fandiscs, especially since in most cases fandisc are an extension of the main game and provide conlusions to the main game that the main game as a stand-alone will not provide.

At this point we should take it as miraculous providence that JAST USA released My Girlfriend is the President's Fandisc and that MangaGamer is working to release Princess Evangile's Fandisc.

[Vorathiel]

9 hours ago, Silvz said:

Please, only minor spoilers, ok? What does make Period good?

Nothing. It's not 'good'. Average at best, depends on your ability to survive painfull cliches and tropes. At least there is no 'energetic, modern tsundere imouto'.

I read most of the routes, only school couuncil president, pink annoying brat and winged cute little thing named Kohane left.
I really liked Aoi, her tomboyishness and her route, which was about not often seen 'problem' in VNs. It was resolved very poorly, but at least it was not overall bad.
Rest of them are mix of 'nothing/slice of life/nothing/very mild humour/very mild drama/nothing'. With additional 'da fuck I just read' in at least one route:

Spoiler

This strange chick with deep blue/black hair

I'm struggling with this VN for few months now. Hour there, two hours there, two weeks break etc. I tought it would be a light, simple little thing with likeable cast and 'warm' stories. But too many things are annoying to consider this VN overall enjoyable. Would not recommend. 

[Narcosis]

2 hours ago, Nier said:

That's what annoys me, it's the fact that both fan-translations and official releases ignores fandiscs, especially since in most cases fandisc are an extension of the main game and provide conlusions to the main game that the main game as a stand-alone will not provide.

At this point we should take it as miraculous providence that JAST USA released My Girlfriend is the President's Fandisc and that MangaGamer is working to release Princess Evangile's Fandisc.

No, they aren't

Most fandiscs are created to further milk the fanbase by adding more fanservice and cram them with utter, meaningless crap that usually has little to no meaning for the original story itself; i.e. stuff most people won't care about, but still exists to please the hardcore fans, hence the naming. There are, of course, exceptions. Some of these actually either expand on original plot, act as true endings or "after" stories, adding new content. They are very rare, though. If story is coherent, most developers aim to include some sort of an explanation to events within the original game, instead of creating fandiscs.

The whole meaning of the word "fandisc" got warped nowadays anyway; back in the old times, fandisc meant more of a treat for fans, packed with various goodies from the creators - unique wallpapers, system applications, minigames, short stories (novels), arranged soundtracks and sound dramas, along with discount coupons for their future games etc. It was only later, when fandiscs began to become more self-contained additional stories, expanding on the game's universe (but not necesarilly the game's storyline).

There's a reason why fan translators ignore majority of fandiscs; they aren't worth translating.

10 hours ago, Silvz said:

Please, only minor spoilers, ok? What does make Period good?

Art by Oyarii Ashito and pleasant atmosphere. It's okay in overall, but still remains the weakest of LittleWitch vn's. If you want the really good stuff, you have Quartett!, Romanesque and Rondo Leaflet (which is prolly their best game). I've seen people speaking well of Sugar Coat Freaks, but can't say anything myself, since I haven't played it; it doesn't really seem that appealing from my perspective, although it prolly has the most up-to-date Oyarii's art, which is preety much the artstyle he's using nowadays; I myself prefer his older works, which were incomparably ahead of his current artstyle.

[Okarin]

Tell me which routes you have read or you plan to, and then I can help.

In truth, after finishing the game after long months, I feel overjoyed and relieved. But looking back, it's not that bad.

Thing is, like in any game with a lot of routes, route quality varies wildly.

I enjoyed most Tsuzumi (strange girl with a secret), Rin (library girl who thinks you're a pervert), Kohane (angel girl, it was just okay in truth) and Asahi (main route, drama).

I disliked very much Yukina (student council prez), the class rep (damn, I don't even recall her name) and Koto (nurse, brief filler route).

Aoi (tomboy) was alright.

[Silvz]

12 hours ago, Okarin said:

Tell me which routes you have read or you plan to, and then I can help.

In truth, after finishing the game after long months, I feel overjoyed and relieved. But looking back, it's not that bad.

Thing is, like in any game with a lot of routes, route quality varies wildly.

I enjoyed most Tsuzumi (strange girl with a secret), Rin (library girl who thinks you're a pervert), Kohane (angel girl, it was just okay in truth) and Asahi (main route, drama).

I disliked very much Yukina (student council prez), the class rep (damn, I don't even recall her name) and Koto (nurse, brief filler route).

Aoi (tomboy) was alright.

Actually I've only read the common route yet, though I'm following the WT from Fuwa, so I'll go into Miyu's first. What is driving me into reading it is the strange-but-good quality of the game, being it mostly on its art, and Yukina and Kohane are making it interesting for me besides the story.

@Narcosis, I don't think the last one you mentioned is translated, but Romanesque is high on my to read list, so I hope it is better like you say. I gave up on Quartett! because of the problem with the voices being cut, and started Period because I wanted to play it for a long time. But, as you can see, it is not being worth the wait.

Edit: I think I'll only read the girls I liked, since it seems that everybody agrees about this game. I have to admit that the art and the number of CGs is a huge plus on playing it.

[Okarin]

In truth there's just a couple of really bad routes in the game, of which Miyu's stands out like a sore thumb. True boredom, I warn you. Also I found the girl unlikeable and moe (but that's the point I guess).

The other one is Yukina, which really desecrates this character, who was really great in the common route.

Koto (the nurse an sister to Aoi) isn't even bad, it's just boring and shorter than the rest, it tells little and seems to be thrown in just because.

Kohane could have been way better, instead it's an intrigue route that for me was a letdown, since I came with high expectations (I liked the scenes in the storehouse a lot).

[Ariurotl]

The best scene with Kohane isn't even on her route, but on the common route. I... might have forgotten what it actually was, but it was good. Something about a key?

And yea, Yukina's route is just... I mean... Just no.

[Okarin]

11 minutes ago, Ariurotl said:

The best scene with Kohane isn't even on her route, but on the common route. I... might have forgotten what it actually was, but it was good. Something about a key?

Yes, that's the one I'm talking about.

MC finds the key to the... planetarium I think, that's on the ceiling of the storehouse they're rummagging through, taped to a lamp. Student council led by Yukina is planning to open up the planetarium for public visit on some festival at the start of the common route, so this is very convenient. Kohane is very grateful for that.

Note that astronomy and planetariums are very common in visual novels, I can count at least three that have it (this one, Planetarian and Hoshimemo).

[Nandemonai]

22 hours ago, Nier said:

That's what annoys me, it's the fact that both fan-translations and official releases ignores fandiscs, especially since in most cases fandisc are an extension of the main game and provide conlusions to the main game that the main game as a stand-alone will not provide.

At this point we should take it as miraculous providence that JAST USA released My Girlfriend is the President's Fandisc and that MangaGamer is working to release Princess Evangile's Fandisc.

MangaGamer has released a bunch of fandiscs.  Kira Kira and Deardrops, I think even Edelweiss?  They also released two fandiscs for Shuffle - Tick Tack and Really Really - and one or two for Da Capo.

I'm not sure what else they've put out that has fandiscs in Japan that MG didn't pick up.  Their output is prodigious.  But MangaGamer is definitely fandisc-friendly, having put out half a dozen of them already.

[Vorathiel]

3 hours ago, Okarin said:

The other one is Yukina, which really desecrates this character, who was really great in the common route.

I would disagree, I'm reading this route right now, and while I hated her in common and on start of the route, right now I'm begining to develop a small likeness of her.

[Okarin]

7 minutes ago, Vorathiel said:

I would disagree, I'm reading this route right now, and while I hated her in common and on start of the route, right now I'm begining to develop a small likeness of her.

Well, if you like

her turning into a loli just because (no explanation at all), and then making out with her, it can be something.

Stupid route plot-wise still, and it adds nothing to the game as a whole nor to the character. I was expecting something more interesting.

[Vorathiel]

Wait, WHAT? Her too? : O
I was angered, sad, cringed and baffled at the same time when it happens at the end of 

Spoiler

Mizuhara Tsuzumi, dark haired strange girl

route. If it happens here agian then OMG, can't wait for this pain to consume me!

[Okarin]

Oh, sorry to spoil you, I thought you had already been there as the deed happens early in her route, I think.

I was also baffled by the other girl's lolification, and felt it was completely gratuituous. I figure the director or the writer must really love lolis, or maybe Littlewitch as a whole. At least the rest of the girls do look more or less their age (if you substract the DFC)

At least

In Tsuzumi's case it happens right at the ending, the excuse being that it is her "true form"

[Narcosis]

9 hours ago, Okarin said:

I was also baffled by the other girl's lolification, and felt it was completely gratuituous. I figure the director or the writer must really love lolis, or maybe Littlewitch as a whole. At least the rest of the girls do look more or less their age (if you substract the DFC)

Oyari Ashito really likes to draw adolescent girls. He has a very specific way of drawing, when it comes to female characters in general; call it old european characteristics, where any girl below certain age looks rather skinny, before her body starts to develop and mature. That's how he draws and what he likes to draw, considering how actually skillful he is, when it comes to human anatomy... and a pity, since as I said - his older art was much better and had a lot more personal touch to it. It's not visible that much anymore in the way he draws nowadays.

[Okarin]

21 hours ago, Narcosis said:

Oyari Ashito really likes to draw adolescent girls. He has a very specific way of drawing, when it comes to female characters in general; call it old european characteristics, where any girl below certain age looks rather skinny, before her body starts to develop and mature. That's how he draws and what he likes to draw, considering how actually skillful he is, when it comes to human anatomy... and a pity, since as I said - his older art was much better and had a lot more personal touch to it. It's not visible that much anymore in the way he draws nowadays.

The artist isn't appointed to draw the game if the makers don't feel at ease with the art style (like Zero Escape series' progressive slide towards adultness and... gore), so we can say Littlewitch is a loli company (even though, in Period, all girls are adolescents in high school, you even have an adult but... hey... she looks underdeveloped. *Sigh*).

However, I wasn't talking about a 16 girl looking younger (like 13), but about that couple of characters undergoing a severe lolification in the course of their routes, they look 8, I swear. That thing irks me more than DFC, which I find pretty tame.

[Ariurotl]

23 hours ago, Narcosis said:

considering how actually skillful he is, when it comes to human anatomy...

Wut? I mean, he certainly is very good as far as technique goes (dem watercolors are amazing), but nobody looks like that in real life unless they're severely malnourished, and even then. Giant foreheads aside, anyone who's seen, say, beach scenes in Period knows that his body proportions are all out of whack as well.

[Narcosis]

56 minutes ago, Ariurotl said:

Wut? I mean, he certainly is very good as far as technique goes (dem watercolors are amazing), but nobody looks like that in real life unless they're severely malnourished, and even then. Giant foreheads aside, anyone who's seen, say, beach scenes in Period knows that his body proportions are all out of whack as well.

It's not about applying realism to art, but about knowledge that allows you to bend it however you wish. I also wrote why he does draw them like that, but this is preety much outside the scope of this topic.

[Silvz]

Most VNs in general don't have good proportions to bodies. Not only VNs, but all otaku material. Of course this is not set on stone, but we could discuss all day about proportion issues here and not get to a conclusion. However, I don't think this matter should be important while enjoying a game, since, for me, the best of them is not having real people like in real everyday life.

[Narcosis]

13 hours ago, Silvz said:

Most VNs in general don't have good proportions to bodies. Not only VNs, but all otaku material. Of course this is not set on stone, but we could discuss all day about proportion issues here and not get to a conclusion. However, I don't think this matter should be important while enjoying a game, since, for me, the best of them is not having real people like in real everyday life.

And this is precisely why we can't have nice things

Legacy Higurashi, anyone?

[Silvz]

3 hours ago, Narcosis said:

And this is precisely why we can't have nice things

Legacy Higurashi, anyone?

Although I'd argue that Higurashi has a nice and unique style, I do think this is too much for this discussion.