Finally here, Himawari -The Sunflower- released

[Decay]

But "slobbity" isn't a word, what could it possibly mean???? 

[Zenophilious]

13 minutes ago, Decay said:

But "slobbity" isn't a word, what could it possibly mean???? 

 

[Kawasumi]

4 hours ago, Decay said:

But "slobbity" isn't a word, what could it possibly mean???? 

im gonna file a complaint to the merriam webster dictionary

[EdwardWongHPTIV]

Bah, I forgot to grab this while it was still discounted. Ah, well. I already have a huge backlog. I'll get to it...eventually. Maybe it'll go back on sale during the steam winter sale but I doubt it. At any rate I'm looking forward to this. Need to put the jrpgs I've been playing on the back burner and get thru some VNs.

[Narcosis]

Well, I finally finished Himawari. I only have one thing to say - if this isn't a kamige, then I don't know what is. A truly captivating tale, like no other.

I'll be reading Aqua After preety soon, I just need some time to recover, haha.

There's a lot to talk about, too.

edit:

I updated the Doujin Soundtrack RIP, I've been working on. You can get it HERE. Consider this a final release, albeit I might still do a few more touch-ups in the near future.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Narcosis

[Vorathiel]

I'm in second 'episode', 2048.

Why there is no logic in this world? How can I care for characters and situations, when whole setting is falling apart?
I admit - Aqua chapter is far, far better than moechapter. Aqua is really... human character, I like her inner monologues very much. BUT.
Slight spoilers:

Spoiler

First chapter:
- Who the hell gives a little child with animal like brain, responsibility to write a code for spaceshuttle, with 500+ people on it? And without a triple check-out? You get what you deserved idiots - catastrophe. I know she's super smart at coding, but she's still very clumsy child.*
- How the hell a young amateur programmer, can found an error correct a code for rocket launching in just few hours, if, as he said - he didn't understant this language at all, it was first time he saw it?
- How the hell they can reshape the armed missle into rocket flying into space?
- How the hell is that rocket flying few times? Where is the fuell coming from?
- How the hell did they would be able to even obtain that rocket? If Himawari would be an really over the top exagerated comedy - then fine, but Himawari is down to earth 'ecchi' comedy (which do not work at all, but whatever), so over the top 'stealing missle' sequence was really out of place, and out of logic for this established world.
- How the hell in 2050 people still use stationary-home-phones?
- How the hell in 2050 people still watch regular television?

Second chapter:
- How the hell and intruder could easily board a spaceship?*
- How the hell they do not do anything to find him at spacestation for a long days?*
- Why the hell they gave guns to little girls?*
- Why the hell guy in his 30s-40s is asking for a CABLE TELEVISION (in 2048!) on SPACESTATION?
- Where the hell is Internet?
- Why the hell guy born around 2010+ is smuggling PORN MAG onto spacestation?
- How the hell I'm supposed to like a guy, who is pinning down on bed little kid, and trying to kiss her, because she looks just like his daughter might looks like?

And that's only from top of my brain, I forgot few things.
Things with * might yet to be explained. I'm hope they will be. Still - it should be one hell of an explanation. 
And about that last complaint - I just hope that I'm supposed to dislike him. That it's intentional from GO. If not... oh well.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Vorathiel

[Vorathiel]

On 12/17/2016 at 9:51 PM, Turnip Sensei said:

Finally found myself time to start Himawari.
Wasn't too impressed with the first part of the game. It wasn't bad per say, but that kind of SoL wasn't really what I was looking for, not to mention I'm not a huge fan of clumsy oblivious characters like Aries. There were some good parts though, mainly Ginga going to wild tangents about whatever loosely scientific popped up in his mind. It started getting better near the end, but if I haven't heard so much praise for the rest of Himawari I probably would have quit somewhere on the way.

But I'm happy that I stuck with it, as come 2048 I felt the like I started playing a completely different game. Suddenly everything became much more interesting from narration to events and characters. I suddenly found myself really enjoying everything I was reading, and not just going through the story waiting for something interesting to happen. Can't wait to see what's waiting for me and from what I've heard I don't think I'll be disappointed!    

 

On 12/18/2016 at 5:40 AM, Basileus777 said:

I just finished 2048 and it has actually sapped me of much of my enthusiasm for it.  The pacing was off, it just went on forever and felt like it would never end. The whole route should have been several hours shorter.  It doesn't help that I never really found

  Reveal hidden contents

Aqua and Daigo's relationship all that convincing.  I was mostly creeped out by it and found Daigo more pathetic than anything. And the whole moon scenario at the end was a bit much.

 

Both of you guys, please write more about next chapters you read!

[littleshogun]

4 hours ago, Vorathiel said:

Both of you guys, please write more about next chapters you read!

If you interested in spoiler, here's the 'forbidden' review that I talked about because it's full of spoiler. Hope it'll be help.

Edited December 23, 2016 by littleshogun

[Narcosis]

9 hours ago, Vorathiel said:

I'm in second 'episode', 2048.

Why there is no logic in this world? How can I care for characters and situations, when whole setting is falling apart?
I admit - Aqua chapter is far, far better than moechapter. Aqua is really... human character, I like her inner monologues very much. BUT.

You're quite the impatient one, aren't you?

I'll try to clear some of your doubts. There be slight spoilers, of course:

Spoiler

First Chapter:

• Aries is a designer child. This dwelves into the topics of human enchancement, reprogenetics and transhumanism. Calling her a "dumb animal" would be at least innapropriate. That said, you're far from understanding why was she doing it, why she did it and what actually happened. In fact, you're for one great surprise, but not until you finish the majority of the story.
• Youichi isn't a complete newbie in programming. He's been doing it as a part of his club duties and it's stated he already spent quite a lot of time on it, as well as rocket engineering. Provided you have the most basic grasp of programming languages, you'll be able to fix any code, if given enough time. Youchi did exactly that and perhaps, had a bit of luck, because the bug itself wasn't complicated at all.
• Aren't missiles rockets filled with explosives? In fact, every single rocket is a flying explosive.
• Mostly applied plebothinum. No one cares though, because we have the rule of cool.
• You can like it or not, but that's how GO wrote it, mostly for comic relief.
• Why not?
• Because they can and want to?

Second chapter:

• You won't understand it till the end of chapter. Another important bit will come after you read Kagerou Side Story.
• Maybe because he doesn't actually pose any kind of threat and someone already knows who he is?
• You will know in time.
• Again, why not?
• On Earth?
• Because all men like porn?
• Again, you will know why, but not until the very end of the game and partially, at least not until the end of 2048.

It's up to you, whether to dislike Daigo, or not. I found him at least commendable, especially in the english version; doesn't matter he played an idiot from time to time - all people with a similiar spirit are more or less the same.

[novurdim]

10 hours ago, Narcosis said:

I'll try to clear some of your doubts.

Spoiler

About Aries and her programming:
True but, erm, after the first 2 chapters it truly feels like she stopped coding right before the deadline and they didn't even attempt a simple simulation to see if the code executes properly which should be a piece of common sense by 2048. Hell, it is now already. I can't help but wonder if maybe Akira wanted it crash all along with how insanely stupid his handling of the launch has been (a launch by the super big and rich company! The must have dozens of testers and test rockets!). Hopefully they'll touch upon it at least a bit in the 3 and 4 ch., the explanation that he was just obsessed with the date doesn't nearly cut it. 

And while it's somewhat nitpicky, I too feel that throwing the events that far into the future wasn't needed, it feels like 2030~ at best.

Edited December 24, 2016 by novurdim

[Vorathiel]

10 hours ago, Narcosis said:

1) You're quite the impatient one, aren't you?

I'll try to clear some of your doubts. There be slight spoilers, of course:

  Reveal hidden contents

First Chapter:

• Aries is a designer child. This dwelves into the topics of human enchancement, reprogenetics and transhumanism. Calling her a "dumb animal" would be at least innapropriate. That said, you're far from understanding why was she doing it, why she did it and what actually happened. In fact, you're for one great surprise, but not until you finish the majority of the story.
• Youichi isn't a complete newbie in programming. He's been doing it as a part of his club duties and it's stated he already spent quite a lot of time on it, as well as rocket engineering. Provided you have the most basic grasp of programming languages, you'll be able to fix any code, if given enough time. Youchi did exactly that and perhaps, had a bit of luck, because the bug itself wasn't complicated at all.
• Aren't missiles rockets filled with explosives? In fact, every single rocket is a flying explosive.
• Mostly applied plebothinum. No one cares though, because we have the rule of cool.
• You can like it or not, but that's how GO wrote it, mostly for comic relief.
• Why not?
• Because they can and want to?

Second chapter:

• You won't understand it till the end of chapter. Another important bit will come after you read Kagerou Side Story.
• Maybe because he doesn't actually pose any kind of threat and someone already knows who he is?
• You will know in time.
• Again, why not?
• On Earth?
• Because all men like porn?
• Again, you will know why, but not until the very end of the game and partially, at least not until the end of 2048.

It's up to you, whether to dislike Daigo, or not. I found him at least commendable, especially in the english version; doesn't matter he played an idiot from time to time - all people with a similiar spirit are more or less the same.

1) It seems so...or not. I feel like I spend more than 20 hours reading Himawari now (in reality probably 15 tops, I'm right after choice in 2048). Pacing is off, it drags.
2) Thanks for answers.  Some of them were just 'because they can'. Like that porn mag. Come on, it's 2048, even now, in 2016 paper magazines, television and stationary phones are pretty much obsolete. Thankfully game got much, much better and started to get interesting. If this keeps up (and less Daigo mood killer please. I can compare him to Kazuna in Cartagra. You have a dark, solemn, melancholic tone and mood and suddenly SHABAM, creepy, perverted, loud and ufunny joke. And then GO through his mouth said to Aqua/reader that she's the moodkiller here. I rage quit at that moment.  )
3) Daigo... My, oh my. His relationship with Aqua is really close to stockholm syndrome, and what's worse Daigo is presented as booze and sweat reeking, perverted, 3 times older than Aqua man, who is throwing perverted jokes without end. He did some good things, but still -his relationship with Aqua is disgusting.

[Narcosis]

The pacing isn't off. I have a feeling you're simply not enjoying the story due to too much nitpicking on minor things and it constantly detracts from your own enjoyment and understanding. Tl&dr stop occupying yourself with meaningless things.

As for Aries, Aqua and Daigo... you still know nothing, lol. If you think you already found conclusions to everything, you're for a major surprise, that's all I can say. Keep on reading. I, for one have never felt the story dragged or was inconsistent, that's how engrossed with it I was. It's such an interesting read, honestly.

Himawari leaves no lose ends. By the end, everything will beautifully come together to form meaningful answers to most of the questions.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Narcosis

[Vorathiel]

You have the cause and effect order wrong here.  

Because it was dragging (maybe because I really dislike that type of 'humour', not once did I laughed in first Episode, and smiled maybe twice) I started to nitpick everything. But when it stopped being 'nothing' and started to presenting interesting plot points and ideas (from around middle of second Episode onwards) I stopped nitpicking and started enjoying (everything except for that pedo).
And I must highlight - my nitpicking here was really a nitpicking. Not like in f.e. Sharin no Kuni or other horrible titles, when everything on every other step was insulting. Himawari is much, much better VN.

And I really do hope that you're right and everything will do come together in the end. So, yeah, Merry Christmas everyone, time for some home-helping before going back to reading.

[Mr Poltroon]

I have finished the first episode, and will now unleash my many thoughts on the matter.
Theoretically I will do the same with future episodes but who knows. Beware spoilers in the latter two sections.

General Thoughts:

Spoiler

 

-I like the translation.

-There's no "exit" button. lolconsoleport

-In fact, I had no idea what many of the shortcut keys were. I now know.

-I'm using the original music, I believe. No particular objections and there's been a couple of tracks I rather like. I hope to compare them to the remakes eventually.

 

1st Episode:

Spoiler

First of all, I have some feeling of emptiness. Not because it was sad (because it wasn't -- I lack the empathy to relate to our accident prone protagonist), but because it doesn't feel complete. It's the kind of thing where, were the game to end right there, I'd be severely disappointed.
This tells me the routes are unlikely to address everything about themselves on their own, which means I'll have to go ahead and finish the whole thing if I want this feeling to dissipate.

I really like Ginga, for starters. He is a passionate and good humoured man. He is also rather intelligent, more than his tendencies towards conspiracies would indicate.

Asuka... Of all the characters, she appears to be the one with the least to hide (except Ginga, I guess). Her only suspicious points are her devotion to Youichi and her hospital stay. The first one can be decently explained as a mix of redemption (for being part of the Saionji group) and general like for Youichi. Important is to note that there's a possibility that she knows of his past. Could she be purposefully keeping it hidden from him or is she adopting an "Aqua" stance where he can find out if he wants? Does she even know of it? Their connection to Saionji would make it likely, yes.
The second one I can't yet explain. I have been shown nothing that would explain her stay at the hospital (around the same time as Youichi to boot) other than a common Japanese cold.
Ha! For all I know she could be Youichi's missing sister who suffered a transformation! This connection can potentially be made from the fact that both Youichi and his sister were in the accident and, seemingly, both survived. Youichi went on to the hospital, where too Asuka could be found. I'm not betting on this theory though.
Drunk and mad Asuka best Asuka.

Aqua... I like her personality, I really really do. It was also blatant how little effort she put into hiding her secrets, at least in front of Youichi. Constantly did she say suspicious stuff.
She clearly has quite a past, and this episode did nothing but hint towards that -- And by quite a past I mean that she is probably older than she looks. Right now I'm leaning towards the "doesn't visibly age" side of the spectrum, because lolmagic.
Other than the fact that she liked Aries there isn't much to go on. She explained her present self decently, and all we know about is her present self. She probably wasn't even on earth before, so I can't really guess much about her. Unlike Aries, she seems more gifted on the physical side of the spectrum, so there's that.
Why did she reveal most things to Youichi? I consider "helping Aries" and "he's the son of someone I worked with" to be good enough reasons. Could there be more?
A wild theory borne from the cold: Perhaps she can't spend too much time on earth? A common cold in this sort of VN is too suspicious to let slide. Another theory ties in to the "doesn't visibly age", where that cold indicates she is close to dying. Her "last time you see me n' stuff" speech always carries more weight in this kind of VN, feeding into the most random theories.

Aries had some strange foreshadowing. Can I assume that people in space only drink from straws?
I disliked that the problem with her code was a mere character, because that would imply it was a typo, not a small, easily missable logic error. If it's a typo there is no reason at all for her to make the exact same mistake twice whilst coding, implying the mistake wasn't the same, merely a random typo, and therefore a complete coincidence! What a terrible coincidence. What makes the coincidence so bad is that it landed in the exact same place, which would imply that the typo was in the same location. This is ridiculous. From the way Youichi described it I can't see it as anything but a typo even though it's probably not.
Frankly, how much is there to derive from an amnesiac? She worked at a space station, made a mistake, came back down to apologise. Her shuttle either malfunctioned or really was 'emergency' and would always crash. Lost her memories as a consequence, recovered them once the Sunflower crashed. Aqua (or was it someone else?) decided to report her shortly after. She had recovered her memories after all. At this point it gets harder to guess her motivations. Why the sunflowers? Any reason in particular? If it's a purely emotional one I really can't tell.
She deleted her code (also, no issues with walking around naked? Peculiar) and gave Yoichi back his memories, except she held something back? Why? Dunno. Why give them back in the first place, then? To be hated? Her "I've apologised so I'm off" attitude didn't really convey that too well... I'll go with the assumption that "he deserved his memories back"... except she left a bit out. What?
I can't grasp her motivations and motives right now. All I know is that she was under pressure and deeply regretted her actions. Aqua was also still alive and (seemingly) well once back in space.
Bad ends would imply a strange and almost obsessive devotion to Youichi. Why? Because she felt bad? Was that all?
Her amazing abilities indicate some possibilities, like having been born in space or genetically engineered. But they say she is astonishing, so she may be naturally gifted for some other reason. Aqua in theory should have been the same.
Only character whose personality I do not particularly like.

Youichi is not us. Nothing shows this better than his lack of curiosity towards his past. For now let's believe the events went as he described: Got into an accident, spotted his hurt/dead sister/lover and passed out. Lost his memories due to trauma. Then stayed away from all that made him uncomfortable, that is, most relating to his past. This would make him a bit of a hypocrite that complained he couldn't remember whilst he made no attempts to do so (investigating the other rooms or checking the memorial).
However, another possible theory was that his memories were erased, and such an erasure led to his aversion of locales that may make him remember. Pointing towards this is the girls' lolmagic abilities and Aries' attempt to keep something hidden from Youichi. Against this was that Youichi checked the memorial, noticing his apparent sister was not listed.

The final scene where Youichi remembers that the code for the Sunflower may resemble the code for the spaceship was amazing, as well as the Prez already being there (with a backup, no less!). Completely in character for him, and him making a backup is in no way unexpected.

Bad ends... It felt like many of them just ended. Sometimes there truly would be nothing more to tell, like when Youichi died or when he lost his memories again.
But otherwise, if you're going to cut us off because it deviated from the path you wanted us to go on, you might as well not put them there.

I liked the bad end where he thought everything was a dream. Mostly because it reminded me of what other titles I liked pulled, and how his isolated lifestyle could permit that.

2nd Episode Speculation (using the preview):

Spoiler

The ring says A to A. Because everyone and their mother (except Youichi) has a name started by A, this tells us sod all.

Possibilities are Aqua to Aries (hinted at by Aqua giving it to Aries and commenting "she still had this?").
Another was that Amamiya (the father) gave it to Aries (would not be surprised if both father and son called Aries their daughter).
I find doubtful that Asuka's got anything to do with the ring.
No idea why Aries left it with Yoichi, unless... I bring in the real speculation.

A character by the name of Aoi was introduced. Could be Youichi's sister.
If that is so, it could have been that Aries gave it to Aoi, and the ring ended up buried during the accident.
Maybe Aqua was the giver and gave it to Aoi (Youichi's sister), and then decided to give it to Aries (temp. sister).

Speaking of said sister, there is some likelihood she was introduced to the Hinatas much the same way Aqua was to the Saionjis (or Asuka, basically), but I doubt it as both of the Hinata parents worked for Saionji. Right now I'm leaning towards an "experimental subject" that was under Hinata care for a while, as Youichi's sister.

 

That's about all I'm willing to think about right now. Maybe there was some more foreshadowing in there but I probably forgot. I'll start making my way towards the second episode sometime soon.

[Basileus777]

3 hours ago, Narcosis said:

Himawari leaves no lose ends. By the end, everything will beautifully come together to form meaningful answers to most of the questions.

Unless you're including Aqua After this is not true, Himawari ends with a sequel tease/cliffhanger that I found pretty unsatisfying even after reading the side stories.

[Vorathiel]

Remember the second chapter?
Remember when

Spoiler

Aqua almost gave her virginity to Daigo, but suddenly he called her Akari?

Remember how beautiful that scene was and how heartbroken you felt when he said that?
I don't.

MRW:

Spoiler

I was actually relieved when he said that.

[Gumak]

Daigo is a irresponsible manchild ruining everyone's lives. It is known.

[Narcosis]

1 hour ago, Gumak said:

Daigo is a irresponsible manchild ruining everyone's lives. It is known.

Spoiler

It's Akari, who's actually responsible for ruining everyone's lives. Akira did that, following his dream. Souichiro did that as a way to repent his sins (and ended up causing an even bigger tragedy as a result, but "sacrifices had to be made" and he was ready to pay the price). Daigo, despite his partially obnoxious personality at times, is actually the most reedeming and tolerable character from a moral standpoint in the whole adult cast. His carefree lifestyle proven to be the healthiest, yet in the end, he sacrificed himself for nothing. Or did he?

 

2 hours ago, Vorathiel said:

Remember the second chapter?
Remember when

  Reveal hidden contents

Aqua almost gave her virginity to Daigo, but suddenly he called her Akari?

Remember how beautiful that scene was and how heartbroken you felt when he said that?
I don't.

MRW:

  Reveal hidden contents

I was actually relieved when he said that.

It's not exactly the way you might think.

Spoiler

Daigo suffers from the same exact symptoms of Lunar Virus, just like everyone else, directly infected during the Himawari incident. Yes, he is infected. If you want to know how, you'll know it soon™ enough.

 

5 hours ago, Mr Poltroon said:

I have finished the first episode, and will now unleash my many thoughts on the matter.
Theoretically I will do the same with future episodes but who knows. Beware spoilers in the latter two sections.

General Thoughts:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

-I like the translation.

-There's no "exit" button. lolconsoleport

-In fact, I had no idea what many of the shortcut keys were. I now know.

-I'm using the original music, I believe. No particular objections and there's been a couple of tracks I rather like. I hope to compare them to the remakes eventually.

 

1st Episode:

  Hide contents

First of all, I have some feeling of emptiness. Not because it was sad (because it wasn't -- I lack the empathy to relate to our accident prone protagonist), but because it doesn't feel complete. It's the kind of thing where, were the game to end right there, I'd be severely disappointed.
This tells me the routes are unlikely to address everything about themselves on their own, which means I'll have to go ahead and finish the whole thing if I want this feeling to dissipate.

I really like Ginga, for starters. He is a passionate and good humoured man. He is also rather intelligent, more than his tendencies towards conspiracies would indicate.

Asuka... Of all the characters, she appears to be the one with the least to hide (except Ginga, I guess). Her only suspicious points are her devotion to Youichi and her hospital stay. The first one can be decently explained as a mix of redemption (for being part of the Saionji group) and general like for Youichi. Important is to note that there's a possibility that she knows of his past. Could she be purposefully keeping it hidden from him or is she adopting an "Aqua" stance where he can find out if he wants? Does she even know of it? Their connection to Saionji would make it likely, yes.
The second one I can't yet explain. I have been shown nothing that would explain her stay at the hospital (around the same time as Youichi to boot) other than a common Japanese cold.
Ha! For all I know she could be Youichi's missing sister who suffered a transformation! This connection can potentially be made from the fact that both Youichi and his sister were in the accident and, seemingly, both survived. Youichi went on to the hospital, where too Asuka could be found. I'm not betting on this theory though.
Drunk and mad Asuka best Asuka.

Aqua... I like her personality, I really really do. It was also blatant how little effort she put into hiding her secrets, at least in front of Youichi. Constantly did she say suspicious stuff.
She clearly has quite a past, and this episode did nothing but hint towards that -- And by quite a past I mean that she is probably older than she looks. Right now I'm leaning towards the "doesn't visibly age" side of the spectrum, because lolmagic.
Other than the fact that she liked Aries there isn't much to go on. She explained her present self decently, and all we know about is her present self. She probably wasn't even on earth before, so I can't really guess much about her. Unlike Aries, she seems more gifted on the physical side of the spectrum, so there's that.
Why did she reveal most things to Youichi? I consider "helping Aries" and "he's the son of someone I worked with" to be good enough reasons. Could there be more?
A wild theory borne from the cold: Perhaps she can't spend too much time on earth? A common cold in this sort of VN is too suspicious to let slide. Another theory ties in to the "doesn't visibly age", where that cold indicates she is close to dying. Her "last time you see me n' stuff" speech always carries more weight in this kind of VN, feeding into the most random theories.

Aries had some strange foreshadowing. Can I assume that people in space only drink from straws?
I disliked that the problem with her code was a mere character, because that would imply it was a typo, not a small, easily missable logic error. If it's a typo there is no reason at all for her to make the exact same mistake twice whilst coding, implying the mistake wasn't the same, merely a random typo, and therefore a complete coincidence! What a terrible coincidence. What makes the coincidence so bad is that it landed in the exact same place, which would imply that the typo was in the same location. This is ridiculous. From the way Youichi described it I can't see it as anything but a typo even though it's probably not.
Frankly, how much is there to derive from an amnesiac? She worked at a space station, made a mistake, came back down to apologise. Her shuttle either malfunctioned or really was 'emergency' and would always crash. Lost her memories as a consequence, recovered them once the Sunflower crashed. Aqua (or was it someone else?) decided to report her shortly after. She had recovered her memories after all. At this point it gets harder to guess her motivations. Why the sunflowers? Any reason in particular? If it's a purely emotional one I really can't tell.
She deleted her code (also, no issues with walking around naked? Peculiar) and gave Yoichi back his memories, except she held something back? Why? Dunno. Why give them back in the first place, then? To be hated? Her "I've apologised so I'm off" attitude didn't really convey that too well... I'll go with the assumption that "he deserved his memories back"... except she left a bit out. What?
I can't grasp her motivations and motives right now. All I know is that she was under pressure and deeply regretted her actions. Aqua was also still alive and (seemingly) well once back in space.
Bad ends would imply a strange and almost obsessive devotion to Youichi. Why? Because she felt bad? Was that all?
Her amazing abilities indicate some possibilities, like having been born in space or genetically engineered. But they say she is astonishing, so she may be naturally gifted for some other reason. Aqua in theory should have been the same.
Only character whose personality I do not particularly like.

Youichi is not us. Nothing shows this better than his lack of curiosity towards his past. For now let's believe the events went as he described: Got into an accident, spotted his hurt/dead sister/lover and passed out. Lost his memories due to trauma. Then stayed away from all that made him uncomfortable, that is, most relating to his past. This would make him a bit of a hypocrite that complained he couldn't remember whilst he made no attempts to do so (investigating the other rooms or checking the memorial).
However, another possible theory was that his memories were erased, and such an erasure led to his aversion of locales that may make him remember. Pointing towards this is the girls' lolmagic abilities and Aries' attempt to keep something hidden from Youichi. Against this was that Youichi checked the memorial, noticing his apparent sister was not listed.

The final scene where Youichi remembers that the code for the Sunflower may resemble the code for the spaceship was amazing, as well as the Prez already being there (with a backup, no less!). Completely in character for him, and him making a backup is in no way unexpected.

Bad ends... It felt like many of them just ended. Sometimes there truly would be nothing more to tell, like when Youichi died or when he lost his memories again.
But otherwise, if you're going to cut us off because it deviated from the path you wanted us to go on, you might as well not put them there.

I liked the bad end where he thought everything was a dream. Mostly because it reminded me of what other titles I liked pulled, and how his isolated lifestyle could permit that.

2nd Episode Speculation (using the preview):

  Hide contents

The ring says A to A. Because everyone and their mother (except Youichi) has a name started by A, this tells us sod all.

Possibilities are Aqua to Aries (hinted at by Aqua giving it to Aries and commenting "she still had this?").
Another was that Amamiya (the father) gave it to Aries (would not be surprised if both father and son called Aries their daughter).
I find doubtful that Asuka's got anything to do with the ring.
No idea why Aries left it with Yoichi, unless... I bring in the real speculation.

A character by the name of Aoi was introduced. Could be Youichi's sister.
If that is so, it could have been that Aries gave it to Aoi, and the ring ended up buried during the accident.
Maybe Aqua was the giver and gave it to Aoi (Youichi's sister), and then decided to give it to Aries (temp. sister).

Speaking of said sister, there is some likelihood she was introduced to the Hinatas much the same way Aqua was to the Saionjis (or Asuka, basically), but I doubt it as both of the Hinata parents worked for Saionji. Right now I'm leaning towards an "experimental subject" that was under Hinata care for a while, as Youichi's sister.

That's about all I'm willing to think about right now. Maybe there was some more foreshadowing in there but I probably forgot. I'll start making my way towards the second episode sometime soon.

My, my... You're quite shrewd on getting a lot of things right on the spot (but not all, and clearly not the most important stuff but it's a given, considering the way scenario works). A lot of things aren't actually explained until later on and you're left with only vague hints, but that's exactly where Himawari shines - it slowly builds tension over the course of episodes, while the story finally starts coming together to form a coherent plot. A lot of people are used to being handed things on a plate and that makes it a lot harder for them to enjoy Himawari, as it never explains everything to the end, nor in one go; the revelant information is often handed to readers partially over the course of the whole story; it's like digging on the field to find a piece of treasure, only to discover there's actually more of it still hidden in the ground below you. Hope you'll continue to enjoy the ride and I'm looking forward to your review, possibly.

The story in Himawari is actually very complex, with many different characters' lives and events, both from past and present intertwined over the course of plot. It takes more than just a single read and few wild guesses to get things right on your first playthrough and even then, it'll be mostly up to your own interpretation.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Narcosis

[Basileus777]

2048 spoilers

Spoiler

Daigo's a creep who spends most of his time on screen trying to fuck a young girl. His unlikeability and lack of charisma really clashed with how the story was trying to present him. He came off more as an immature loser without a single healthy relationship than as some moral beacon. His son is so much better in every way.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2016 by Basileus777

[Decay]

2048 spoilers

Spoiler

Daigo was only ever either 1) sexually harassing Aqua for entertainment without intent to go beyond that (still a shitty and creepy thing to do), or 2) mistaking her for Akari.

Notice how as soon as Aqua became receptive, he immediately backed off?

 

Edited December 24, 2016 by Decay

[Basileus777]

11 minutes ago, Decay said:

2048 spoilers

  Hide contents

Daigo was only ever either 1) sexually harassing Aqua for entertainment without intent to go beyond that (still a shitty and creepy thing to do), or 2) mistaking her for Akari.

Notice how as soon as Aqua became receptive, he immediately backed off?

 

2048 spoilers

Spoiler

Yeah, it was fairly clear that he wouldn't have gone through with it, at least until he could no longer distinguish her from Akari. It doesn't really make him any more likable though, and it made it hard for me to find his relationship with Aqua as something not creepy or borderline abusive.  People go to prison for doing things like forcing down a young girl and sexually harassing her even if they wouldn't have actually engaged in intercourse.

 

Edited December 24, 2016 by Basileus777

[Vorathiel]

Well, not to say that I gave some molestation events in my history, because it was nothing as strong as that, but I do remeber having an uncle, who was a hard worker and always 'traditionaly' tend to kiss, as a greeting, everybody in family. Including me, young kid, my brothers, and basicaly - everybody.
You know, somebody with big, rough hands, strong handgrip, moist lips, reek of booze and cigarettes, etc.
Somebody like this (one of the first images in google images, don't know this guy, I apologize if you're him, and you see this.  )

Spoiler

Diago is 43 years old. And reek of booze. Guy on this picture is 45. Very close. Now a random, attractive 14 year old girl. Flatchested, young, undeveloped.

Spoiler

Now picture them like this CG.

Spoiler

Creepy as fuck, ain't it? Add to this his creepy, perverted attitude, and here you go - Amamiya Daigo, the Hero.

To add insult to the injury, their relationship was basically

Spoiler

Stockholm Syndrome. He felt in love with him, because he was the first guy outside of her doctor/father figure and director of whole facility, who was scary to her. She was psychologically forced to live with him and endure his abusive, loud and obnoxious behaviour. And suddenly (literally - 'suddenly'), after few days, with no indication before it, she 'discovered' that she would be lonely without him, so she 'acknowledged' that she loves him. 

That was sickening. I have absolutely no possitive thoughts about his character. So scene in spaceshuttle was...yeah, I was glad. Anybody can tell me how it ended in original, h-filled, version of the game?
Also - his relationships with other women were horrible as well.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Vorathiel

[Narcosis]

Once again, you couldn't be any more wrong. That aside - they're in space, on a corporation's private station. Earth's laws don't apply there. There's no stockholm syndrome, either. Do you even know what a stockholm syndrome is?

Aqua could have shot him. She actually almost did it once. Their relationship grows on their mutual dependence. You see, Aqua needs him and Daigo wouldn't simply get through it, if not for her. There's a lot more to it than just a young girl falling head over heels for a much older, rowdy guy. You won't understand it, till majority of the game, though. Aqua's route will reveal most of it.

Personally, I found their relationship entertaining and kind of fulfilling, while the ending was heartwrenching. Not because I was expecting Aqua to get down and dirty with Daigo, sharing their last moments while running out of air on a Moon, but because it was genuine and I was actually able to relate with Aqua, because I already knew, what's cooking. 2048 gives you enough hints to somewhat grasp that bigger picture in front of you, even if certain things won't become clear until the end. If you were unable to sense it, I am truly sorry you couldn't enjoy it the way I did, because Himawari's foreshadowing is mostly impressive - the way all the events finally meld in the end is something worth waiting for. That said, Himawari is more about the road and struggles of it's characters, rather than the ending , which is open up to personal interpretations. If you jumped into it without any sort of expectations, or actually didn't really knew what you're getting into, it's obvious you'll be disappointed.

Edited December 25, 2016 by Narcosis

[Vorathiel]

9 hours ago, Narcosis said:

 That said, Himawari is more about the road and struggles of it's characters, rather than the ending , which is open up to personal interpretations. If you jumped into it without any sort of expectations, or actually didn't really knew what you're getting into, it's obvious you'll be disappointed.

All I know about Himawari were desings of main characters, and that it's 'character driven story, set in not distant future'. And that first chapter is moeblobbing, while next ones are much more serious. So far - it's exactly what I thought it would be. Except that I don't like basically nobody except Ginga, whom I only 'tolerate'.
[Aqua in her 'route' is much more unlikeable (her attitude towards Youichi, while explainable, is still far from nice, so I just don't like her) than in 2048.]

9 hours ago, Narcosis said:

That aside - they're in space, on a corporation's private station. Earth's laws don't apply there. There's no stockholm syndrome, either.

Who cares about law? (And I do believe that law aboard space stations are clearly defined.) It's just...wrong. Creepy. From moral standpoint.

9 hours ago, Narcosis said:

Aqua could have shot him. She actually almost did it once. Their relationship grows on their mutual dependence. You see, Aqua needs him and Daigo wouldn't simply get through it, if not for her. There's a lot more to it than just a young girl falling head over heels for a much older, rowdy guy. You won't understand it, till majority of the game, though. Aqua's route will reveal most of it.

Yeha, because shoting a guy is a normal thing to do and everybody 'can' do that.
I agree that Daigo needed her. I don't see why she really 'needed' him, but there would be no progress in her character if not for him, to that I agree.

9 hours ago, Narcosis said:

There's no stockholm syndrome, either. Do you even know what a stockholm syndrome is?

Yup, I do know. And I stay by my words.
"Stockholm syndrome is a psychological condition that causes hostages to develop sympathetic sentiments towards their captors, often sharing their opinions and acquiring romantic feelings for them as a survival strategy during captivity."
This guy was a completly new thing in her life. She, as a decent human being, out of compassion and fear, helped him and tend to his wounds. Then he started to live in her quarters. She was constantly angry at him, constantly tired and was (in her thoughts, so it was genuine) yearning for some calmness. Of course she spended time with him and wanted this time to be as enjoyable as possible - as any sane person in her situation would do. If she went to Akira (of whom she was scared), she would be in problem as well, because she was sheltering him. She was confused and didn't know what to do, to the point in which she completly enclosed herself from even her 'sisters'.
Probably most of the 14 yo girls, living in bubble of spacestation, with very little human interactions would be very confused, or even scared if 40+ yo loud and creepy guy imposed himself on her room and her life. And she couldn't even escape, because she had nowhere to go - it was her room, her one and only private place.

9 hours ago, Narcosis said:

Personally, I found their relationship entertaining and kind of fulfilling, while the ending was heartwrenching. Not because I was expecting Aqua to get down and dirty with Daigo, sharing their last moments while running out of air on a Moon, but because it was genuine and I was actually able to relate with Aqua, because I already knew, what's cooking.

Well, good for you then. I believe your feelings were in writter intentions. 

9 hours ago, Narcosis said:

 2048 gives you enough hints to somewhat grasp that bigger picture in front of you, even if certain things won't become clear until the end. If you were unable to sense it, I am truly sorry you couldn't enjoy it the way I did, because Himawari's foreshadowing is mostly impressive - the way all the events finally meld in the end is something worth waiting for.

I feel like I spend too much time discussing this before I even finished this title. I will come back to you after I finish this whole VN. Hopefully tomorrow.
Just hope this ending is as good as you're saying. But I have in mind fact, that I found true route in ever17 very lacking and pretty mediocre (best route was Yous' route), so I have reservations when people writting that 'XYZ is greatly tying everything together in the last chapter'. So, yeah. Let's get back to grinding.

Edited December 25, 2016 by Vorathiel

[Vorathiel]

I'm reading after stories, I'm in the first one, and... it's really good! Best part of the game, easily.
It have great mood (with elements of even 'mystery thriller' in it!), good story, interesting, mature characters, no idiotic unfunny humour, no Aqua in sight, nobody resembles of Aries airheadness, and overall - it's good. It's really good.
Cheap backgrounds reminds me of Tsukihime, no voice acting, so I envision characters as probably a little more mature than intended, and I really like it.

Espacially Momoji, she's a nice 'protagonists', she's a little quirky, but I symphatize with her and envision her as a tall, slender, nov very pretty, but elegant character.

And then remake developers said...

FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU HARD IN THE ASS FUCKER. How dare you enjoy our story? How dare you envision those characters as much better looking characters than what we envisioned? Here you are, eat this shit asshole.
 

Spoiler

You wanted to have something good? Nope, we will coat all that good story with shitties of the shitty moe, dumb, emptyheaded looking mummin.

I'm devastated. This is 3h long story and I need a break in the middle of it.
Fuck this VN. Fuck Frontwing. Never again will I read anything from them (besides Grisaia, I need to finish that shitfest trilogy).

Edited January 8, 2017 by Vorathiel