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Have you ever read a VN twice?


AustriaVNFan

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I think the title says it all. The reason I am asking is that I am considering reading Clannad again. It was the first VN that I read and it really got me into the genre. I have very fond memories of it but I keep wondering if it's only because it was the first one I played or because it was really that good. Also there are so many other titles that I want to read that it kinda feels like wasting valuable reading time.

So I wonder: have you read VNs twice? And if yes, did the second reading change your opinion about the VN?

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Ekhemmm...

As for me - I did read Princess Evangile twice - second time it was to check out All-ages version. I loved it, and whole experience was like coming home, or meeting old friends again.

Quote

I was all like "Ah, Rise, Chiho, Ayaka, Ritsuko, everybody - nice to see you again :)"

Some day I may revisit it again. And I think that I actually prefer all-ages version. I absolutely loved "morning/cuddling after" CGs for Chiho and Ayaka that were added in this version.

 

I also read Kotori's route in Konosora twice - when I played the game for the first time, I dropped it at Ageha's route, waiting for retranslation, so when the patch came out I read whole thing again. I enjoyed it all the same (or even more because of better TL ;)). I actually plan to read Konosora for the third time, but this time it will be Japanese all ages version - Cruise Sign.

Edited by adamstan
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I've read Bible Black 4 times. Yes, it's the only VN I've ever went through so many times xD (first time in 2009, second time in 2012, third time in 2015, and last time in 2017). Truly a masterpiece of a VN. I've read only 2 works from Sei Shoujo so far (with Heartwork being the second one), but I already think of him as one of my most favorite eroge writers.

As for other VNs... I've read some of them twice, like for example Yukizakura and Figures of Happiness. However, I didn't enjoy these two as much as Bible Black, so my second playthroughs on them felt more like a chore than anything else. There are some other VNs I plan to reread at some point, like I/O, Dies irae, Swan Song, SubaHibi, and UmiKana. But those will have to wait. I'm too busy reading other stuff, so I won't get back to those anytime soon, despite enjoying them quite a lot.

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1 hour ago, AustriaVNFan said:

I think the title says it all. The reason I am asking is that I am considering reading Clannad again. It was the first VN that I read and it really got me into the genre. I have very fond memories of it but I keep wondering if it's only because it was the first one I played or because it was really that good. Also there are so many other titles that I want to read that it kinda feels like wasting valuable reading time.

So I wonder: have you read VNs twice? And if yes, did the second reading change your opinion about the VN?

Yes, many times.  However, I have a few pieces of advice for you.

1.  Make sure that it has been at least a year (preferably two or three) since you played it. 

2.  Are you the type that rereads novels?  Then you should be ok in theory.

Overall, I only reread ones where there is a strong emotional or intellectual element that might take on new facets on a new playthrough.  Devils Devel concept is one where I only got a fifth of what was going on the first time, and with each successive reading (up to five now), I've found something new to obsess over. 

Clannad is a nakige, so as long as you like to cry, you should be fine.  Emotional moments are emotional moments, after all.

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I'm close to finishing rereading VA-11 HALL-A. While thinking about a few storytelling tropes that tend to annoy me in VNs I remembered how clever it was at avoiding them. Which I wasn't even aware of the time I first read it as it was one of the first VNs I played. So I thought it would be interesting to check it out again after having become more genre-aware. I might like it even more now than I did before.

Other than that I have only reread titles with major gameplay elements like the Danganronpa and Zero Escape series so far.

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I'm not talking about stuff like tsunderes, amnesiac protagonists or baseball scenes. It's more about the way the VNs handles world building, portraying character arcs and working them into the story. There is a reason these are handled the way they are in most titles, and it's not that easy to change major parts of the formula without everything becoming a huge mess. 

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No, I've never reread a VN fully. I just revisit my favourite parts.

A lot of the description in a VN that helps immerse you in your first play, becomes extra baggage when you go to play the VN again. If the VN is pretty concise in this aspect then you can still play it again. Another way is by waiting many years before replaying the VN. After 4 years, I noticed my impression changes quite a bit (Current impression is different from how I pictured from memories.)

Basically, I think you reread stuff to check details, or if the work is layered enough so that your impressions will differ and justify a second playthrough.

 

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On 16.4.2019 at 9:12 AM, adamstan said:

Ekhemmm...

sorry, I was so sure that there hadn't been a topic like this until now that I didn't bother searching before starting this :( that will teach me!

Other than that it seems Princess Evangeline is mentioned by a lot of people so that must be a pretty good one it seems!

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My regular re-reads I'll list below.

1.  Devils Devel Concept

2.  Evolimit

3.  Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier

4.  Komorebi no Nostalgica

5.  Houkago no Futekikakusha

6.  Tiny Dungeon (really Rosebleu games in general, since I love the style, lol)

7.  Draculius

8.  Izuna Zanshinken

9.  The Silverio series

Now, having said this, I've had people ask me why I've only read Dies Irae, most Nitroplus games once or twice, and a number of other chuunige VNs.

The reasons are simple... most Nitroplus games just aren't as good after all the behind-the-curtain stuff is revealed.  Dies Irae also suffers on a second and third playthrough because you can't recapture that sense of 'wtf is going on?!!' that you have the first time through.  Games that rely on that tend to be harder to read a second time through, because the gap in sheer exhilaration leads to nostalgic sadness, at least in my case.  I have to wait five years between Dies Irae replays, hahaha.

The fact is, you might be surprised at what games you enjoy replaying the most... they might not be in your top ten or even top twenty.  You might find yourself replaying a game solely to reclaim a single glorious moment halfway through (I've done this before, lol).  Replaying VNs is... weird sometimes.

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Clannad is my first JVN. It's also the one I love, perhaps, the most. I have pondered over the same question numerous times, OP. After all, I've read little busters not too long ago and was all like "Yeah, it's great, but it's not Clannad". If I'll ever reread something, that's, probably, Flowers though.

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I've reread Hakuoki when both parts of Shinkai came out on Steam... Or rather, I'm still rereading it, because I only read 1-3 routes every few months XD And I'm taking it so slowly precisely because it's just as good as I remember, so I don't want to rush or be done with it too early. As someone mentioned before, it really is like coming home to old friends (especially since it was my first VN). The fact that they've added 6 more character routes (one of which I was praying for ever since I've first read Hakuoki) makes it even better <3

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Even though i read VNs for about 5 years, i've only re-read 1 VN, "Tokyo School Life", and it wasn't because the story was great, it was because i ended the VN when i was reaaally sleepy, i think i was over 90 hours awake back then, and when i finally slept, i forgot the whole plot, and for some reason i can't remember, i overwrote the save, so i played the whole VN again. i was sleepy, okay?

I got used to never re-read anything because i never had time to do so, and now that i do have time, i'm used to "not re-read".
Same for anime, i can count on my fingers the number of animes i did re-watch.
(btw, i've got over 10k Episodes and 300 Finished Animes on my MAL, and i've yet to complete the list, so it's not like i have nothing good to re-watch.)

Edited by Sekan Orochi
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