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About this blog

This is a blog primarily focusing on but not limited to VNs.  It is primarily designed to express my opinion on otaku media (jrpgs, anime, manga, LNs, VNs, etc), individual VNs, and otaku community issues.   Most of the posts are related to my VN of the Month and Random VN columns, originally started in threads in the forums. 

As of March of 2017, I'm also looking for people to help with VN of the Month.

Entries in this blog

dropping for now: IxShe Tell

I honestly normally wouldn't bother explaining why I choose not to play a given VN in a given month, but with Hooksoft games, given their rather high popularity, there is a real need for me to say something. First, I don't like Hooksoft games.  They are written well, are visually pretty, and generally have moe-stimulating heroines.  However, they are also perfect examples of every reason I can find not to bother with the genre at times.  The characters are cute, there is plenty of ichaicha
Clephas

Clephas

1

VN of the Year 2016

As usual, I spent a lot of time thinking over this before I even considered making a decision.  The original list of candidates at the end of the year (after the initial series of in-brain eliminations) is as follows: Tokyo Necro Akeiro Kaikitan Amatsutsumi Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana (knocked Inochi no Spare out of the running) Tokyo Necro Tokyo Necro is Nitroplus's first masterpiece outside of the Science series (Steins;Gate, for those who don't know what I'm talk
Clephas

Clephas

3

The heroine that is always present

For those who have no idea whatsoever what I am talking about, I'm referring to a type of heroine that tends to exist in a relatively high proportion with a strong central plot... the type of heroine that remains by the protagonist's side, usually no matter which heroine he chooses and is usually the true heroine.  This heroine has a bond with the protagonist that surpasses that of a simple friendship or lover and can't really be cut without destroying them both.  This heroine's existence is usu
Clephas

Clephas

4

March Release: Kieta Sekai to Tsuki to Shoujo -The World was Prayed by The Girl Living A Thousand Years-

This review was written by fun2novel and edited for grammar and style by Clephas.  Etatoto review The mystery genre is one of the most interesting and captivating genres in fiction (Clephas: We are all entitled to our opinions). While there are many mystery vns out there, finding one that has an addictive, twisting plo, and a satisfying ending is a difficult task. It is even harder if you’re looking for something really unique and different from the usual murder who’dun’it, detective,
Clephas

Clephas

4

VN of the Year 2015: A statement in Compromises

First, let me state that 2015 is the flat-out worst year for VNs I've seen out of the last six.  There was a lot of upward and downward flow hovering around the line known as 'mediocre' or 'average', but there were - saying it straight out - no kamige and few titles that really stood out from the crowd.  It is definitely the worst year since I started VN of the Month, just two years and five months (or so) ago.  Unlike in 2013 or 2014, there are not a lot of titles I really even seriously c
Clephas

Clephas

6

Semiramis no Tenbin: Why I love it.

I get people asking me all the time why I like this VN so much, and indeed, there is a lot about this VN that makes it a somewhat eclectic choice. The only thing that is even remotely moe is the basic visuals, and the arcs of the story range from the shocking to the creepy. First, the biggest reason is quite simple... Kamio Ami. It is really rare for a heroine to so completely shatter pre-existing standards of what a VN/anime/manga heroine should be. Ami is the single most pragmatic, cold
Clephas

Clephas

4

Missing-X-Link ~Ten no Yurikago, Togi no Hana~ Part one

I started X-link on a whim, and I was surprised at its quality almost immediately.  This post is basically a composite view of my impressions up through the Chiruouka (bad) ending that lies roughly two-thirds of the way through the game.   X-Link uses the ladder-style structure made popular with G-senjou no Maou and Aiyoku no Eustia, and we all know my general dissatisfaction with this particular structure, so I won't go back over it.  Instead, I'll focus on the parts of this game that exis
Clephas

Clephas

0

A small social Commentary: Online multiplayer gaming vs solo and in-house multiplayer gaming

There was a time when online multiplayer was the dream of a bunch of idiot techies who thought it was the best idea it was possible for anyone to have. Those were the days, lol. I'm not kidding... I can mark the general era when I stopped playing games with other people to the days when online multiplayer superseded in-the-house multiplayer and split-screen coop games.  For better or worse, I don't like playing games with strangers.  It is uncomfortable, and I never have time to get us
Clephas

Clephas

8

The Sad Fact about Replaying VNs

The sad fact about replaying VNs... is that VNs don't have replay value. That's not to say it isn't possible to replay a VN and enjoy it.  With many of the more complex VNs, it is impossible to take in the entire thing on your first playthrough, so it is usually worth a second one.  Others are so well-written or have such great characters that they are worth reading again and again.  Yet others are just so much fun or are so funny (games made by Rosebleu, Lamunation, etc) that they are wort
Clephas

Clephas

5

Omokage Railback

First, I should mention that this review is split into two parts.  One covers the free prequel VN released back in May and the second covers the main game, which was released last week.  My personal advice is that you play the prequel first.  Both games are written in a really odd fashion (multiple narrators with the prequel and third-person with no insight into the protagonist for the main game).  Prequel The prequel covers the events eight years before the main game, filling you in o
Clephas

Clephas

2

Hanikami Clover: Succubi and wasted potential

... it has been almost a year and a half since the last release from Studio Ryokucha, and I was looking forward to this, almost despite myself.  This company has produced some really good games over the years, and I have generally enjoyed most of their games I've played thoroughly.  At first, it seemed like this one might end up being one of the better VNs by this company, but once I finished my first route, I was forced to come to the realization that my expectations - based on the building of
Clephas

Clephas

0

Tsuyokiss Next

This is actually my second time playing this VN, though my first playthrough only went through Neko and Kohane.  I will say that playing this after the original series does change my perspective somewhat, as it is easier to get the many references throughout the VN.  Hakari, one of the heroines, is the cousin of the protagonist from the original trilogy and the protagonist is Kani's cousin.  Jiro is a relative of one of the Kenpou Club's members from the time of the first protagonist (ten years
Clephas

Clephas

0

Nekonin exHeart

To be blunt, I'd expected at least a little more from a company that has made something of a name for itself balancing moe, ecchi content, and good story-writing.  This company occasionally slips up completely (Girls in Black was one example), and I'm afraid this is one of that type.  Nekonin follows an 'average guy' protag for roughly four hours (reading time) after he meets two kunoichi catgirls who say they've come to serve him.  The results are pretty wacky, and I actually had hopes for
Clephas

Clephas

4

Pulltop's new VN, why I might not play it

Pulltop's new VN, Miagete Goran, Yozora no Hoshi o looks beautiful, has a large cast of voiced characters with sprites, and generally is an obviously high-budget VN... but it is also a VN I'm not really interested in. You might want to ask why... after all, I like Pulltop's games in general, and it doesn't look any worse than the others by the same company, in terms of production values.  It is also being hyped a lot (inasmuch as VNs are ever hyped) and a lot of the people who have just begun pl
Clephas

Clephas

6

Romanticization of War in Fiction

First, let me say this outright... I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with the romanticization of war in fiction.  I love bloody epic war stories even more than I love sushi and ice cream.  However, one thing I've noticed as I've read various historical fiction and fantasy is that the bloodier and more horrid a war is, the more it gets romanticized.  Western Examples The Hundred Years War- The Hundred Years War is perhaps the most obvious example of a war being romanticized in the
Clephas

Clephas

4

VN of the Year 2014

First, the announcement. After careful - extremely careful - consideration, I have chosen Nanairo Reincarnation as VN of the Year 2014. The runners-up were Semiramis no Tenbin and Bradyon Veda. 2014's top ten, based on quality with a 70% emphasis on story elements, a fifteen percent emphasis on sound, and a fifteen percent emphasis on visuals. 1. Nanairo Reincarnation 2. Bradyon Veda 3. Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai (yes, I didn't list this one as a runner-up, because I was physically incapa
Clephas

Clephas

0

Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni

Yorite Konoha wa Kurenai ni is the newest release from Lump of Sugar, the company responsible for Tayutama.  Lump of Sugar is a huge hit and miss company.  Though it was more consistent ten years ago, of its last seven releases, only two have been at VN of the Month level (eligible if nothing better is there), which is a huge downward move from the era of the original Tayutama.  Lump of Sugar's art-style is 'classic moe', updated with current tech but mostly left alone at the most basic level. 
Clephas

Clephas

1

Kenseiki Alpha Ride: Final

Mmm... having finished the final path, my conclusion is pretty clear... This is a game that had a lot of potential that was primarily screwed up by how poorly executed certain game mechanics were and the way they did the two protagonists.  In my previous posts, I already went over my feelings on the two initial paths and their protagonists, so I'll leave that where it is and move on to the third path. The third path - the true path - basically shifts gears completely, drastically altering the se
Clephas

Clephas

4

Anniversary 2017

Well, the fourth anniversary of my VN of the Month series of posts is coming in another week or so... and to be honest, I'm a bit amazed at how long I've kept this going.  Four years of playing most of the non-nukige VNs that came out each month, writing something on them, then picking one to be VN of the Month (or not, if none met my standards)... to be honest, my opinion hasn't changed much since the last time this time of year came around.  VN of the Month is one of the single most grueling t
Clephas

Clephas

8

Random VN: Kurenai no Tsuki

I first played this VN in 2011, having read Accany's review of it (it was on his rather long list of recommended VNs), and at first, I had trouble getting into it.  To be blunt, my distaste for mysteries is pretty much the biggest reason why I had trouble with this... but the protagonist is, in some ways, your typical 'stick his nose in everything and anything' detective, meaning that he frequently takes actions that make me want to face-palm.  In addition, his unwillingness to put the puzzle pi
Clephas

Clephas

4

My opinion: Pitfalls of a Fantranslator

This is a simple post putting forth my views on what the largest pitfalls are for a fantranslator, both in the immediate sense and the long-term. Immediate 1. Making promises: Anyone who starts a translation is bound to do something stupid... such as setting a deadline or predicting how long it will take them to do something.  Even experienced translation groups trip and fall into this particular trap.  Nothing good comes of making promises, primarily because rl exists. 2.  Agreei
Clephas

Clephas

4

April Release: Yuusha to Maou to, Majo no Cafe [EDITED]

Now, considering that all the games Mint Cube made up until now were kusoge (personal experience speaking here), I didn't expect to be especially impressed by this game.  Thankfully, I was surprised a little by how this game turned out.  In the world of this VN, the light and darkness, embodied in the Maou and Hero, fought one another ten years before... and no one knows the outcome.  Since then, the world has settled into a relative state of peace. This game focuses on the amnesiac Tarou,
Clephas

Clephas

4

Tsuyokiss Sangakki Full Edition

Common Path The common path in this VN is, I'm going to say straight out, better than either the original's or Nigakki's.  Part of this is the variety of events.  Both the original and Nigakki tended to have a lot of event repetition in the general sense (ongoing jokes like Inori Sensei being late to class and Kani's reaction to it), and while some of that is inherited, in general there was a lot more in the way of interesting events throughout the path.  However, what really brought the pa
Clephas

Clephas

0

VN of the Year 2017

As always, I took a ridiculous amount of time considering candidates for VN of the year, this year.  The final lineup of candidates were: Aoi Tori Kin'iro Loveriche Bakumatsu Jinchuu Houkoku Resshiden Miburo (I determined that it, to an extent, stands on its own enough to be considered) Suisei Ginka Haruru Minamo ni Eliminated: Yami to Hikari no Sanctuary (lost to Aoi Tori) Kanojo wa Imouto de Tenshi de (lost to Haruru Minamo ni) Oni ga Kuru (los
Clephas

Clephas

3

Spiral!!

Spiral is the latest game from Navel, the company responsible for Shuffle and Tsuriotsu.  This is also based in the same world as Shuffle, albeit a generation later (which is suitable, seeing as it has been almost a generation since the original Shuffle was released).  For those who aren't aware of this fact, the original writer of Shuffle, Agobarrier, died a back in 2016, and it is perhaps inevitable that the world he created would end up looking a lot different once someone else took over comp
Clephas

Clephas

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