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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

Potential Parters: This is what I would like someone else to take care of for March's releases

https://vndb.org/v20314 https://vndb.org/v20339 The games linked to above are the ones I would prefer to leave to someone else for March's releases.  For Giga's new game, the reason is that I can't bring myself to play anything non-Baldr by Giga.  For the other, it is because I don't like the theme (a k-on club).  Anyone who is playing one or both of these anyway, could you do me the favor of sending me your opinions when or if you complete them? 
Clephas

Clephas

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VN of the Month: April 2016

I'm going to be honest... this was a month of unrealized potential and over-hyped games.  To put things straight in my own words... I really, really don't want to name anything from this month as VN of the Month.  If I were to name a VN of the Month based solely on quality and ignoring my own policies on sequels and remakes, it would definitely be Sengoku Koihime X.  Nothing this month even gets in the same region as that VN, for all its flaws.  Unfortunately, I do have a personal policy on nami
Clephas

Clephas

0

December 2016: The remaining VNs

December was a month with a ridiculous number of highly-anticipated VN releases... and after having played three of them in such a short time, I felt a need to recall which ones I hadn't. Currently, I'm playing Shinsou Noise, which is a dark fantasy mystery written by the Liar-soft team and drawn by the Silky's Plus team (of Nanairo Reincarnation fame).  What remains after that that I planned to play is: Venus Blood Ragnarok (sequel in the 'main setting' of the series) Akiyum
Clephas

Clephas

3

Tarareba

This is a moege (yes, a moege) and a nakige (think Key style, with less depth and more sex) by Aries, a company that makes 'themed' games (mostly).  In this case, the theme is 'what if?'  Basically, they set it up as a deliberate 'what if you changed these events?' scenario for the protagonist.  To be frank, Aries' games tend to rank from average down to somewhere below mediocre, outside of having some of the sexiest heroines I've seen outside of nukige and Semiramis no Tenbin, lol (this is sett
Clephas

Clephas

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Stubbornness and Burnout

For those familiar with me, you know I spent year after year doing VN of the Month and that I ritualistically complained about how tired I was of this or that trope or bad habit that plagued the industry or games.  I was asked repeatedly why I could still plow through so many VNs, despite the stress?  The simple answer is that I have always been stubborn as hell.  I've experienced 'burnout' numerous times in my life, mostly because I have a naturally obsessive personality.  Once I start obsessin
Clephas

Clephas

3

Sora no Tsukurikata Final: Final Arc, Haru route

Surprisingly enough, Sora no Tsukurikata has managed to avoid driving me insane with rage.  *pauses for the gasps of shock and the screeches of terror from the audience* In the end, this VN managed to mostly avoid the violence you would see in most VNs with mafia members as main characters, and it did so without going down the 'total moe-moe' route that most VN writers would have chosen in the same case.  Haru is the main heroine of the game, but her route doesn't relegate the other he
Clephas

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Random VNs: Kyonyuu Fantasy 3

The Kyonyuu Fantasy series is easily one of the weirdest series I’ve ever encountered.  On one side, you have what is clearly nukige levels of sexual content, with some of the most absurd h-scenes I’ve ever encountered, taking male breast-obsessions to new levels.  On the other side, you have startlingly detailed settings and interesting stories with protagonists who only seem weak on the surface. Kyonyuu Fantasy 3 is no exception to my experiences with the series.  When I started it, I w
Clephas

Clephas

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Replaying VNs

I've been asked in the past many times, 'How can you replay VNs?' and 'Isn't that boring?'.  In fact, I get asked that a lot with my 'Random VNs' posts.  I thought I'd answer this question... Replaying VNs is a matter of passion.  To be blunt, if it is in a genre I don't like or hits my pet peeves too hard, I can't bring myself to replay it.  The fact is, VN experiences don't change through multiple playthroughs, and in this way they are much closer to a book than to the interactivity of ma
Clephas

Clephas

0

Yuganda Uso to Koi no Letter

First, I should note that, despite how it begins, this VN turned out to not be a nukige.  However, it is definitely not a 'pure love' story from beginning to end.  A literal translation of the Japanese name would be 'The warped lie and love letter' with 'letter' being interchangeable with the word for a stereotyped reputation. Second, I should warn anyone who plays this to either do Saeko's path last or read only her path.  It is just too hard to pick another heroine after picking Saeko.  I
Clephas

Clephas

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Japanese literature

WN: Omake Tenseisha

Omake Tenseisha is the story of a girl who lived through hell on earth and had a new hell waiting for her when she was tossed aside by the gods and reincarnated again.  For those who have read a Snake's Life or Kumo, this will be a story that is somewhat familiar.  The protagonist is fairly similar to Kumoko (naturally ruthless, tends to think cheerfully most of the time, ends up eating everything that is her enemy, lol).   The story itself is one long 'driven out of a town', 'ate everythin

Sora no Tsukurikata Part one: First Arc, Kazuha route

As I began this VN, I decided to change my approach to how I would handle it.  My dislike of ladder-style story structures will probably cause me to go berserk when I finish the final (Haru's) route, but for now, I'm going to evaluate the story based on each arc and its associated heroine route, ignoring the VN as a whole until I've gone through the final route. Now, the protagonist of this story is a pretty archetypical character... a PI who has been scarred and run down by life living in
Clephas

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Random VN: Haruru Minamo ni

Haruru Minamo ni is one of my favorite games by one of my favorite charage companies, Clochette.  Clochette is known for a combination of decent stories, moe-ero (sexy and moe) heroines, and fantasy/sci-fi settings.  Haruru Minamo ni is based in the same world as Amatsu Misora Ni, which is - ironically - my least favorite Clochette game.  In this world, the idea and existence of Japanese-style deities is a self-evident reality.  This is partly due to the fact that 'arahitogami' (kami who take a
Clephas

Clephas

0

September 2018 Releases That I'm not Playing [Edited}

This is a list of next month's releases that I'm not playing (that aren't nukige) and my thoughts on each, based on the Getchu and official pages, as well as my experience with the writers and companies involved. Raspberry Cube This is from the makers of Wagamama High Spec, one of the most average charage in existence *Clephas sticks out his tongue defiantly at the inevitable protestors, accidentally allowing several demons he was eating to escape*  First, the good signs... this game's
Clephas

Clephas

2

Experimental book post: The Black Jewels Trilogy

This is a test post, based on the results of the poll I posted a few weeks back.  The win was borderline, so if I don't get a reasonably large response, I won't continue to post about my conventional reading. The Black Jewels Trilogy, by Anne Bishop is one of my favorite book series of all time.  It is a dark, sensual fantasy based in a unique universe, where a race of magic aristocrats called the Blood rule three worlds, Tereille, Kaeleer, and Hell.  The main characters of the story are a
Clephas

Clephas

5

Preview for November releases

For those who are wondering, this is a list of VNs I'm planning to at least sample.   Yomegami Ryakudatsuha no Inen (seriously, despite the fact that it is an obvious trap) Gokukano (giving this a chance, in case it isn't a nukige) Natsuiro Koi Uta Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana (no idea what this is about, since the Getchu and official pages are somewhat vague) Suki to Suki to de Sankaku Ren'ai     Right now, I'm playing Yomegami, having completed
Clephas

Clephas

4

Sakura no Uta Part 3: Shizuku, Episode IV

For various reasons, I haven't had time to push my way through the rest of this VN.  The biggest reason is simply because I had too much work to do.  I haven't even been playing Fallout 4... god what a boring few days.  Anyway, this latest entry covers Shizuku's path and the episode marked IV... both of which have a lot of similarities. Shizuku's path doesn't really feel like a heroine's path, to be frank about it.  Almost all of it is a reminiscence of what occurred in the months immediately be
Clephas

Clephas

0
Japanese literature

WN: Imouto no Iru Seikatsu

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6442ez/ This particular series is another reincarnation story, but it stands out because the entirety of the story so far is concentrated in his childhood, where he is constantly dealing with problems beyond his abilities, faced with situations where revealing his true abilities would harm his family, and generally trying to keep his yanderish little sister from being lonely.  His name is Alto Cranepot, and he is the bastard son of a noble who married into an Earl

Amenity's life (Well, I warned you) *shrugs*

Anyway, as I said in my previous post, I've never finished all of the routes of a Hook Soft game, despite their VNs being almost universally of relatively high-quality as charage go.  This one didn't turn out to be an exception, for the same reasons as all the others. It isn't a horrible VN.  In fact, for lovers of slice-of-life, cheap romance, and 'golden road' standard heroine routes, this VN is pure crack.  Unfortunately, the excess of any one of those elements without a good balance wit
Clephas

Clephas

1

Random VNs: Koitate

Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate - The Code Name is "Shield 9" is the VN that most vets think of when they think of AXL as a company.  For better or worse, this has become the defining work in this company's library, and it is the only one that has any sort of English release patch out (though it is only a partial with Yukino's route).  This VN is something of a thriller, focusing on Kisaragi Shuuji as he protects Yukino, Ren, and Marina from the assassins and would-be kidnappers inside their
Clephas

Clephas

0

Bansenjin: Final

To be honest, except for the end of the VN, this one is fairly disappointing. It was like they mixed a fandisc with a real sequel... there is way too much slice-of-life mixed into the VN, and the fact that they reused the Hajun concept again (anyone who plays this after having played Dies Irae and KKK will understand what I'm saying) was immensely irritating. I mean, the biggest complaint every last person who played the original had was that it was too much of a Dies Irae imitation, without t
Clephas

Clephas

0

Love Destination

Umm... wow? This game is seriously out there.   Yes, I needed to start with that.  Love Destination's every aspect is more than a little crazy.  It starts with a salaryman in his late thirties dying in a car accident and being told by the lazy-ass woman at the gates that she accidentally killed him on a whim.  She offers him a chance to start over from the branching point of his life (after several other attempts to cover her own incompetence), and he ends up going back in time... only
Clephas

Clephas

1

Bullet Butlers - a character portrait: Selma Fortenmeyer

Selma Fortenmeyer For various reasons, it isn't possible to tell the story of Bullet Butlers without telling the story of Selma Fortenmeyer, Rick's master. Selma is the true/central heroine of Bullet Butlers and the focus of most of the conflict in the VN, in the sense that she sparks most of the disasters and victories by her very existence and her position. Her growth as a character is easily the most powerful and obvious in the story, and it really is an incredible degree of growth. To
Clephas

Clephas

0

Looking for partners for VN of the Month

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've simply reached a point where playing four VNs from every month's releases is now unfeasible.  However, at the same time, I wish to ensure that the role I set this up for in the first place continues to be fulfilled. The Original Purpose of VN of the Month The central purpose of VN of the Month is to give people a general idea of what they can expect going into a VN that is untranslated.  Is it enjoyable?  Who would it be enjoyable for?  What kin
Clephas

Clephas

4

Revisiting an old memory

Recently, @Dreamysyu liked one of my older posts, and I felt it was worth revisiting three years later, simply because it has become an even more valid post in light of current events. At the time I wrote this post, I was pretty angry.  Why?  I'd had the misfortune to see several fellow otakus who happened to be female being subtly (and not so subtly) denigrated by other male otakus at a small gathering at a local gaming event.  The girls were obviously enjoying their cosplay (it was a cos
Clephas

Clephas

1

Companies that rest on their own laurels

(Note: Right now I'm playing Dungeon of Regalias, on a long-standing request for me to make an assessment.  This doesn't have anything to do with my statements below.) One of my pet peeves is companies that depend on their reputation to sell their games, regardless of quality.  Pulltop, Navel, and Circus are the most frequent offenders on this side...  Pulltop, in particular, has developed a habit of releasing second-rate games under existing IPs (the second and third Lovekami and their sex
Clephas

Clephas

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