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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

Random Translation: Devils Devel Concept Opening scene

(The first few lines of this can't be hooked, and I've never had the scripts extracted, so forgive me for not presenting the Japanese for them) Half of this world is made up of 'evil'.  'Evil' is desire. That which humans spill out as easily as breathing. (Clephas: combination of two lines, due to this VN being NVL style, it is often necessary to translate multiple lines together) That is an unseen crystallization of people's emotions. That is desire. That is 'evil'
Clephas

Clephas

0

Book Series: The House War

The House War series is one of three co-existing (to some extent, each of the series co-exists in time, often with the same characters) series written in the same universe by Michelle West, a half-Japanese, half-Canadian writer who first came to my attention when I was stunned by the first book of the Sun Sword series. The universe created in the three series (the Sacred Hunt duology, the Sun Sword series, and the House War series) extend across over thirty years of time in-series and invol
Clephas

Clephas

0

2nd Experimental Book Post: Honor Harrington

First, I should mention that I'm a huge fan of David Weber.  Even his crappiest book is still interesting to read (the crappiest book being Out of the Dark, an Independence Day-style story where the world is saved by Dracula, lol).  However, the Honor Harrington series is my favorite series written by him. Beginning with On Basilisk Station, this military sci-fi series begins focused on the character known as - obviously - Honor Harrington, a young warship captain getting command of a new l
Clephas

Clephas

2
Japanese literature

The Ups and Downs of Web Novels and Light Novels

I'll go ahead and begin with an intro to my current experience with Light Novels and Web Novels in Japanese.  For the last two years, I've been reading them at a rate of 60-100 chapters a day (faster in the case of below-average size chapters).  I primarily read fantasy with a side of science fiction (no, not just isekai, though I love isekai).  This isn't hard, because fantasy and science fiction make up over three-quarters of all the LNs and Web Novels out there.  This is a bit ironic to my ey

Random VN: Lineup

I went ahead and based my schedule on the poll's numbers...  1: Silverio Vendetta (because I need some chuuni) 2: Houkago no Futekikakusha 3:  Dracu-riot (Japanese version) This is subject to change based on what is going on and sales (I keep an eye out for cheap games on download, lol), but for now, this is the schedule.  I am also going to play Kouya (started yesterday as withdrawal reached its peak).  Sorry, as I said before, I ignored that poll.  Jeanne would take too muc
Clephas

Clephas

0

Sora no Tsukurikata part three: Third Arc and Noa

The third arc of this story focuses on the homonculus, Noa. Noa is a homonculus made by an old alchemist named Kagari, who dwells atop the hill overlooking the city.  She is the game's resident loli, a sweet, slow-speaking, kind-hearted girl who raises vegetables as something of a cross between her lifework and a hobby.  Naturally, like most characters of her type, she is widely loved by the game's characters. The third arc and Noa's path pursue knowledge of Noa's past, her nature as a
Clephas

Clephas

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JRPG

JRPG: Saga Frontier Remastered

Saga Frontier is one of the most oddball rpgs to have been released on the ps1, and the ps1 was long considered the 'era of classics' for all jrpg-dom, with remakes of the earlier major names and innumerable newer classics being released for the system.  The Saga series in general is something of an acquired taste, due to the sheer opaqueness of the leveling mechanics and odd, often nonsensical experimentation with random game elements.   In terms of game mechanics, Saga Frontier is easily
Clephas

Clephas in JRPG

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Getting back into VNs after time away

For most people who play VNs, taking a break is a normal thing.  Even taking a hiatus of a few months or a year seems to be standard for many in our little community. For ten years, for me, it wasn't. My new addiction to litrpgs succeeded in breaking me of my compulsive VN-reading for the first time in a decade.  While some might consider this a bad thing (and have told me so), others have said that it was a good one.  Personally, as I've started playing Purple Soft's latest game, Seis
Clephas

Clephas

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June Release Issues

I'm going to be blunt... I won't be playing any more of June's releases for a while.  My reasons?  I have several. 1)  My phys copy of Haruoto isn't set to arrive until mid-September, so I can't play it right now. 2)  Aiao keeps pressing my pet peeves, but I'm feeling more irritable than I really should, indicating that I simply won't be able to rate it fairly.   Problems with Aiao I've mentioned this in the past, but I intensely dislike pop culture and the entertainment busi
Clephas

Clephas

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Clarification: VN commentaries

I've been asked what my standards are for VNs in general and how I apply them to my commentaries on VNs I've played in this blog. I've explained my standards before, as needed, but there is something that came out in that conversation that I think needs to be addressed. First, my favorite genre of VNs is and probably always will be chuunige.  This is because I like violence, I like internal monologues, I like hedge philosophy, and I love all that crap that makes former chuunibyou patients r
Clephas

Clephas

0

Toxic Tropes: The Childhood Promise, the easygoing osananajimi relationship

I decided to start a series covering certain tropes I consider to be generally toxic for various reasons.  These tropes are not character archetypes (which I will probably make a different series of posts about later), just to let you know. This time, I want to cover the childhood promise, and easygoing relationships with osananajimi heroines. The Childhood Promise Perhaps one of the most prolifically used tropes in charage in particular and VNs in general, the childhood promise i
Clephas

Clephas

0
Japanese literature

LN: The Great Cleric (Seija Musou)

Seija Musou, better known as the Great Cleric for its English release (which I haven't read), is an interesting story about an isekai reincarnator who becomes a cleric purely because he wants to die of old age this time around.   In a way, Luciel, the protagonist, is fairly similar to Satou, the protagonist of Death March, in that his goal isn't to save the world but he ends up doing it anyway.  The biggest difference is that Luciel isn't all-powerful (well, at least not until VERY late in
Clephas

Clephas in Japanese literature

0
VNs

One more Random Translation: Kerberos

Fall from the heavens, oh my guardian star.  Obliterate everything within the iron abyss. I have served at the side of Hades for many ages.  I am the beastly and arrogant wolf who prays for the fall of all that is bright and noble while easing my hunger with the flesh and blood of the dead. Spit out curses, devour hope, grind the jaws of despair.  The deadly poison that drips from my fangs desperately, oh how desperately desires the collapse of the heavens.  Let the shining brilliance
Clephas

Clephas in VNs

1

VN of the Month Updates

For March's VN of the Month fun2novel has finished etatoto and will be sending me his review at some point in the near future.  Dergonu is currently playing Akumade, Kore wa ~ no Monogatari, though the current date he will be finishing it is unknown.  When I have their reviews for these two VNs, I will announce the VN of the Month for March. For April's releases I've currently completed three VNs from this month.  Koneko, Maou to Yuusha, and Tenpure.  Only Maou to Yuusha, of the
Clephas

Clephas

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Random VNs: Shukufuku no Kane no Oto wa, Sakurairo no Kaze to Tomo ni

For those who are wondering about jury duty: I got rejected inside ten minutes without an explanation, lol.  Moreover, I spent four days reversing my sleep schedule so I wouldn't be groggy and zombified... what a waste of effort. Anyway, I finished playing Shukufuku no Kane last night but didn't have the time to post on it, given how I needed to go to bed eight hours earlier than my usual time.  This is the second time I played this game,, and I had to shift the vote upward in response to m
Clephas

Clephas

0

Random Translation: Silverio Trinity (Dainsleif rant)

「かつて、核爆弾という殲滅兵器があったらしい。旧暦二十世紀に誕生した破壊の炎は、長らく人類を焼き尽くせる破壊の象徴だったんだとよ。　2500年代にもなればどの国でも当たり前の基本装備になり、それぞれが世界を焼き尽くせる量を保有しつつ、それぞれの領土へ常に矛先を向けていたそうだ。おまえ達が撃って来たらこっちも撃ち込んで滅ぼしてやる、という感じでな――いわゆる核抑止論というやつだ」 Dainsleif "In the distant past, there used to be a weapon of annihilation known as the nuclear bomb.  This destructive flame, born in the twentieth century of the old calendar, was for a long time the symbol of humanity's ability to destroy itself.  By 2500, it was basic equipment for every nation, ever
Clephas

Clephas

0

Third Book Post: LE Modesitt, Jr

I'm doing a spotlight on this author for a number of reasons... one is that I'm currently going back through his works on my new Kindle (lol), but another is that I have never really understood until recently just how profound an effect his works have had on my thinking until I had the opportunity go back and marathon some of his series. Modesitt has been writing since 1982 (the year I was born, incidentally) and has a massive number of works to look at (seventy novels across a number of se
Clephas

Clephas

0

Random Vns: Itoshii Kanojo no Mamorikata

This VN is the third AXL VN I played, way back in 2011.  This VN is a charage with a twist.  That twist is that its setting is a military school run by a PMC (Private Military Corporation) named Blaze, designed to produce bodyguards, special forces mercenaries, and military researchers.  It starts out with the protagonist entering the school, hoping to reunite with his osananajimi Yui, having promised to do so as a child *pauses for laughs*, and having exchanged letters over the years, keep
Clephas

Clephas

0

A likely delay for VN of the Month, January 2018

To be blunt, there is no way I'm going to be able to use more than an hour or two each day for the next week for VNs.  My work pace is currently at the highest it's been since the summer of 2013.  I, quite frankly, had to cut sleep out of my schedule to get through Shogun-sama, and that is costing me in focus and energy now.  As such, I am unsure of when I will get to the next VN.   Of late, my days have consisted of work>eat>take nap>more work>eat>take nap>yet more work&g
Clephas

Clephas

1

Kodomo no Asobi Part 2: Yuzuriha (moving onto Hatsuru)

I went ahead and did Yuzuriha's path, since it and Sera's branch off from one another.  Despite this fact, Yuzuriha's path is quite distinct from Sera's, so you don't need to worry about all of the text repeating or anything like that.  Yuzuriha's path does have one thing in common with Sera's though... and that is that the relation formation stage is pretty long.  In both cases, there is a lot of back and forth, chasing and being chased, and if you have trouble with that, this path might be a b
Clephas

Clephas

0

Magical Dears Final: Good god, this is crap.

Yes, I'm going to say it right here and now... this is a kusoge.  Oh, there are some good points...but unfortunately, the really half-assed way things are done between and after the most vital points kind of make this VN the crap it is. First, this VN as a whole suffers from the 'didn't go far enough' and 'not enough detail' syndromes.  Even the romantic elements in this VN feel truncated, and that is usually the only story element in which charage excel.  Why do I say 'didn't go far enough'?  I
Clephas

Clephas

0

Book series: The Recluce Saga

The Recluce Saga, despite being a somewhat niche 'high fantasy' novel series, is perhaps one of the largest and most monolithic such series to have been written in the last forty years.  Beginning back in the eighties and spanning more than twenty books now, it is LE Modesitt Jr.'s signature series, the series that propelled him from a somewhat eccentric author of varying science fantasy and science fiction novels and series to one of the quiet dominators of high fantasy as a genre.   The R
Clephas

Clephas

0
Japanese literature

WN: Shinja Zero no Megami-sama to Hajimeru Isekai Kouryaku

This particular WN series falls into the set called 'transference', as opposed to summoning or reincarnation.  The protagonist, Takatsuki Makoto and his classmates freeze to death in a bus buried in an avalanche, only to wake up in another world, inside the Temple of Water, where it is explained to them that they have been saved by the mercy of that world's gods.  They all receive skills and are more powerful than the natives... except for Makoto, whose status doesn't rise when he levels and onl
Clephas

Clephas in Japanese literature

3

Character settings, game settings, and their use

This is a theme that actually doesn't come up very often in my reviews/commentaries on VNs these days, primarily because most VNs use what settings - whether those of the characters or of the game itself - to at least an adequate degree.  There are actually very few VNs that include setting elements that are interesting but never end up used... because it irritates the hell out of people who actually pay attention. The most recent example, which made me go off on a foul-mouthed tirade in pr
Clephas

Clephas

0

Ojounana Character Special: Sakurazaki Hajime

Hajime is your ultimate lady's valet (not a butler, as he says repeatedly), serving as Naname Nanami's bodyguard, tutor, and general servant.  He and his sister, Hana were brought to the Naname Manor as children after their parents' death to live as servants by the head of the Yuuzenji Family at the time (the Yuuzenji are one of seven cadet branches of the Naname Family).  He earned Nanami's trust and became her ultimate ally, protecting her from attempts to forcefully betroth her to members of
Clephas

Clephas

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