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This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here. Genre – Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life Play Time – 35 hours Developer – COMPILE HEART and STING VNDB Steam Spirits In Love Being a spin off of the Date A Live franchise, Rio Reincarnation is saddled with a set of pre-existing expectations from fans while also not having the ability to progress the overarching narrative of the series. In many ways this is an impossible situation for a game to produce something meaningful out of and many similar titles have ended up as throw away junk. However, Rio Reincarnation manages to avoid this outcome through leaning into what made the franchise popular in the first place, its girls, and providing an emotional core story which wraps up in a way that means it has no impact on the original work. It is a tightrope walk to maintain this balance and it comes at the cost of any attempt to appeal to potential new eyes on the series, yet there is something undeniably charming about its open love for the source material. Is it able to keep this up over the course of the three games contained within the package or does it collapse under the weight of expectations? Let’s go on a date and find out. Utopia and VR – Narrative and Themes The first two games in this package, Rinne Utopia and Arusu Install, form the majority of its content and follow a similar structure. Each is made up a series of character routes with a final true route to act as a conclusion for their respective stories. Adopting this structure lets these titles focus on what Date A Live sells best, its cast. The player’s pre-existing attachment to them is a convenient avenue to an easy form of engagement where familiar events and personality traits are paraded around in this new context to feed a sense of nostalgia. It would be easy to fall into the trap of simply rely on this technique as the sole hook for the game, but these titles realise they need to go beyond this starting point in order to be something that is worth coming back to again and again. To achieve this they have small character arcs with suitable dramas attached that provide a unique direction to each route. They act as a means to enhance the memorable traits of the characters by playing up what the player has come to expect from an entirely new angle. A lot of effort has also been put into ensuring they do not in any way effect the greater cannon of the franchise and so it can exist as a form of throwaway yet distinctive fun. Throughout all this hints of the greater plot of the game are sprinkled in and these reach a crescendo in the final true route. This serves two purposes, firstly it helps draw together what are otherwise of disconnected character interactions and secondly it acts as an incentive to play all of the routes in order to get the full picture rather than just the ones focused around characters the player likes. Promoting another angle of engagement as well as a proper conclusion helps add some much needed texture to the game and allows it to form an identity of its own within the franchise. Just like the character routes, the final route also makes sure to end in a way where its events can be reasonably not mentioned by the cast in the main series which could irritate someone who was looking for something more substantial from the narrative. Bringing these two game together is the final part of the package, the titular Rio Reincarnation. This is a much smaller affair and aims to tie up some lose ends in order to offer a complete experience. In many ways this is as far as these games ever drift from the core cannon of the main franchise and it must instead rely on the investment the player has developed over the course of the previous titles. It seeks to encapsulate all that the Date A Live series is from its own angle and leave the player with a lasting impression to encourage them to come back again. A lot of its success can be attributed to the way it weaves in small nods to the arcs each character has been on throughout this package and relates them back to its own new characters in a way that heightens the drama surrounding them. The new characters are obviously somehow related to the cause of what is going on yet the sympathetic light the game thematically places on them makes the player wish that the inevitable confrontation and resolution could be put off for just a little longer. Rio Reincarnation bears a lot similarities to the true routes of the previous two games and so it can at times feel rushed as a result since there is not as much time to space out events and give them the proper room they need to express themselves. Even with this issue, it serves its overall purpose of acting as the package’s binding element and the experience of playing through the games is enriched by its presence. Balancing Emotions – Characters As a title firmly aimed at existing Date A Live fans, the original characters are the primary focus as it is their antics that most players are here to see. Each one is an incredibly faithful rendition of their cannon counterpart with all the reactions and playfulness expected from them. Since they are given their own routes, they have the space needed to sell a more intimate look at the emotions which underlay their actions and their relationships with the rest of the cast. Their character arcs are a natural extension of this closer perspective and tend to focus on single familiar angle on their personal conflict. It offers just enough development to make the arc feel like it has substance while not stepping on the toes of any future changes in the character. The results are somewhat uneven with characters who possess an existing source of tension to tap into, such as Kurumi and Origami, fairing far better as the narrative gains an inbuilt source of drama it can easily lean into in order to create a powerful impact. Other characters, in particular Tohka, can run into the issue of having nothing substantial to do and fall into a pattern of repeating the same basic elements of their personality to act as a distraction. It is also worth noting the increased presence of previously minor side characters who are here given a sizeable spotlight through optional side events and their role in the main characters' events. Through their inclusion the world of Date A Live is given an additional texture, each one provides a glimpse into the lives of people not directly involved in the Spirits conflict and humanises both themselves and the Spirits they interact with. Each of the titles in the Rio Reincarnation package includes at least one new character who acts as the focal point for that game’s plot. They get a lot a screen time to fully flesh themselves out since the game cannot rely on the player’s pre-existing understanding of them as it does with the old cast members. As a result they stand out against these almost static old characters and naturally draw attention to themselves which is both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side it makes them far easier for the player to empathise with due to the sympathetic struggles and growth they are allowed to undergo as well as the intimate emotions they express. Each feels as if they are not bound to the same obligations to continuity as the old cast and this freedom to be themselves gives a concrete anchor in order to bond with them. However, it is precisely the way that they stand out which introduces a lot of narrative weaknesses to these games. Most prominent among these being the complete inability to hide anything about how the plot is going to play out. It is obvious from the start that the new characters are responsible for what is going on and often it is easy to call exactly what their motives and actions will be. This results is an overall weaker feeling narrative experience as the player knows the outcome long before it happens and so the games rely even more on the player’s love for the characters to carry the story. Normal Life In An Abnormal World – Visual, Audio and Technical Capturing the essence of the Date A Live anime, rather than the original light novel, was clearly the intent when it came to the visuals and audio of Rio Reincarnation. Its art style relies heavily on its expressive Live 2D character sprites to sell the idea that these are the same characters the player is familiar with. In this role they do a brilliant job through all the small movements as the characters emote from tilts of the head to their whole body bouncing up and down, all of which are tweaked to help showcase the subtle difference in the cast. It makes sure these movements and character designs are a close to the source material as possible from their casual clothing to their spirit forms and the new character designs follow these design principles to the point of appearing completely natural along side the old characters. While the audio does not pull as directly from the anime as the visuals do, they still remain faithful in terms of the tone and mood they set. Slice of life with a splash of action are the ingredients that define Rio Reincarnation’s soundtrack. Light melodies echo as the cast laughs and silly antics play out which switch into dramatic and sweeping tracks as the stakes rise and characters assume their spirit forms. Overall the OST is not particularly original or memorable but instead it focuses on do its job in the moment and exists as something to reinforce the experience in its entirety rather than be able to stand on its own. Conclusion Many tie-in visual novels struggle with the competing demands of their obligations to the original material and the need to create something new and Rio Reincarnation showcases a shining example of how it can be done correctly. It adapts the existing Date A Live cast smoothly into its structure and gives them each a small character arc for their route which allows them to show off their personalities while not interfering with cannon. Visuals and Audio are something the package utilises to further draw on its connection to its source material and immerse the player in this setting. New cast members are made empathic and flexible since they stand out due to their more expansive emotional development and this helps make them memorable despite being only featured here. The titular Rio Reincarnation part of the package acts as a nice round up for the games’ plots and characters in one last concentrated form. A somewhat confusing to navigate choice system is the most noticeable flaw which does bring the player out of the experience to look up a guide. This is a game made for fans to tie into an existing franchise and the alterations made by Rio Reincarnation are about as far as the developers could have pushed the material without upsetting the people they are selling the package to.

Lots of stuff going on this week: I've created new free Mp3 music tracks for your projects. They are: "The Island of Horribleness"_LoFi "Ghouls Rule"_LoFi "Creepytown"_LoFi Good creepy fun! You'll find them on my Horror 2 page: https://soundimage.org/horror-2/ Ogg GENRE PACK PREVIEW VIDEOS You can now preview my genre packs as well as my Mega Music Pack on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oAWDZHVlg50yMMdGs0-MPQGhh6gQ3sw CUSTOM MUSIC I'm off and running creating a custom soundtrack for "Warbound," a strategy role-playing game set in a fantasy world. If anyone needs some custom music created, I'd love to help out! You can contact me here: https://soundimage.org/custom-work/ OTHER HELPFUL LINKS (I hope) https://soundimage.org/ogg-game-music-mega-pack/ https://soundimage.org/ogg-music-packs-2/ As always, enjoy, stay safe and keep being creative!

Just filled out the form! I'm very excited to see what you have in mind. You mentioned a potential play test; would you announce it here when its available?

For this week title since we had Yoru ga Kuru released with the story resemble Persona 3 and Alicesoft add Remaster label, I decided to add the word 'Reload' in the English title of it (Square of the Moon), even though Alicesoft didn't do much improvement on Yoru ga Kuru compared to what Atlus did on Persona 3. Anyway, compared to the last week we have fewer release, so it's pretty obvious that this week is a breather one. That said, there's still some interesting announcements, such as Nekopara 5 new exact release date and Tsukikana translation progress, so at least there's something worth to note. Overall this week is an average one, and let's see what I can write in regard of it. As for the release in this week, it's Pussylimpics from Cherry Kiss in which once again telling a story about a creepy sports physician who spent his time at job to take the picture at the big breasted female athletes until one day he was approached by the tennis player who tell the MC to make her rivals as his sex slaves, so that the tennis player can become number one athlete. Unfortunately for the tennis player, the MC was too eager to do his job with he eventually also make the tennis player as one of of his sex slave. Go get Pussylimpics if you're in a mood for a nukige, and have fun. Sekai had several updates at this week, although the most notable one is in regard of Nekopara 5 exact release date with they'll release it on 13th later. That said, it's more like it was released by the developer in DLSite with the English language support, because the review process by Steam is still not done yet so Sekai need to wait before they can release it on Steam (Or if they can release it on there or not). For their other updates, they currently waiting for the build of Dra-Con Cafe in order to insert the fully translated text, and also they already finished the editing work for A Maiden's Serenade with they currently do the programming work for it. From fan translation, we have Ushieta's translator say that he'll release the full patch of it on 13th later (Let's see if he can release the translation patch at that date later), and Majikoi A Plus Disk is at 15.42% edited. One of Nekonyan's translator mentioned that Futamata was already starting its QA work at their Discord, which mean that it's possibly already fully or almost fully edited and perhaps may be released in this year, although we still need to wait and see here. Speaking of wait and see, Yuzusoft has another new VN, LimeLight Lemonade Jam, in which they're clearly inspired from Bocchi the Rock by making the cover heroine, Ena, as someone who is shy on top having the story revolving around the rock band. While obviously there's still no announcement in regard of English translation with the VN will be released on September 26th later, there's a very high chance that Nekonyan will localized this, and so I'll write more of it later if there's some signs appear later. Lastly, Tsukikana full translation text was already finished which is definitely very major progress, although it's still not ended yet because the team still need to do editing and QC works before releasing the full translation patch of it. That's all for what I can write in regard of this week, and see you next week.

Good for you then.

Today we have a pleasure to host a new guest, Radiant Wave! Enjoy!

Physical edition was actually a LOT cheaper for me to buy even after proxy fees and shipping - I paid about 3000 yen for the physical edition while on DMM it was about 5000 yen last time I looked. I bought secondhand off Suruga-ya. I only had one issue getting it to work on Win11 and that was fixed with the Win8WOH thing. I will say though I only tested up until the first few sentences though. Re: not having a DVD drive, you can buy a USB disc drive for $20-30 off Amazon. If you're in this market and planning to buy / read some older visual novels you'll want one anyway since a lot of those games came as physical only. If you're looking to save money a lot of the time buying secondhand physical editions turns out to cost less than buying download editions of stuff.

I don't own a DVD driver, what I'm going to do. It's seems I have to find game and download it. Since it's impossible for me to buy it. I don't want to pirate copy games anymore but I don't have any choice.

Greetings Friends! More seamless texture images are ready for you on these pages on my site: https://soundimage.org/txr-brick-seamless/ https://soundimage.org/txr-concrete-pavement-seamless/ As always, they're 100% free to use in your projects with attribution, just like my thousands of other images, Mp3 music tracks and sounds. It's all original...all my own work. Here's a preview video showing some of my textures: https://youtu.be/ZYIZjpb3I3c?si=g68J8QhnaZHChwB2 Ogg MUSIC MEGA PACK Speaking of which, don't forget to check out my new preview video for my Ogg Music Mega Pack...it runs just over an hour and has chapter markers so you can get a good preview of the various genres in the pack. It's also kind of fun to listen to while doing other things...hopefully it'll give you a good idea of my music if you're not yet familiar with it. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/W7yQVscjqUM?si=wD1XqAOJ6_Lswgqw OTHER USEFUL LINKS (I hope) https://soundimage.org/ogg-game-music-mega-pack/ https://soundimage.org/ogg-music-packs-2/ Enjoy, please stay safe and keep being creative!

I've Been Longing After one of these for about as long as i've been wishing to have a 1/3 Girl of my very own... and an example showed up on the BAY, - at a price i could actually manage, even - a matter of mere months after welcoming both my First-Ever AND my Second 1/3 Hunnie into my Life~

The DMM version is the latest version and officially support up to Windows 10 64-bit, to purchase from DMM you will need to create an account and use a Japanese IP VPN, right now the game is pretty expensive at 522 Norwegian Kroner, but DMM does do discount sales from time to time. The physical copy will be harder and more expensive to get at the end with all the extra costs to have it shipped to Norway, not to mention you will also need a DVD drive to install it and the game only officially support up to Windows 7 (it's a 2010 game after all). First Print Limited Edition: http://anonymto.com/?https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B003TJ9H5S Regular Edition: http://anonymto.com/?https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B004L9L4W4

Thank you for your reply and answer, it hjelp a lot. I'll see what I do, I have no money now anyway, because no money until June 19. So I have time to think about it.

There is no other way to purchase it digitally. Physical copies would have to be purchased from second-hand sellers like Suruga-ya, and those would also probably require an additional shipping company like Tenso to act as a middleman to ship it outside Japan. It's unfortunate for such an old game like this, but DMM really is the most convenient way to legitimately acquire a copy.

Where else can I buy this VN? I'm unsure about buying from DMM since I'm from Norway.

First of all, sorry for the lack of updates since April, but it's all good because the patch is just about ready for release. At long last, the full patch will be released on Friday, June 13 at 22:00 UTC. Considering all the delays the project has had over the last year and a half, it's somehow fitting that it would end up getting released on Friday the 13th...not that I'm superstitious or anything, but it's still very funny. An absolutely insane amount of work by nReus went into this, including almost all of the image edits, subtitling and rendering of the videos, and even editing an animation sequence the game uses for the right-click menu to make it look as professional as possible, not to mention drawing up the Studio Frisay website, where you can see all of our projects to date. So I know you'll appreciate all the extra work that went into the project beyond the translation. As previously mentioned, the patch will work for either the original disc version released in 2010 or the version purchased from DMM; only the patch files will be different, as specified in the patch upon release. Any troubleshooting will be offered through the patch's readme, as well as on the website, and on the Discord. We've tested the patch on Windows 10 and 11, so any fixes are provided based on those systems. Sorry for the late reply to this, but I was planning on writing up something like this anyway, so this works out just as fine. First, why I picked it. I was trying to find a game that used the Kirikiri engine at the time since I wanted to try working with that engine for the first time, since it's pretty popular and knowing its ins and outs would be useful for any later projects that use that engine. But as to why Waremete specifically, I had watched the anime adaptation years ago, and I had wanted to read the game for a long time since, but just never got around to it. So it was a title that was kind of in the back of my mind, and I had wanted to revisit it to see if working on a patch for the game would be worth it, or even possible. Early work on the game's engine was a massive headache in terms of trial and error, since although the game uses Kirikiri, the developers had some really unconventional choices when they were using the engine, so I had to work through that, in addition to my own inexperience with the engine at the time. But once that was done and I started translating the beginning of the script, it wasn't soon after that I fully committed to the translation and to see it through to its end. My main impression of the game is that it was a good first (and ultimately only) title for Trumple to produce back in 2010. Remember that this was 15 years ago, and even back then, there were plenty of other bigger studios producing longer and more fleshed out visual novels that they had to compete with. So is this a AAA game? No, but it never really needed to be. I find the story interesting and engaging, the characters are endearing and I quickly became attached to their personalities and idiosyncrasies, and to a large degree I feel like the main appeal of the game are the characters themselves. I did enjoy the story. I wouldn't have worked on the game if I hadn't. But the characters really make this what it is in the end, in my opinion. Nagisa was my favorite character, but Airi is the true star of the story. No character in the game is more complex than her, and I feel the story shows that Saitou Kenji really took his time to develop her character. And it should come as no surprise that he also wrote Nagisa's route. Some of my favorite scenes were in Nagisa's and Airi's routes. The main thing I disliked about the game was that it felt kind of underdeveloped in places. All the routes seem kind of short, and the game itself is "only" 35,000 lines long, so pretty short as far as visual novels go. I do wish there had been more romantic scenes between Sou and each heroine, and in general just more interaction between the characters. The game's structure is also a little unusual since it doesn't have a separate common route, so maybe it could have been better had they done something like that instead. If nothing else, it would have provided more of those character interactions I already mentioned, if not also further developing the overall mystery of the story before getting into the heroine routes, but it's a relatively minor grievance I have with the game. There also aren't all that many supporting characters, and the few that exist are almost entirely underdeveloped except for one, and even that is not very much. Other than that, no real glaring disappointment. Stylistically, the art in the game is very nice, and the animated sprites are a really nice touch that adds to the game's overall esthetic, and makes interacting with the characters all the more enjoyable. The music is also very well done and I never found any of the tracks annoying to listen to over and over again. In the end, the game was a joy to work on and experience, and I hope others enjoy it as much as I did, if not more, once the patch is released next week.

I have decided to buy VN from now on since it's better this way and I support the company this way. I have just buy Sweets Love from MG and it went very well since it's my first time buy VN from MG. I have already buy VN from Jast USA. VN I have on my Jast USA page are Amazing Grace, Hatsuyuki Sakura, Paradise(BL VN) and The Shell 1. I'm going to buy VN everytime I have money on my bank.

As I've mentioned before, Raillore is trash. It is an experience empty of joy for fans of the genre and confusing due to poor UI design.

Welcome to this week VNTS Review, and because we have Perennial Dusk released, I decided to make the parody of the writer's previous work (Sakura, Moyu. -as the Night's, Reincarnation-) by changing 'Sakura' into 'Kinsenka' from Perennial Dusk full title, Hanataba o Kimi ni Okurou -Kinsenka-, and 'Reincarnation' into 'Celebration', with the latter from Sakura Celebration that Nekonyan finally finished with, which is quite fitting seeing we have witch in Sakura Celebration with it the closest thing to magical girl that Sakura Moyu is know for. For this week, it's certainly very interesting with several numbers of the releases, especially with the Perennial Dusk and Sakura Celebration, and not to mention Raillore. With that done, let's see what I can write in regard of this week. For Perennial Dusk, one of the notable stuff is that it was written by Irotoridori's writer, who as we know have some intricate writing when it come to world building and characters, which he manage to prove that he still can do it. In here, we have the serial murderer, Sai, who killed several people for the sake of protecting his little sister, although he can't feeling anything because he can't feel the pain in his heart. One day, he encounter a mysterious, Benio, and Sai start to feeling the sensation of falling in love to her, and afterwards Sai live together with Benio in the world where the living and dead mingle. Note that the writer did write very dark story, which while it's not really unusual seeing both Irotoridori and Sakura Moyu story are quite dark in some parts, this time it's really noticeable so much Frontwing need to censor the disturbing contents and advice the player to use the patch to restore it. Go get Perennial Dusk if you're curious about another work from Irotoridori's writer, and have fun. Oh yes, besides Perennial Dusk release Frontwing also has the exact release date for Kanade, in which they'll release it on 12th later so you can note the date if you're waiting for it. Unfortunately the preparation for releasing Nekopara 5 is still not done yet, so once again Sekai need to delay the release yet again. We also have Clover Reset manage to be released without much problem, and once again it's a GL VN where the MC Marin got awestruck by the transfer student Shizuku with Marin make a wish to get closer by pressing a four-leaf clover into her student notebook. Go get Clover Reset if you want to read more GL VN, and have fun. From fan translation, we have Daybreak give another update on Majikoi A Plus Disk with it now is at 5.34% edited. Despite the ban from Steam, Mangagamer manage to find a way to release Raillore with they released it in their own store after a Valve reviewer reject it to be added into Steam for some reasons (Probably because it shows too much skin for them), so good for Mangagamer. In Raillore, we have the world's civilization was reverted into the middle age with the people have the superpower called Dunamis. One day, there was a surge of the people gaining the superpower different from the known Dunamis called Errors, and so the task to handle the incident that may be caused by the Errors fell into the MCs group (Yes, we have two MCs just like in Sorcery Joker) who is the part of the security force. Note this is another 3rdEye VN, which mean it'll have battle with this time they tried to not using the narration to depict the battle, although it depend to each of their own to think whether it's the improvement or not. Go get Raillore if you've been waiting for it, and have fun. Kagura Games released Yoru ga Kuru with it is Alicesoft VN released in 2021, and people said the story resemble Persona 3 with the story involving moon. For the story, we have a town where it has another moon suddenly appearing, with another moon appearance signalize the beginning where the town terrorized by the monster in the night. One day, our MC Ryou suddenly encounter a monster in the night with he was saved by a girl. A day after, Ryou saw the girl again with she introduce herself as Izumi, and then she invite Ryou to join her club which was made to fight the creature. Obviously Alicesoft here remade the game in light of Persona 3 Reload, although Alicesoft only add standard improvement feature (ie double experience) which is more than enough. Go get the VN if you want to play an old Alicesoft VN, and have fun. We also have DesperaDrops Steam release, so feel free to get it if you want to play it on PC or Steam Deck. Lastly, we have Nekonyan finally manage to release Sakura Celebration after a delay for eight months in order to fixing the bugs and more importantly after Sol Press was folded when they're supposed to release it. For a bit of refresher, it was announced way back in AX 2019 or six years ago. However, soon enough Sol Press find themselves they took more than they could, with the company eventually folded because their inability to pay the tax and thus the license was cancelled. Some times later, Nekonyan took over the license with they finally manage to release this after delayed for some times. History aside, in here we have the MC Kazuki came back to his hometown in Misaki city with the town was known for the sakura flowers that stay longer than usual at each 10 years with Kazuki was came back when the town celebrating the happening. While the premise is related to sakura tree, it should be noted the main focus is the magic with the four heroines along with the MC are the witches, and speaking of it I hope that Nekonyan will also localize Witch's Garden if possible. Go get Sakura Celebration if you've been waiting for it ever since Sol Press announced it, and have fun. That's all for what I can write in regard of this week, and see you next week.

Hey everyone, It's been a very busy week, but I did manage to create and upload a new free music track to share with the community. You'll find it on my Puzzle Music 8 page: "BOUNCE LIGHT 3 " https://soundimage.org/puzzle-music-8/ Btw, the tracks on these pages can be used for all kinds of things besides puzzle games...that's just the first genre that comes to mind when I create them. Give them a listen! CUSTOM MUSIC Need some custom music created for your project? Well, they say if you want something to get done, give it to someone who's busy...and that would definitely be me. I work with multiple clients all the time so feel free to email me if you need help. My contact info is here: https://soundimage.org/custom-work/ Ogg MUSIC PACKS are here: https://soundimage.org/ogg-music-packs-2/ https://soundimage.org/ogg-game-music-mega-pack/ And a brand new video preview of my Ogg Music Mega Pack is here: https://youtu.be/W7yQVscjqUM?si=ZOALTyvdNwr0Wox9 It runs about an hour and is actually kind of fun to listen to while doing other stuff. Give it a try! In the meantime, please stay safe and keep creating awesome stuff.

GTO (1998) ended up winner, as was expected, nothing from translated ones came even close to it, sadly. 1. Thou Shalt Not Cheat (1998) [呆佬賀壽] (Finished 1/25) Tags: Drama The drama tells the story of Hong Kong in the 1930s. He Jinbao, a rich boy, was sarcastic and domineering but good at socializing. Unfortunately, he was harmed by a villain and became insane, turned into a fool, and lost control of the family business. Fortunately, he got help from his friends and his beloved. He used the principle that fools have good luck and often turned danger into safety. In the end, he even snatched the ancestral business back from the villain. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 2. Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1998) [徳川慶喜] (Finished 1/49) Tags: Historical, Drama The 37th NHK Taiga Drama is Tokugawa Yoshinobu. The series focuses on the life of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 15th and final ruler of the Tokugawa period. Born the seventh son of Lord Nariaki of Mito, Yoshinobu is named shogun when he is just 29 years old. With wisdom and vision beyond his years, he tries to prolong the life of this 200-year-old dynasty which began with Ieyasu. However, he is unable to forestall the winds of revolution as clans in Choshu, Satsuma, and Tosa, with the help of the Imperial Court, clamor for change. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 3. The King and the Queen (1998) [king and queen/왕과 비] (Finished 1/186) Tags: Historical This drama depicts the power struggle between various members of the royal family between the reigns of King Sejong and Yeonsangun, for the ultimate prize: the throne. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 4. To the End of the World (1998) [Forever Yours/세상끝까지] (Finished 2/16) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama Suh Hee is left by her mother at an orphanage as a small child. She grows up at the orphanage and becomes close to Sae Joon, the son of the orphanage's director. The Director objects to her son dating Suh Hee and kicks Suh Hee out of the orphanage shortly before she graduates from high school. Suh Hee must survive on her own in the outside world. Sae Joon continues to love Suh Hee despite his mother's objections. Feels like Cinderella with prolonged bullying phase. Korean way of narration to take everything to extremes and present multiple self-admiring stylish men every time is seriously irritating. Overall Rating: 5/10 5. Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake (1998) [神様、もう少しだけ] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama High-school student, Kano Masaki, found herself falling into the practice of selling her body in order to earn money. When she heard that her favourite music composer, Ishikawa Keigo was holding a concert in town, she prostituted herself to earn enough money to attend. Ishikawa Keigo is a music composer who has suffered a tragic loss of his beloved in the past and was still living with the scars. After his concert, he saw Masaki chasing after his van, drenched in the rain. Unexpectedly moved, he took her back to his apartment where they spent the night. Things take a turn for the unknown when Masaki later discovers that she has contracted HIV and has to live with the consequences of what she has done, while Keigo is haunted by his experience of his former lover's tragic loss once again. Finished it only because it seems to have good reception even though I can't stand terminal illness conditions. And for the most part it was as I expected - lots of crying and some forced drama. To be honest, can't even call it decent as FL was rather irritating and even soundtrack was just an arrangement from another dorama. Overall Rating: 5/10 6. My Date With A Vampire (1998) [我和殭屍有個約會] (Finished 1/35) Tags: Historical, Fantasy, Supernatural Fong Kwok Wah is a Chinese guerrilla fighter from the time of the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1938, he was fighting with Yamamoto Ichifu, a major of the Imperial Japanese Army, when they were interrupted by Cheung San, the progenitor of all vampires. The two men and a boy named Fuk Sang are bitten by Cheung San, and they become vampires. In present-day 1998, Fong lives in Hong Kong under a new name, Fong Tin Yau. His physical appearance has not changed since 60 years ago. He works as a policeman while Fuk Sang lives together with him and pretends to be his son, who currently attends primary school. Fong meets Ma Siu Ling, the heiress of a clan of ghostbusters who have dedicated themselves to ridding the world of evil supernatural beings. Fong gradually becomes embroiled in a love triangle with Ma and Wong Jan Jan, Ma's close friend and confidante. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 7. With Love (1998) [ウィズ ラブ] (Finished 7/12) Tags: Music, Romance It all started when Takashi, a talented composer who could not write a love song ever since his girlfriend Rina left him suddenly, accidentally sent an incomplete piece of his latest work to Amane via email. Deeply touched by his music, Amane wrote back to him, without getting a reply. Amane continued writing to him, pouring out her thoughts. Only when she signed as "Teru Teru Bozu", did Takashi responded with a mail saying "WHO ARE YOU?", because what Rina left him as a farewell gift was a teru teru bozu! It's so artificial and pretentious and empty imitation of romance over emailing that it hurts me with every episode. Overall Rating: 5/10 8. Princess Pearl (1998) [Princess Returning Pearl/还珠格格] (Finished 2/24) Tags: Historical, Comedy, Romance Xiao Yan Zi met Xia Zi Wei, a poor girl who marched a long way to find her father, the Emperor, but nobody took her seriously. Xiao Yan Zi decided to sneak into the mountain where the Emperor hunts, but Zi Wei could not handle the tiring mountain climb, therefore asking Xiao Yan Zi to tell the Emperor her story. On her way, Xiao Yan Zi gets shot and cannot fully explain her story, making the Emperor mistake her for the Princess. Here starts a long and painful story of getting everyone to their proper roles, but many dangers lie near - the death sentence if anyone lies to the emperor and an evil Empress who is waiting to catch Xiao Yan Zi in the act. Added on top, Xiao Yan Zi's lack of proper manners and knowledge of books has driven her closer to jeopardy. Too many wuxia elements here to tolerate if for long. Overall Rating: 5/10 9. Birdcage Inn (1998) [파란 대문] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Drama Streetwise Jin Ah moves into a boarding house run by a small, close-knit family. But her unacceptable behaviour threatens to destroy them all. It's rather a movie about poverty and dreadful conditions where still simple happiness exists. Nothing more than nice. Overall Rating: 6/10 10. Kira Kira Hikaru (1998) [きらきらひかる] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Mystery, Medical The job of a medical jurisprudence involves a lot of complicated crimes such as murder and accidents. Hikaru is a graduate of a medical university, also focused her discipline on neurology. One night during a student reunion, a dead body was found in the kitchen. Hikaru, who is a little regretting that she choose her focus in neurology, was moved by another doctor's words, Dead bodies will not tell us what happened, that is why we have to piece together its last words. Freaking procedural, so just not for me. Overall Rating: 5/10 11. Tsumetai Tsuki (1998) [冷たい月] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological, Romance Kiyoka Shiina has a successful life : surgeon, happily married and pregnant. Misaki Morishita has a happy life too : she works as an interpreter, married and pregnant. One night, Kohei, Kiyoka's husband, hurts a woman with his car and runs away. However, he doesn't know that Misaki saw what happened. Kiyoka notices that something is wrong in his husband's attitude. When she knows what happened, she decides to destroy his husband's car not to have any proof of the accident anymore. But Misaki goes to the polcie station to tell what she saw... And here begins Kiyoka's nightmare, who will make everything she can to take her revenge on the woman who destroyed her whole life. Topic is pretty heavy as protagonist maniac basically plans mass murders on an absolutely normal peaceful family. Not sure why would I watch it further as I'm not interested in maniac logic or execution or maniac actor's play. Overall Rating: 6/10 12. Secret of the Heart (1998) [天地豪情] (Finished 1/62) Tags: Thriller, Romance, Crime, Drama Winson Cheuk Sheung Man is a compulsive gambler who just returned to Hong Kong after a bout of bad luck and extreme debts in Toronto, Canada. He was reunited with his childhood friend and neighbor, Ching Ka Ming who is disgusted with his gambling habits and laziness. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 13. Burning Flame (1998) [烈火雄心] (Finished 1/43) Tags: Action, Romance, Drama, Melodrama Lok Tin Yau has always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. Sum Pik Yiu and Tin Yau are good friends but Tin Yau later falls for Pik Yiu after he helps her. But she has to give her feelings up for him when his childhood friend comes to Hong Kong from Japan. Lok Hew Fung, Lok Tin Yau, and Ng Dai Heng are best friends who join and become firefighters. This drama is about the lives of firefighters and the situations that they deal with everyday Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 14. Jinbe (1998) [じんべえ] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Romance, Drama Miku has lived alone with her father, Jinbe, since her mother's death. On her 20th birthday, Jinbe tells her that he made a promise to her mother to raise Miku as his own daughter. In other words, he's not Miku's real father. Feeling as though she cannot live under the same roof with him anymore, Miku sets out on her own. Jinbe confides in a co-worker that lately, he's been seeing Miku less as his daughter, and more as a woman... Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 15. Healing Hands (1998) [妙手仁心] (Finished 1/32) Tags: Drama, Medical A medical drama series that focuses on the lives and loves of the doctors and nurses at Yan Oi Hospital in Hong Kong. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 16. Hitsuyou no nai Hito (1998) [必要のない人] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Drama, Family A father is transferred from his work at a prestigious news paper and loses his social status. The family now has to deal with changes in their lives. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 17. King Of The Wind (1998) [대왕의 길] (Finished 1/34) Tags: Historical, Drama The drama talks about the complicated relationship between King Young Jo, (21st king of the Joseon dynasty) to his son Sa Do. Deadly boring, even worse than Heiyan in Japan, only slightly better than wuxia. Overall Rating: 5/10 18. The Barefooted Youth (1998) [맨발의 청춘] (Finished 3/16) Tags: Romance, Drama Tales of the hardships and love. Feels like imitation of countless Hong Kong tycoon dramas. Pretty bad. Overall Rating: 5/10 19. A Sleeping Forest (1998) [眠れる森] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Thriller, Mystery, Drama Kimura Takuya plays Ito Naoki, a mysterious man that seems to have some special childhood connection with Oba Minako. But she lost her memory long ago and doesn't really remember anything about her childhood or him. Naoki knows almost everything about Minako and secretly invites her to the "Sleeping Forest". From there on their story begins, into a dark and romantic drama. I'm really bad with mysteries, especially murder and stalker ones like this. It definitely keeps lots of elements obscure, so there's at least some tension and suspense. Overall Rating: 6/10 20. White Nights 3.98 (1998) [백야 3.98] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Action, Drama In the civil war between North and South Korea, the tension within was high, especially when a mission was hooked with national secrets. A black box, hence, because the key to the struggle. Success, would never come so easily. However, amid the brutal fight for the key-the black box of a crashed battleplane, the male and female spy from the two different nations fell in love with each other. They helped each other secretly, in order to complete their corresponding mission, for the sake of loyalty - and love. However, a fatal plane crash of battleplane occured and finally they sacrifice their valuable love and lives for the peace of human world. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 21. News no Onna (1998) [ニュースの女] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Life, Drama Honami plays a newscaster, a tough pro who is capable of stonily reporting even her own husband's death in an traffic accident on air. The plot revolves around Honami's relationship with her late husband's teenage son who she is forced to take in. The show stars popular Kyozo Nagatsuka as the boy's lawyer and her romantic interest. The series also includes a lot of behind-the-scenes newsroom action and depicts the rivalry between the show's director and producer, who are locked in a constant debate over whether new and variety are, or should be, one and the same. Too plain and simple to my taste. Overall Rating: 5/10 22. Seija no Koushin (1998) [聖者の行進] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Music, Drama Exploring the perception and treatment of mentally-challenged youth and their similarities to juvenile delinquents in Japanese society, this drama series follows the trials and tribulations of a group of adolescents in a work/study program for mentally-challenged teenagers. Although the program's intention is to gently "normalize" them for introduction in society, the group is subject to constant physical and mental abuse unbeknownst to their parents and teacher, Ms Hagawa. However, the friendship between Towa, a naive but unusually articulate member of the program, and Arisu, a rebellious schoolgirl, helps both of them learn to overcome their troubles. Features a star-studded cast of current popular youth idols. Not enjoying mentally challenged themes. Quite decent acting, though, not that I care. Overall Rating: 6/10 23. Sweet Season (1998) [スゥイート・シーズン] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama The affair that Mahiro has been having with the married Yutaka has been the only escape from her troubled family life caused by her father's own extra-marital affair. Mahiro despises her father for his past infidelity but cannot bring herself to stop Yutaka from being unfaithful to his wife. However, an unplanned pregnancy triggers a series of events that promises to shatter the small bubble of happiness Mahiro has made for herself and bring the brewing dissonance in her family to a head. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 24. Meguri Ai (1998) [めぐり逢い] (Finished 2/12) Tags: Romance Graduate student, Shuji, fell in love with his neighbour, Eri, who has a dream of becoming a dancer. However, Eri was unwilling to give up her dream and hence left Shuji to go to America. Still, fate brings them back together time and again like a bittersweet refrain. I was amazed to learn that all the synopsis actually happens during very first episode. And second episode is polarly super slow and only hints reunion in future. It's evident to me that super slow pace is going to last till the end in attempt to waste as much time as possible, and it's not particularly interesting. Overall Rating: 6/10 25. Sensei Shiranaino? (1998) [先生知らないの？] (Finished 2/12) Tags: Comedy, Youth When an eager young man gets an elementary school teaching position as his first job, he finds a school staff and student body stricken with apathy. He vows to find a way to invigorate his students and co-workers, but his tendency to burn a straight path toward his goals, while failing to consider any obstacles in his way, may be his biggest fault. Or it may turn out to be his greatest asset. With Onizuka Sensei publishing since 1997, such format is gaining popularity. What prevents me from continuation is mostly elementary school format with corresponding level of problems, but overall it's nice, even better than expected initially. Overall Rating: 6/10 26. Brothers (1998) [ブラザーズ] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Life The tale of four brothers and their widower father, who heads a large Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Goro Kishitani, the oldest brother, does not want to take over the temple. He prefers only to pass through now and then to exercise his eldest brother prerogative and hit No. 2 brother Masahiro Nakai over the head. Nakai, who really wants to be a sportswriter, appears to be in line for the temple takeover and zips around in a motorcycle helmet and Buddhist robes to chant sutras for the dead. Papa-san frequents Ginza clubs and had a cigarette or a toothpick dangling from his mouth for most of the first episode. He hires an "Otonashi Karen look-alike" (Kimura Yoshino) with a crush on Nakai as housekeeper and she bops around the temple grounds as if it was Shibuya on a Sunday. The opening sequence where they all grab guitars, line up in black robes in front of the temple incense burner, and rock back and forth as if disciples of the Elvis Presley sect of Buddhism is classic in its own way though. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 27. Shomuni (1998) [ショムニ] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Business, Comedy The stories revolve around the Office Ladies of General Affairs department 2 (Shomu ni, or GA-2) in a large multinational company called Manpan Corporation. GA-2 is called "the graveyard for female office ladies" simply because it is the place where female employees are dumped should they mess up big time elsewhere. Jobs include replacing used toilet rolls, changing light bulbs, and organizing company outings, among other menial stuff. As an added incentive, their department is located in the nether regions of the company - in the basement and is, in fact, a disused storeroom. Novelty lasts for couple episodes, and after that not sure what to stay here for... Situations aren't something special, and comedy is typical exaggerated one. Overall Rating: 6/10 28. Love & Eros (1998) [ラブとエロス] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Romance When Kasumi's husband dies in a car wreck, Ryuichi vows to watch over her and her unborn son. Over the next ten years, he gradually falls in love with Kasumi. Now 35-year-old, Kasumi has resisted loving another man for fear of reliving the pain of losing a loved one. She happens to meet Ryuichi's bad boy younger brother and finds herself physically attracted to him; but Ryuichi finally acts on his bottled-up feelings for Kasumi and asks her to marry him. Kasumi must decide if she can bring herself to fall in love with a responsible man like Ryuichi, or if she can be content with the purely physical relationship that his brother can provide. FL does not really suit such concept, in my opinion. Bad boy younger brother forces pity towards him which looks weird. Toxicity is high. Watchable, but on a so-so level. Overall Rating: 5/10 29. Ao no Jidai (1998) [青の時代] (Finished 11/11) Tags: Mystery, Romance, Crime, Youth Abandoned by his mother and having had to fend for himself, Ryuu is one of many Japanese youths that have turned to a life of petty crime in order to survive in Japanese society. Life on the streets has given him a tough exterior, but it is his kind heart and his dislike for what he has become that wins over a local beauty and helps him take his first steps towards a better life. When an overzealous and less than ethical police inspector fingers Ryuu for a crime he didn't commit, he is resigned to accept his fate. However, help emerges from an unexpected source to give him the strength to fight for his freedom: a victim of one of his past crimes. It looks surprisingly truthful and natural. Synopsis covers only first three episodes, and it was really unclear for me which direction it can go from then on. Answer is that it goes sideways to different characters developing their stories with climaxes of the stories becoming centerpieces of each episode. I'd say that it gets more interesting after first three episodes as it goes sideways from lawyer. But in the second half most of drama is based on lawyer alter ego which I consider cheezy. I found myself slightly irritated with repeating patterns and ended up forcing myself to finish it which is not a trait of masterpiece. Overall Rating: 6/10 30. GTO (1998) [-] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Comedy, Youth, Drama Onizuka Eikichi is a graduate of a third-rate University and the leader of a motorcycle gang, whose lifelong dream is to become a teacher. After being hired by a seemingly eccentric director, Onizuka begins his unconventional way of teaching a hopeless group of troublemakers. Although he meets much opposition from the students and teachers themselves, his passion for teaching, and more importantly, his students, eventually convinces everyone that Onizuka truly has the makings of a great teacher. Was confident in material from the start after watching anime, so main worry was about actors and freshness, also about the final score. If I can find some flaw, I'm lowering the score. In first episode it looked very illogical how two blackmailers suddenly decide to vouch for Onizuka after beeing just surrounded by gang members. In anime blackmailers were blackmailed with photos of them tied, beaten and in underwear, but dorama totally failed to present any viable explanation. Still impressive despite the fact that I remembered most of outcomes. Overall Rating: 9/10 31. Sekai de Ichiban Papa ga Suki (1998) [世界で一番パパが好き] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Family The protagonist is a 41-year-old divorced lawyer. 13 years ago, his wife's infidelity led him to abandon his then 5-year-old daughter and leave home. This summer, his wife departed to heaven. The daughter still hates his father, and wants to enter a Tokyo university so she needn't have to live with him... This is a story of how two people even as they fight each other also gradually come to understand each other. How the father thinks of his daughter, how the daughter thinks of her father, and other faint awakenings of love: This begins the "love story" between parent and child. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 32. Harmonia (1998) [ハルモニア] (Finished 1/9) Tags: Music, Thriller, Romance, Supernatural At a home for the physically impaired, a cellist teaches a patient whose is unable to speak but possesses a hyper-keen ability to play music. As her cello skills improve, however, so does a mysterious power that allows her to cause great harm to others through ESP-like channeling. Supernatural thriller about espers sounds like swearing to me. Pilot episode did not impress in the least. Overall Rating: 5/10 33. Akimahende! (1998) [あきまへんで！] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Comedy Nowadays, kids have their parents wrapped around their fingers. While they appear to despise their parents, they are actually insecure and want someone to give them love, guidance, and support. Although Katsura is sometimes absent-minded, she is a strong, independent woman. Junichiro proposes to her for the second time in 30 years. During this 30-year span, Junichiro was widowed three times, and fathered four children. Katsura agrees to move into the Aoki household as a live-in housekeeper and marry him only if his children learn to love her. This is a comedic and sometimes touching story about Katsura's experiences as she tries, in her own way, to win the children's hearts and trust. Main lead is pretty irritating with squeaky voice and constant fuss. Comedy is rather primitive, too, so leaving early. Overall Rating: 5/10 34. Nanisama! (1998) [なにさまっ！] (Finished 6/11) Tags: Comedy, Drama While working in the leisurely atmosphere at a food company's factory, Futaro is asked by his good friend to return to their corporate headquarters. Unfortunately, he finds himself as an assistant to Izumi, a highly demanding expert on Italian food culture. Futaro gets off to a rocky start with his new female boss and always seems to be saying or doing the wrong thing. He also doesn't seem to be particularly suited to his new position on the Italian Restaurant Project, considering he doesn't even like tomatoes! But Futaro may still have a few tricks left up his sleeve that he can use to win over Izumi and find success in his new job. Everything is so-so here - comedy, leads, concept. Watchable, but I'm not sure what to like here. Overall Rating: 6/10 35. Change! (1998) [チェンジ!] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Comedy, Supernatural Atsuko Asano and child star Yuka Nomura appear as an actress mother and her daughter who hates her mother's work. Struck by lightning, the two are surprised to find they have switched bodies and have to live each other's lives. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 36. Kiseki no Hito (1998) [奇跡の人] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Life, Drama Since his auto accident at nineteen, Katsumi has suffered from amnesia and minimal brain damage. All memory of his previous life was lost, and he now lives with the mind of an eight-year-old. When Yasuko meets Katsumi in the rehabilitation center, she is captivated by his sincerity, genuineness and musical talent. The attraction is mutual, but Katsumi is like an adoring child to her, and Yasuko is intrigued by his unusual situation and her desire to reintegrate him into society. And when another beautiful young woman takes an unusual interest in him, no one can be sure of her motives or her connection to his former life. Will Katsumi ever recover his memory enough to put together the events of his past and move on? Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 37. Sommelier (1998) [ソムリエ] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Food, Business After a corporate restructuring, Mr. Ogura, an aging manager, is assigned to run La Mer, a French restaurant in Japan. Joe Satake, a very talented French Japanese wine expert, has been asked by Ms. Katagiri, Mr. Ogura's immediate supervisor, to help. Using his expertise and keen observation skills, Joe is a genius in selecting the right wine for every occasion for his customers. He is very eccentric and has high standards, demanding that the wine be properly handled and appreciated. On his flight to Japan from Europe, he comments on the wine selected by Nao, an arrogant, young self-styled wine connoisseur and fellow passenger who coming back from a shopping spree, angering her when he starts by saying, "the wine is crying…" In a series of accidental encounters, Joe keeps bumping into Nao, who grows angrier and more determined to get back at him in some way. The spoiled daughter of the department head, Nao tells her father that she wants to become a sommelier when she finds out that he is working at one of the company's restaurants. BS theme and realization as wine here is the answer to every single question. Overall Rating: 5/10 38. Tabloid (1998) [タブロイド] (Finished 3/10) Tags: Business, Crime, Drama Tokiwa plays a sharp tongued reporter for a major daily newspaper. She was demoted to a sleazy tabloid as a punishment for breaking the reporter's code of conduct. While working in the tabloid, she discovered that she has the freedom of uncovering the truth behind a murder case. Feels like a light detective to me as each time there's a scoop, then there's research and getting to know situation better followed by correction of actions. Fine, but not impressive. Overall Rating: 6/10 39. Seikimatsu no Uta (1998) [世紀末の詩] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Drama Just when about to commit suicide after being deserted by his bride-to-be during the wedding, a man meets a university professor who is also at the point of killing himself. A woman nearby intervenes, one thing leads to another, and the three lost souls move in together. Each episode is a distinct story about the sometimes painful, sometimes warm romances between them and the people they meet while sharing an apartment. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 40. Shounentachi (1998) [少年たち] (Finished 1/3) Tags: Mystery, Youth, Drama The drama centers around family court investigator Hirokawa Hajime and deals with juvenile crimes that take place in a local family court. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10 41. Happy Mania (1998) [ハッピーマニア] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Comedy A comedy about a girl who keeps developing crushes on guys. A humorous drama that will appeal only to those who want a cute girl drama without seriousness. Not translated. Overall Rating: 6/10

Here's the third ending song of Full Moon wo Sagashite, Eternal Snow, in which it become my favorite ending of the anime. There's also another video that has the song, although it had spoilers from the anime. Anyway, enjoy the song.

This is going to end up being a rather general review of Kinsenka because there's an awful lot in this visual novel and not much of the story can be spoken about without going into some spoilers. Positives: - Emotional scenes and stories within stories. This visual novel got me emotional multiple times throughout starting from relatively early on. - Just enough tone changes so that the story does not become one-note. Some sections had some comedy or some light slice of life sections in order to change it up. - The music is atmospheric and adds to the experience. I also think the theme song is very well done. - Localization was done well. If you want to nitpick I'm sure you can find some things - but overall it's well done. Neutral: - It's a heavy story. There are some things in here that are hard to stomach and are not for everyone. Including - general spoilers - so it may not be for everyone. I didn't find any of it to be too heavy, but this is definitely a place where YMMV. - I feel like the ending was a bit of a letdown compared to how well everything had been built up. To be clear I do not actually think the ending is bad, but I feel it didn't live up to the rest of the visual novel's quality quite as much. Negatives: - The story is a bit uneven. Two of the chapters dragged a bit, including the last one. Pacing was quite a bit better through the first half of the visual novel. - A few unanswered story threads still remain, namely: Overall, I'd recommend this to most readers looking for a good nakige. It's not perfect, but if you liked this writer's other works then you'll probably enjoy this. I don't think any of its flaws are enough to stand in the way of this getting a high score from a lot of readers. It took me 20 hours to finish it - and I usually land somewhere between 50-75% of average VNDB time - so I think it's worth the $30 cost at full price, but if it ever goes on sale it's definitely worth picking up.

Another Readport as we dive into what VNs we've been reading the past month!

Had to exclude multiple otome, doujins and vtubers, but outcome is nice. 1. Hanataba o Kimi ni Okurou -Kinsenka- 花束を君に贈ろう-Kinsenka- [Frontwing] 1 "The human heart is but a vessel for pain." That's what someone once whispered―a voice laced with loneliness, whispering directly into the soul. It's an indescribable sadness, a love just beginning to bloom. It becomes an invisible pain that pierces the heart. And that's what makes up life: a cyclical series of highs and lows. Tachibana Sai was born without the ability to feel pain in his heart. He spends his days eliminating any seeds of malice that sneak up on his sister, the one person he treasures, without drawing attention to himself. Sick of the never-ending monotony he lives through, he chances upon a meeting with Benio Matsuri, a young girl whose aloof demeanor resembles that of a beautifully crafted doll. For the first time in his life, he encounters a heart-piercing sensation―that of falling in love. On the edge between day and night, in a twilight world where the dead and living mingle, stands an apartment building called Maison sans Nom, which is home to a group of boys and girls. A ruthless boy who knows no pain in his heart. A lonely girl without any friends. A friendly girl who struggles to make connections. A prickly, ambitious girl who is keen to be of help. A boy who loves his own cute self above anything else. A mess of a woman who tries to solve everything through brute force. And a boy with a tender heart who knows no pain in his body. This ill-assorted group of residents, hands stained with blood from battling the supernatural Maledicts, shall encounter the hearts they never knew and begin nurturing their souls. The human heart is but a vessel for pain. To protect this pain akin to love... To gently break the world apart, piece by piece... Even if it means abandoning humanity. That's why the heart is but a vessel for pain. For life blazes brilliantly, while the heart goes around in an endless cycle. Localized in English, so should have reviews in no time. Scenarios by talented authors are always looked forward to. It has multiple elements similar to Sakura, Moyu. But compared to that it's darker, more straightforward thus shorter and without time wasted on SOL, same heavy on flashbacks and past investigation. 2. Hatsukoi Master Up 初恋マスターアップ [AZARASHI SOFTWARE] The protagonist Nagatomi Yukihisa, has a past which ended his youth in disappointment. Several years after graduating――While living his life without making any change, he is informed that his estranged father has left him a vast amount of fortune, including his house as his inheritance. Yukihisa suddenly comes into a lot of money, and taking his aunt's advice, he decides to revisit something left unfinished during his youth――Making a video game. Thus begins assembling staff members. A former associate, now a popular illustrator, Ichijiku Konoka. A childhood friend, supporting Yukihisa in reuniting the team, Manganji Urara. And a new member, taking Yukihisa's place as the lead writer, Hawa Wakana. This is a story of an awkward boy and girls revisiting their youths. While being supported by many people, what kind of future awaits Yukihisa and his friends―― Nice story about troublesome youth with welcome theme 3. Clover Reset クローバー・リセット [vividX] 1 Shonan Saika Academy, a high-achieving all-girls school in Kanagawa Prefecture. One day, Marin Tachibana, along with her best friends Mashiro Saotome and Kiyoka Jinguji, experiences a special day. It begins with meeting an unusual new transfer student, Shizuku Kujyo. A beautiful girl with a calm and dignified demeanor. Meeting her feels like déjà vu... While showing her around the school, they stop by an observation deck, where Marin finds a four-leaf clover. There is a tradition at this school: If you press a four-leaf clover found on the observation deck into your student notebook, your wish will come true. (I want to get closer to her. To spend more time with her...) With this wish, Marin gives Shizuku the "coincidental" four-leaf clover she found. This act becomes a turning point, bringing Marin and Shizuku closer together with the help of Mashiro and Kiyoka. However... "Please, stop worrying about me. I don't want to just be protected..." "Shizuku, we're friends, right?" A storm threatens to tear them apart. It is deeply tied to a "secret" Shizuku is hiding and a "trauma" from Marin's past. The story follows the growth, mutual support, and cherished memories of the four girls. Will Marin and the others find their personal "clover" (happiness)? Yuri doujin, but fine looking one, with OP and localized in Enlgish .