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Long time no see! Having finished all of Kasumi's route and some of Kei's route of Dies Irae, I think I might drop it. It's certainly not a bad VN all in all, I think. The characters, story, and music are all pretty good... but I also don't necessarily feel that they're any more than that, and that's certainly not enough to drag me through another 20-30 hours of this. The thing is, I wasn't really invested in anything by the end of Kasumi's route, and especially given the length, that isn't a good thing. I'm honestly sort of bored with the VN and looking back on everything, it's failed to elicit even the slightest emotional response from me... Again, it is a solidly produced VN, and I don't even necessarily feel like it's particularly poorly done story, but it feels very style over substance... I'm sorry this is such a rambling mess, it's very late where I am. But if anyone thinks that I should keep going with it, I'd be happy to listen. And likewise, if anyone thinks that dropping it is the right choice, do say so, because I'm sort of on the fence right now. I also might pick up Chrono Clock. The girls look cute and I've heard good things, so I might as well give it a shot. It's been a long time since I've played a moege because I dislike 90 percent of them, but there's always a chance that it's part of the 10 percent, right?

Watching Aria: The Origination, slowly, savouring 1 episode at a time, occasionally, over a month. Man I love this series for so many reasons. The music [THE MUSIC], ambience, the characters, the humour, conversations and scenes that evoke so much of emotions. There's so much passion and life in the characters. The world of Aria is so ideal, beautiful and serene. Everyone loves their roles in this world fervently, finding joy in their simple yet grand existences. As a viewer, it fills my heart with happiness and love, watching this anime makes me feel that way in every single episode. It just can't help but gift me happiness in such a forward and honest way. I have literally shed a few tears just by how happy I get in certain episodes [okay a lot of episodes!]. I 'feel' Aria and it fills me with love and warmth. I think that's the simplest way of putting it. I don't think there's another show out there that is quite like this, or evokes such strong positive emotions from me. Every element just comes together so beautifully. Of course there are bits that are melancholic, but that's fine, those scenes have a purpose in their creation, and it ultimately leaves you feeling content and humble. I want to drag this season for as long as I can, I'm trying to sip and savour this smooth drink and remember the moments, so that I can tap into my memory banks when I need a smile. Every scene, every character, I love them all. I'll be sad when this journey ends, but i'm so happy that I got to experience it, and that I took my time with all the seasons. Beautiful.

Key games have a lot of comedy in their common route. I see you've read Clannad, so I'd recommend Rewrite. Of course they also have a big load of drama, but until you get to it, you'll probably be sick of laughing already

There aren't masterpieces this month, but if it comes to the choice between eroge of the month File: Kokubou Soushou Jouhoukyoku Jouhou Rouei Taisakubu Josei Jinmonin provides the best characters depiction. 1. Onigashirajima Joshi Keimusho 鬼頭島女子刑務所 [941102] Illusion 1 On a secluded island known as Onigashira stands a prison for women. In this prison, inmates are being methodically raped and tortured by wardens. The player is invites to witness the events that take place in the prison from the point of view of five characters: two prisoners, the lovely 23-year-old Chika Kanzawa and the innocent teenager Miki; the sadistic female warden Enko, the police officer Otonashi Youichirou, and a mysterious man known as Seiki, who has his own agenda. Picture and animated H scenes dominate here, but there is still room for the story since there are multiple interconnected branches and a zapping system of changing viewpoint. 2. Saku Saku Daigoutou Returns サクサク大強盗 リターンズ [941106] Saku Saku Daigoutou Returns 1 2 3 The playable character in this game is a blacksmith called Bargon. As he introduces himself in the beginning of the game, he explains that he enjoys killing people. And that's exactly what the player will have to do while controlling this character. Bargon enters a small village, where he is able to kill anyone, including little children. If the "attack" key is pressed when Bargon is near a young woman, he rapes her instead of killing. Most of the people he kills can't defend themselves and are completely powerless while he is slaughtering them. There are English reviews. 3. Can Can Bunny Limited 5 1/2 きゃんきゃんバニー リミテッド5 1/2 [941111] Cocktail Soft 1 2 The sixth (or fifth and a half, as the title suggests) installment of the long-running Can Can Bunny series belongs to the same story arc that started in the fourth game and was continued in the fifth. The player character is the same nameless hero that starred in the two predecessors. But in this game, the lovely goddess Swatty is not here to help the hero to find girls. Instead, all the hero gets is an apprentice goddess named Sawady, who is just a brat and who bothers the hero all the time. Looks like this is going to be the toughest quest yet, with Sawady around and with pretty, but tough-to-seduce girls! No-no-no-no-no-no. No! The whole franchise was holding on Swatty's charm. Actually, it's a minor game, that's why it's sequence number is not 6, but 5.5. Game's done just to present this kindergarten brat Sawady. In real part 6 Swatty and Sawady will be there together to help you. At least unlike most of nampa games this one is memorable thanks to Sawady constant failures and pestering. 4. Tenchi Muyou! - Ryououki 天地無用! 魎皇鬼 [941111] Banpresto 1 2 3 4 You guide Tenchi around the house and get yourself into various scenarios with the female characters. The story is centered around a girl named Hakua from the Galaxy Police who ends up on Earth with Tenchi and the gang for a short time. Luckily, there are two English reviews for this anime offspring. 5. Zenith ゼニス [941111] Himeya Soft 1 Zenith, a self-proclaimed "Full Animation Adventure Series #1", is a short interactive anime. The plot depicts a group of young women navigating a space ship and encountering horrifying undead monsters who assault them sexually. This work features full-screen animated sequences and in that challenges Sogna in the genre. 6. Karei Naru Jinsei 2 華麗なる人生2 [941122] Fairytale 1 Karei naru Jinsei 2 is a board/dating simulation game, very similar to its predecessor. As in the first game, players can compete against each other or against computer AI in an adult-themed board game, with the eventual goal of having sex with various female characters. Second installation of monopoly-type game with theme of everyday life and dating. Since it has no story and systems are relatively based on prequel, a pass. 7. Joshikou Seifuku Monogatari 女子校制服物語 [941125] KSS Inc. Hero is attending preparatory school for a year. He lives alone and has to earn a living at part time jobs. If he still has time, he can pursue love interests for girls in the neighborhood. Another dating sim, right? I'd say it's survival sim... You need to plan for the week ahead your studies, recreation and part time jobs. Game is superdifficult with tonns of stats to keep in mind. It's possible to pursue many girls simultaneously ... but where to take time and money? Game manual says that there's a good chance to win weekly lottery if participate regularly... Oh, right, another money sink. This game is weird that it has like 40 girls to pursue, literally, all the girls in the neighborhood they must be. There is literally single CG with each girl. With 40 of them there should be no two opinions on the character depth. The game has pager as means of communication that only accepts number! Like 449244 means Let's eat and I've no idea how exactly to transform phrases in such numbers. Game is ridiculous and ridiculously difficult for the zero motivation it gives to continue. 8. Kamaitachi no Yoru かまいたちの夜 [941125] Chunsoft 1 2 The game revolves around Tōru and his girlfriend Mari, who are suddenly drawn into a horrible murder mystery while on vacation at a skiing lodge. The first part of the games develops as a crime-solving adventure. Additional murders occur if the player is unable to find clues, and the story culminates into a horror movie-esque ending. The first game to be known as of "sound novel" genre. System is simplified in favor of text narration. There are lots of choices and multiple endings according to the choices, so choices form the game and not forced narration. Such concept gives an alternative to normal visual novels and Chuunsoft makes the genre shine. 9. The Masquerade マスカレード [941125] Janis 1 Kyosuke, an ordinary Japanese teenager, receives one day a strange invitation to a foreign mansion apparently belonging to a mysterious rich woman. Disregarding the bizarre occurrences accompanying his first impression, Kyosuke agrees to venture into each of the four rooms with colored doors inside the mansion. Each door leads him to a different reality, where he is manifested in different incarnations that allow him to experience various kinds of sexual encounters. Quite a simple ero-centered game. 10. Toraware no Tenshi 囚われの天使 [941125] Interheart Heroine gets in a car incident and regains consciousness in a hospital. However, it turns out to be a base of some shady organization and her only option is to try to escape this place. It's an Interheart game, so it's evident that there won't be an exit without struggle mostly presented by yuri love and SM. 11. Viper-GTS Viper-GTS [941125] Sogna 1 2 3 Carrera is a female demon whose job is to create a wish granting contract with a human being in exchange for their soul. Along with her partners/rivals Mercedes and Rati, they carry out this job for the benefit of the demon world. When Carrera is summoned by the nerdy Ogawa, she finds him to be more interesting than her previous cilents and develops a crush. Mercedes tries to get involved with Ogawa also to compete with Carrera. However, the female angels are upset by this disturbance and are willing to purify the demons with their precious "holy water" to save Ogawa's soul. There are English reviews. 12. Birth Days バース・デイズ [941130] Silky's 1 Birthdays is a dating simulation game. The goal of the game is to successfully date a girl of the player's choice. The player first chooses a birthday and a name for his alter ego. Then he is presented with a calendar for the year. Visiting different locations (movies, shopping mall, etc.) leads to meetings with different girls. After learning their phone numbers, it becomes possible to call them and set a date. During dates, the player often has to choose between different dialogue lines to please the girl. It is also possible to buy present for the ladies. It is entirely possible to set dates with multiple girls, but they might meet each other and become jealous. Girls also don't take it lightly if you don't appear on a date. Finally, at the protagonist's next birthday, the most impressed girl will agree to have sex with him. The sex scenes are explicit, but rather few. Ok, another generic dating sim. Moving on. Actually, not. It's the first work of Elf's subsidiary Silky's that's not blocked by me as eroge, so maybe I should give it a second look. First of all, character design is on par with Elf, very good. The layout of calendar is new. Random dates are picked rather that going day by day 365 days in a row. Each date is accompanied to something like this day in history and when there aren't famous events, something funny is written. So it's the first attempt to try on Tokimeki Memorial hat. Not entirely bad attempt, but game is minor with much lower production values. 13. File: Kokubou Soushou Jouhoukyoku Jouhou Rouei Taisakubu Josei Jinmonin ＦＩＬＥ 国防総省　情報局　情報漏洩対策部女性尋問員 [941130] May-Be Soft 1 In File, the player takes the role of young man named Pat, who is working for a powerful state security organization in an unspecified English-speaking country. His boss, a mysterious high-ranked agent named Cropp, tells him about a strictly classified project under the codename IBIS, which was intended as a counter-terror measure. Four young women have been apprehended under suspicious circumstances (amnesia following an accident, proximity to weapon research facility, etc.). Pat's task is to interrogate those women and to find out the truth about their activities. Hero tries to use psychology and orthodox methods of interrogation, but heroines lock up in themselves, then he adopts the... ehm... lest orthodox method applied by his colleague and it shows surprising results and allows the girls to open their hearts to him. The whole interrogation process looks very truthfully and we get to know the girls very well through it and in that way it's a very unusual and well thought game.

John is a young man suffering from severe depression. As he loses his sense of purpose in life, he begins to see the world in unfocused gray. Just when he begins to lose all hope, John meets a girl... A very special girl. Though Lizzie appears affectionate and devoted, it becomes clear that she's so violent and unstable that a normal boy would run away from her. But when John sees her, he sees someone else suffering from a mental condition. John is willing to risk his safety for a chance to help Lizzie gain some mental stability. Lizzie is willing to murder everyone in school if she believes it would make him happy. Will he reject her or succumb to his depression? Will she lose control and ruin her chances? Is there a sinister conspiracy lurking in their school, or is it only a figment of their mental struggles? Or... could the two of them actually be exactly what the other needs? Depending on your choices, their relationship will end in tragedy, violence, or just maybe happiness. Project Info This is a completed visual novel you can find in a variety of places: VNDB: https://vndb.org/v21499 Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/655770/Crimson_Gray/ itch.io (SFW): https://sierralee.itch.io/crimson-gray itch.io (NSFW): https://sierralee.itch.io/crimson-gray-nsfw MangaGamer: http://blog.mangagamer.com/detail.php?product_code=1027 Nutaku: https://www.nutaku.net/games/download/crimson-gray/ DLsite English: http://www.dlsite.com/ecchi-eng/work/=/product_id/RE204113.html DLsite Japanese: http://www.dlsite.com/maniax/work/=/product_id/RJ204113.html Info Crimson Gray is a psychological thriller, exploring the psyches of the characters and the strange circumstances that brought them together. It has a focus on subtle actions having consequences, your choices impacting the characters' mental stability in ways that could make choices later in the story have very different results. Lizzie has multiple poses and many expressions to convey a wide variety of different emotions, which you'll have to navigate during the game. The backgrounds are also part of the game's core themes: John sees the world in black and white to represent his depression, and the world becomes increasingly unfocused when he succumbs to it. Hi everyone! I'm Sierra Lee - I make a variety of games, but I've never posted any of them here before. This is my first major Steam release, so I hope people will take a look! Most of the rest of my games are free and can be found in my signature links. More RPG content, but there are some VN hybrids in there as well.

Kasumi's route is pretty much universally agreed to be the worst part of Dies irae. I wouldn't drop the whole VN at this point unless its general tone doesn't appeal to you. I've only read Kasumi's and and Kei's routes so far, but the latter was already a significant improvement in that it had a much stronger finale (except for the ending).

Who cares about bloody LoveKami anyway lol

Don't you dare besmirch "Please Bang My Wife," Ningen.

http://www.pulltop.com/LoveKami/

This is a VN frequently recommended to those who have just gotten used to playing untranslated VNs, a story-focused mystery VN focused on the village of Minagami, a small farming town in the mountains somewhere on the main island of Japan. I remember playing this back when it came out and enjoying it immensely... but since it was like the twentieth untranslated VN I'd played, I was still not quite to the point where I was able to grasp every single detail of the story. In addition, I was still devouring primarily chuunige at the time, so 'in-between' games like this one and Kurenai no Tsuki tended not to be very satisfying for me, lol. As such, while I remembered a lot of the big points of the story, I found a lot of details on my return to it that I didn't recall. The protagonist, Kousuke, returns there after ten years away, visiting his cousin and aunt on a long summer vacation from college. At first, he primarily focuses on re-connecting with old friends and getting along with his shy younger cousin, Shouko. However, after he encounters a monster made of a rotting bear in the mountains, he begins to pursue the mysteries of the village he was born in. This game has seven heroines in total, with four of them main heroines and three sub-heroines. The main heroines are Ginko (the mysterious silver-haired beauty), Shouko (the protagonist's shy younger cousin), Iroha (the successor to the local Shinto Shrine and the protagonist's osananajimi), and the protagonist's younger sister Sakuya. The three sub-heroines are Sachiko (Shouko's former best friend and a 'traditional' violent tsundere), Akane (a hired miko at the shrine who is slightly older than the protagonist), and Misato (a girl from the neighborhood who is a bit older than Kousuke and serves as the homeroom teacher for Shouko's and Sachiko's classes). There are two paths for the heroine routes. One is the Left Route, containing Shouko's, Sakuya's, and Sachiko's routes. The Right route contains Ginko's, Iroha's, Akane's, and Misato's routes. The Right route is based off of you choosing to follow, then trust Ginko early on and changes the protagonist's relationship with her (and thus how he treats the mystery). The recommended path order is Ginko>Iroha>Akane>Misato>Shouko>Sachiko>Sakuya>True. If you just want to get the true ending, you should take this route: Ginko>Iroha ending 2>Shouko ending 2>Sakuya ending 2>True. Ginko Ginko really is mysterious, with her spending most of the VN only revealing stuff about herself in scraps. Part of this is because in paths other than her own, there is no need for her to reveal herself, and part of it is pretty much habit and reflex, lol. She is lonely, kind-hearted, and somewhat impulsive. However, if needed she is quite capable of being ruthless. Her path focuses on her secrets primarily, while also touching on what happened ten years before in general without going into details. To be clear, the rest of the VN is just too frustrating if you think of it without the information from this path (you'd probably hate Ginko in some of the other paths if you didn't see hers first). This doesn't reveal the whole of the secrets of what is going on, pretty much because Ginko herself only has bits and pieces of knowledge and a few theories. However, I found this to be a touching path in and of itself. Shouko Shouko is a shy little girl (seriously, if this VN were ever localized, they'd probably have to completely erase her path or up her age by five years) who is deeply troubled by nightmares and gets chased by the monster in the prologue. Curious, impulsive, and as childish as she appears to be, she is also stubborn and focused when she needs to be. Both in her path and in the rest of the VN, she is someone to be protected by almost everyone, precisely because she acts on impulse at all the wrong times. Nonetheless, her path provides a valuable puzzle piece to the mystery that envelopes Minagami Village. I'll be blunt, in that while the romance was sort of cute at first, I have no taste for loli... so this path was only of interest to me for the ending, which I remembered from way back at the beginning. I honestly don't like her as a heroine, but this game shares one of the primary qualities of the best VNs of the past... the heroine paths are greater than their heroines. Sachiko Sachiko's path focuses on more mundane family issues that sprout out from Shouko's path, ignoring the fantasy aspect of the story. As a result, it is fairly humorous and cute overall, without becoming dull or feeling like it was a waste of time. It does add something to the reader's viewpoint, because it is the only path in the VN that actually makes the protagonist's mother into a person rather than an archetypical 'deceased mother' figure. Iroha Iroha is an active, ever-smiling miko who is also the protagonist's childhood friend. She is generally warm-hearted and forgiving of others' faults, willing to get along with just about anyone and devoted to the shrine at which she serves, if not the deity it enshrines. Her path focuses on the yamawaro (the monsters) and their nature, going into more detail than Ginko's path as to what they are and their behavior. Unlike Ginko's and Shouko's paths, this one doesn't have as much of a bittersweet edge, though some parts at the end of Ending 2 are worth crying over. Sakuya Sakuya is the protagonist's little sister (by around three years). She is cool-mannered, calm, and pretty much the only character other than Ginko that can keep up with Kousuke's teasing. She and the protagonist have an easy relationship that seems unnaturally close to those who know them. Her path is a preliminary to the true path (her second ending leads directly into the events of the true path, with the epilogue scene being the starting scene of the true path). However, it is primarily focused on the formation of their romantic relationship, which has the usual barriers you see in cases where the people around an incest couple have at least some common sense. The Fragments The Fragments are a set of four scenes that are accessible on the flowchart after the four main heroines' second endings that tell the story of the Tennyo from the point where she arrives in the village to the point where the curse of the yamawaro comes into being. While the beginning is sweet, the ending parts are pretty horrible (guro), and it puts a lot of what happens in Shouko's and Ginko's paths into perspective, helping you put together the pieces of the puzzle from the main heroine paths into a more complete picture. The True Path (Sinsemilla) This path finally confronts the core of the curse inflicted on Minagami Village, and there is some serious action in here. The actual length of this path is about half that of the heroine paths, but since it is basically an extension of Sakuya's path, that makes sense. Honestly, even after all these years, I can't name more than three non-chuunige VNs that did as good a job at presenting a story as this game has done overall... though that doesn't necessarily mean this is one of the best ten VNs I've played. For one thing, It doesn't, despite the fantasy aspects, match my personal tastes. I don't really enjoy mysteries and this definitely is a mystery (a multi-path mystery that is only solved in the true path). In addition, presentation isn't the only factor I look at when judging the overall quality of a game. This is definitely a kamige... but that doesn't mean it is one I'm going to want to replay again anytime soon. I can definitely recommend this to anyone who liked Kurenai no Tsuki, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and any number of other VNs that combine this type of setting with a multi-part mystery/thriller setup. However, this isn't something I'd recommend for someone who just wants to sit back and enjoy the slice-of-life. For better or worse, the story is very tightly-focused, despite its immense length. For those who want extra slice-of-life, they should read the fragments that pop up occasionally on the flow chart as you read (alternate perspectives, optional scenes, etc). I do have one huge complaint, though... (Don't read this unless you want to be spoiled about the ending) I WARNED YOU!!!

Meanwhile i probably needa do 666 plays in general if i want my 'costumes' bond page to show all AZALEA members; my 'members' bond page currently has a comfortable BiBi but man oh man my Hanamaru is about 1400 pts away from killing Honks ;-;

Second for Rewrite, one of my personal favourites. The common route is quite funny

The manga is ongoing, so there is currently no winner. Where the manga is right now, it's not easy to predict who is going to win either. Lilina's the most deserving of winning though.

I'll never touch shocking party after getting to 666 plays on that song, never again.

Yesterday a preview of the Kickstarter campaign for physical goods (launching next Monday) went live! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frontwing/1178428395?token=1e9535f7 Comments are appreciated :3

Let's see, maybe both of Dracu Riot and Noble Work would be good here although you might already read those though. After those two, maybe you could try My Girlfriend is the President. I'm sorry if those recommendations didn't fit your Majikoi like criteria, but at least it'll fulfill your need of light VNs

I'd love to see more art books go in-depth about character costumes. I want head-to-toe shots, plus close-ups of important details, for every costume. Basically, give me the originally character design sheets.

They exists only as separate games

Shocking Party or Private Wars. Shortest songs in game

JAST USA does not exactly have the best marketing strategies in place but that is possibly do to not wanting overexposure. It's hard to really know what a company is thinking when they are creating material to try and help sell a product but JAST is probably one of the few places that actually bothers to create material and just doesn't say anything about it. The following is a compilation of as many JAST USA officially made websites that I was able to find both to share with you as well as discuss a bit more in depth. Honestly some of these you might actually be surprised exist in the first place; I will be updating this first post whenever a new website is created and if I happened to miss any please let me know so I can update this page accordingly. A number of these websites have trailers created by Primus Animations which are specifically made for the english market often adapted from the original japanese trailer. I for one ended up purchasing Hanachirasu when I did specifically because of their trailer. So props to them for making some cool trailers. With my rambling ceasing let's begin looking at the websites (and subsequently the trailers on the websites) and then when they are all listed let's talk about them. Shiny Days: http://shinydays.us/ Super Sonico: Communication with Sonico: http://sonicomi.com/index.html Flowers-Printemps: http://flowersgame.com/ Raidy III: http://raidy.us/ Starless: http://starless.us/ Hanachirasu: http://hanachirasu.com/ Littlewitch Romanesque: http://littlewitch.us/index.html Yumina the Ethereal: http://yumina-the-ethereal.com/ Steins;Gate: http://steins-gate.us/ Aselia the Eternal: http://aselia.us/ School Days: http://schooldays.us My Girlfriend is the President: http://mygirlfriendisthepresident.com/ Demonbane: http://demonbane.us/index.html Moero Downhill Night Trilogy: http://moeronight.com/ Yukkuri Panic: Escalation: http://yukkuripanic.com Princess Waltz: http://princesswaltz.com/ Cosplay Fetish Academy: http://cosplayfetishacademy.com Seinarukana: The Spirit of Eternity Sword 2 Nympho Sensei Ryoko My hopes for the future: It would be nice if they actually bothered marketing these a bit better admittedly half of these are able to be found on their website although a few of them you have to scrounge around to find. It's a decent step. I think the most recent trailers are definitely a step in the right direction as far as trailers go. I think that JAST really needs better marketing of it's actual gameplay visual novels. The websites have basic information and are generally decent overall. I did notice a few of the websites seem to have nothing until you scroll down a bit which I think is rather bad design at least put something there (littlewitch romanesque is one of the examples I'm talking about). So which of these websites JAST has created is well the best designed and what additional features would you like to see on their websites in the future? Personally for me I think having links to reviews or possibly allowing user reviews (similar to mangagamer) would be a good step to take with these websites. A little bit more user interaction as well as keeping the websites up to date with any new details (School Days, My girlfriend is the President, Raidy III, and Aselia the Eternal should all have links to their sequels, prequels, and fan-discs). One specific detail that more of their websites need to have in the future is a goodies page with the ability to download wallpapers and other cool little things like a lot of the Japanese websites have. School Days is one such website that they actually did have the wallpapers for. The main website on the other hand is currently lacking a proper forum (the way it currently works is absolutely horrendous), the website itself is rather not fully up to date...it would be nice to get progress updates a minimum of once a month considering we sometimes go a lot longer than that without any type of news. The JAST Devlog (tumblr) page is a step in the right direction but some aspects of that should be carried over to the main website in my opinion. The website also needs to let people know when there are sales...there is a sale currently going on and I could not find any information about it on their main website outside of the fact that the prices have been reduced. It doesn't say when it ends, what percentage off, any potential deals, etc... The website could use a bit of work...but JAST is not the only english visual novel company that has some major issues with its website but that will be for another post. Just my opinion, and as new websites get created I'll add them to this list do let me know if I happened to miss any for JAST.