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Hey all! It's been a little longer than planned, but the ninth episode of The Broadcast Club is finally available. As always you can find it on our blog: http://thebroadcast.club/2018/01/09/episode-9-adult-content/ This episode we tackled the big topic of the role of adult rated content in the medium with /r/visualnovels community member, Zonijo. As it always goes for me, it was a busy holiday season this past year, so this has been in production for quite some time. Unfortunately, this means our news is a little out of date since we had to delay so long. On the plus side (at least I hope people consider it a plus side), this episode is a little longer than our usual. I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it. We might have had a little too much fun recording it at times. If you prefer to watch/listen on YouTube, we have a channel now! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsAcGboxM5tSyYcU6Fu4nDw/videos Make sure to follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/VNBroadcastClub ----------------------------- Discussion Topics How about you? I'm pretty sure we just had a thread not too long ago about H scenes, but who doesn't like talking about this stuff, right? Do you think that adult content should be such a large presence in the Visual Novel medium? How do you feel about All Ages releases that add new content that the 18+ version doesn't have to compensate for the lost content? Be honest. Do you read VNs for the plot, or for the plot?

It's okay, Akimoto, we forgive you. You can go back to being dead now.

Definitely plan on continuing to upload on YouTube. Episodes should be up on it within a few hours after it's up on the main site. In Japan, apparently the VN scene (according to VN;Conference) took a big hit due to natural disasters and VNs continuing to stay niche. So developers these days continue to play it safe with the typical eroge/moege/charage stuff. Non-18+/"Artistic" VNs made in Japan made these days are a big risk. Sure they could potentially make it big IF the story is that good... but there's no guarantee if there's no H-scenes or super moe waifus or whatevs. So it's understandable to take the safe route. Companies that are already fairly well off in comparison (Type Moon, KEY, Ryuukishi, Nitroplus/5pb, etc) can easily take risks with artistic stories since people will buy them based on brand name. But many of them had to take the safe routes of making eroge back in the day to get recognized in the first place. So it'd be high risk for a new/not well known company to do a story like this without failing as a company in terms of sales. Sure the "hardcore" fanbase may love the VN but they're still the minority, especially western readers.

You know what, entering those stores is in my list of "things to do before I die" I always wanted to go to one! But I look like some 14 years old, I do wonder if they would think I'm some lost kid that entered the wrong place, but oh well. And being female myself, I hope I'll not make everyone there a bit awkward XD And I always thought that I didn't care much about H-scenes, I read if they're there but if it's all ages it's fine too, but I recently found out that I didn't care about BAD H-scenes (no, not every one of them are bad!!!! You just need to find your thing! ). Some days ago I checked an all ages version of a game bc ofc it had some extra content. But I really liked the original's H-scenes and in the end I could only find the replacements SO DULL!!! Not saying every all ages editions are trash, but remember that cutting content that someone liked and wanted is always annoying, regardless of what it is. So yeah, release both versions so you can pick your favorite and everyone can be happy! But this ultimate version idea pleases my completionist's heart.

I wouldn't recommend Kazuki from Grisaia, as she is unflappable, but not emotionless. If that's fine too, though, she's great (she isn't a heroine per say, sadly). Yumiko from Grisaia isn't emotionless. She's aggressive and dismissive to people that try to interact with her. If you're aware of the terms, she stands in the border between Kuudere and Tsundere. Admittedly, her route does a fantastic job at drawing out the dere, so the 'melting the ice queen' and the contrast is there. That said, emotionless is a hard thing to come by. For the following recommendations I am going to take 'emotionless' to mean individuals whose emotions aren't readily apparent on their face. Mio Nishizono from Little Busters! has an emotionless demeanour, but her words do often contain a lot of emotion. Just not in a way we'd easily 'get'. Ayamine Kei from Muv-Luv Series. She's harder to understand than she is emotionless. It's not that she doesn't have them, she is just purposefully unclear with them, and doesn't let them show on her face. Higuchi Haruka from Never7 can't easily express herself. It has been too long since I played this game, but I still hail her as my favourite 'emotionless' heroine. Kindred Spirits has a number of characters that qualify, depending on your interpretation: Characters that don't show their real emotions, characters that are 'cool' (protagonist), characters that aren't good at expressing themselves... Amamiya Natsume from Edelweiss could work. She is mysterious and not too emotional. I think she might not fit, though. The titular Aselia from Aselia the Eternal is not very expressive for a greater part of the title, but she is emotional. Kamidori Alchemy Meister... maybe? Due to the large number of characters, one is bound to fit. I have one in mind, though revealing her would technically be story spoilers. If you ever consider a gameplay heavy title like this one, know that some characters may satisfy you. Eyuu*Senki for the same motives. There are well over 50 characters you can interact with, and some would be enjoyable. Don't play this just for a character, though! For your own good. Both Okitsu Ai from Yumina the Ethereal fits... maybe? She is so nonsensical that it's impossible to get a grasp of her emotions. So... here's another gameplay title if you're interested. Morichita Michiru from Koi to Senkyou to Chocolate would be... shy? Doesn't reveal her true emotions easily. Ritusko from Princess Evangile is good at keeping her feelings out of her decisions. Because she is generally more detached from the main cast in this game, she seems more unapproachable and we know her less, compared to other characters. This all leads up to the main characters eventually knowing each other better and some good dere. As much as it pains me to recommend it, Koiken Otome's Kamishiro Touko. She is meant to be an emotionless character, but it's the worst attempt I have seen, ever. Satomura Akane in One ~To the radiant season~. But I don't even remember if I ever finished her route... With these characters, your mileage may vary. They should all fit in some way: either from generally neutral sprites and voice or from hiding their emotions.

It's been a while, guys and gals. I don't want to needlessly instigate anyone's hopes, but I'm here to say Tenkiame has been finally picked up for early pre-translation work! TL&DR Your prayers have been heard There is no rough estimate as of now and we're not planning to make any for the meanwhile. TL&DR It'll be finished, when it's done™. We're planning to translate the trial version first. Trial version covers prologue and common route; there are no h-scenes. We want to keep this as low-key as possible for now. We believe it's better to surprise people with sudden releases, instead of promoting the TL for months, just to unexpectedly drop it afterwards. We'll probably post more info here afterwards; it's high likely we might try to put up some simple website for the project, or at least a dedicated thread on the forums, but those will come with more concrete information. Cheers~

They're different. The direct sequel, Labyrinth, offers after stories to each route, which should be enjoyable in much the same manner. The main story in this sequel, however, focuses on Yuuji, and should be enjoyable if you like the 'grander plot', as you call it. The final game in the trilogy, Eden, changes in tone a bit, but it's a great action story, basically. Direct continuation to Yuuji's story. I found them all to be great in their own ways. There are a number of side stories which have their own ups and downs. I can elaborate about those if you want. The Fruit of Grisaia is far longer than either of the sequels. Something to note.

Reading through The Fruit of Grisaia and really enjoying myself. The common route was so much fun; a total blast. I've completed Michiru's route, which was really pretty heartbreaking despite not divulging any details of the larger story. My heart was breaking for poor Michiru. I do have a quibble with how it came together in the end, which i will likely discuss in detail on a future podcast. Currently in progress on Yumiko's route. While I don't find it as emotionally gripping as Michiru's, this route is doling out a few details about the grander plot, which is very welcome. I really, really dig this game. Are the sequels as good as the original?

I'm a big fan of the fourth choice, really helps represent VN fans of all backgrounds.

This is not my VNTS Review, but rather I kind of want to do my version of 'Top 10 best rated translated VN at 2017' for a long while, so here goes. Seeing that we already has Conjueror posted his video in regard of that subject on Youtube, I decided to make similar list here because personally I didn't agree with some of his choice. That said, most of my pick here was still similar to him though. As for the rule, no yaoi and otome here. Also I'll use Japanese VN name and add the English name for the alias. For the score I'll use both of VNDB average and Erogamescape average, and keep in mind that it'll be fluctuate at the future - VNDB average score was based on December 4th, 2024 for the info. Let's see what I could write in this review here, and I'll explain the title in PS later. Beware of the spoiler when you play the opening. 10. Hatsukoi 1/1 (VNDB 7.19, Erogamescape 70) This is the first VN translation work for Tsurezure (Previously they scanlated manga), and I think they did the good job in regard of HatsuKoi translation because they're working on this pretty fast. This is the first translated Tone Work's VN as well, and as we knew usually they'll gonna have descriptive detail in regard of the relationship. As for the premise, it was very simple with the MC was forming cafetaria club with five girls. For the MC himself, the opinion from the reader was quite unfavorable to say the least. So much that the staff need to post apology video in regard of MC, which mean most of the people hate him because the MC could have some face-palming action that caused the situation goes worse. Other than that I like it though that they got some vocal song from different singers in this VN, and apparently they'll repeat that feat in both of Hoshiori (Tsurezure planned next project) and Gin'iro Haruka (Ginharu). One more thing to note that this is the shortest Tone Work's VN, because it didn't span years in lengthy detail like at both of Hoshiori and Ginharu. 9. Wagamama High Spec (VNDB 7.26, Erogamescape 76) My first impression in regard of this was not good though, if only because of how the female breast was drawn (It's too big) and the same face that the heroines have (I tried to not bothered with it though). But if you look past that art, actually this VN was pretty good because it show some comedy and good character development for the girls in which each girls did have their specialty. There's also another factor in regard of the developer (Madosoft) last VN in which it was Yakimochi Stream (Nukige like VN), so of course Wagahigh here was the major improvement from Yakimochi. The premise was the MC is a mangaka that was supposed to be the secret at his school, at least until the student council president knew that and sort of rope the MC to join the council in exchange of keep MC's secret. Turned out that the president was also the mangaka as well - and was supposed to be MC's partner in manga writing to boot, something that the MC learned after he joined the council. 8. Chrono Clock (VNDB 7.33, Erogamescape 71) The first Purplesoft VN that was localized, and let's just say that the translation choice for this is quite divisive (Either like it, dislike it, or just neutral). The premise is that our rich MC Rei did have a pocket watch from his grandfather, and with the pocket watch he's been able to turn back the time by five minutes. Even though the power is quite powerful, our Rei was mostly use the clock to search his girlfriend by confessing and then turned back the time. One day, he met Miu who was saved by Rei turning back the time after she did fall down and dead, and our Rei did impressed by seeing Miu's determination to confess to his best friend. From there Rei decided to help Miu while at the same time fall in love with her. While at first glance the man heroine is Miu looking from the prologue alone, actually the true main heroine in here is Cro who is the goddess that reside inside Rei's clock and thus the reason of why Rei's clock did have power. Also while I did say prologue here, I felt that it's not the case because we see Miu's development in the prologue and that Miu's route is more like her ending, so we can say that Miu's route here is the prologue (I did call it Miu's arc) and her ending. 7. Koi ga Saku Koro Sakura Doki aka Saku Saku Love Blooms with the Cherry Blossom (VNDB 7.34, Erogamescape 69) I still remember that this VN was started as the translation project for Shinku TL with some steady progress back at 2014. At first I expected that they'll release the patch quickly, but then suddenly the updates was stopped at QC progress until one day Akerou did announce that he'll go to vacation in order to have some rest. Little we knew that back then Akerou already asked some help from Sekai in order to do the QC (Sell it to Sekai), and then Sekai announced that they help Saku Saku QC (Announced the license) back at AX 2016 in which it shocked me very hard. Even then, Sekai still have delayed the release twice back at August 2017 end (Mismanagement on the release date) before finally manage to release it back at October 2017 The premise was that our MC got a bounty of 21,000 yen to anyone else who managed to make him fall in love, because the MC was known as romance consultant and yet he himself is unable to fall in love which ironically caused by his role as the romance consultant seeing he need to hears a bunch of troubles related to love. The MC's problem is increasing when he meet a shinigami (Tina) who remind him of his childhood when he saw a shinigami, and Tina herself did insist that she's a love fairy who will help the MC love become true (A lousy one though seeing that she use dramatic romance manga as the reference). As for the graphic, it's very beautiful so at least you can enjoy the graphic there if the story is no good for you, seeing not everyone are the fan of the drama that happen in this VN. 6. Da Capo 3 (VNDB 7.49, Erogamescape 77) This one VN have some history with our Fuwanovel here, namely that there's first attempt of translating this by our founder Aaeru. Her method is quite divisive though because she'd use VNR which could be amounted as MTL to most of the people. Even so Aaeru keep working on this until she managed to release the prologue patch, only for Mangagamer to C&D her after they got the wind on this. After that she was disappear from the forum and nowadays nobody knew where she is. Anyway, what's done is done and we finally get the release back at 2017 January (By Mangagamer obviously). For the premise, it was set at 2072 after Everlasting Sakura was wither after Da Capo 2 event (The reason of why at 2072 is spoiler though), only to have that tree mysteriously blooming again. So more or less it's just usual Da Capo, and as for play order I would suggest you to play the first side story before going to common route because it's the real prologue for Da Capo 3 (Note that the Prologue and Common Route in Da Capo 3 did have VERY different setting). As for the opening here, there's too much opening for this so I'll just use the first opening in which it's very misleading because it only depict the situation at the Prologue (At least it did have 2D drawing). 5. Dies Irae (VNDB 8.10, Erogamescape 87) I'm sure that everyone already knew this VN, along with another certain well known VN that released at 2017 as well. But just for the formality I'll write the premise in which case it goes like there's a group of Germany who involved in some dark ritual which involved absorbing the souls in order to strengthen themselves, and the only one who could possibly put the stop of the group was the MC (Fuuji Ren) himself. From there, Ren and the group would engage in very crazy battle with the world at stake. If it sounds cliche, then yes the premise is a cliche one. But the strength of Dies Irae was supposed to be the prose that was hard to be translated, and perhaps to allow the reader immerse in the reading. Although it got some infamy though because of that as well, namely that the prose itself was pretty long and roundabout at that for some people so it might be not for everyone. Oh, and there's also some charismatic gods who is managed to get some attention. I'll post the all age version opening, because all age version is the best one with side stories available and most people would prefer it over 18+ version (I also recommend that you should play all age version instead of 18+ version here, even though the latter did have 'passionate Hitomi Nabatame-voiced love-making' scene). 4. Seabed (VNDB 8.16, Erogamescape 80) As for the scoring, since the number of votes was still very few this VN will be the most fluctuative one. As for the premise, it was very simple in which we got a woman (Sachiko) who has her lover disappear and from there she'll try to recover from the heartbreak that caused by the disappearance by the help of her childhood friend (Narasaki) who is also a psychiatrist. By the way Sachiko's lover (Takako) here was the woman as well, so we'll gonna get some yuri VN from the first glance although there'll be no explicit sex scenes though seeing that it's all age VN. Seeing that Sachiko seek some psychiatrist, there'll be some talk in regard of psychology in which it may confusing for some people out there. From there we'll going to see what's going on in Seabed through three POV (Sachiko, Takako, and Narasaki). The VN itself is a doujin one and didn't have voice, although seeing that we have example the good doujin VN that didn't have voice (ie Umineko and Fata Morgana before being ported to the consoles) I would say that you should try Seabed here to see it by yourself, and if anything at least the art is better than Umineko default art. 3. Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen aka Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception (VNDB 8.32, Erogamescape 82) The first part of Utawarerumono sequel duology, in that it tell the story several years after first Utawarerumono. While at first it mean that you'll follow the older casts, actually in here you'll follow the new casts and the old casts here only have role as the cameo (Even though the role that the cameos have is not exactly small). So in order to enjoy this VN you better adapt with the new characters here, because we'll following them for the whole VN. As for the premise, we have our amnesiac man who find himself under treatment of a girl who capable in medicine. After the girl find out that the man did forget his name, the girl decided to call the man as Haku and the girl introduce herself as Kuon. From there both of Haku and Kuon will go to imperial city in order to find the job for Haku even though Haku just want to laze around, and from there the duo will eventually entangled in wars like back at first Utawarerumono. For more info the setting here is that the people except Haku have animal ears, and that Utawarerumono here is gameplay VN (SRPG) with the gameplay for the sequel here is vastly improved compared to the prequel. The most important thing in here is that it's only the first part of duology, so naturally the ending in here is a cliffhanger one and the second part (Futari no Hakuoro aka Mask of Truth) will pick up from the ending. 2. Chaos Child (VNDB 8.35, Erogamescape 85) Unfortunately so far it's for console only, so no PC version for now. That said, Committee of Zero promised us that someday they'll port Chaos Child PS4 translation to PC version, so there's that. Anyway, the premise was we have another serial murder in Shibuya which eerily resembled the one back at Chaos Head (The prequel), which of course would be quite graphic considering that in the past Nitroplus was involved with Chaos Head. From there, it's up to MC and his girls teammate to solve the problem and ease the anxiety of Shibuya. Forget to say that the casts also have some kind of superpower here. From what I read apparently the girls route was not quite satisfying (The girls good as eye candy though if that's the case lol), so at least it could be interpreted that the writing was more focused on the main story which is full of sci-fi. Oh, and actually this is more in line with Steins Gate instead of original Chaos Head. As for the opening, I'll post PS4 version below because it would be more fitting seeing that we have PS4 version release for overseas here, and personally I prefer PS4 version opening (Singularity). 1. Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~ aka Wonderful Everyday ~Diskontinuierliches Dasein~ (VNDB 8.70, Erogamescape 86) As for this VN we definitely have many history with this in regard of the translation, and this VN is another well known VN that I said back at Dies Irae. Long story short, it was started as TL Wiki project since back at 2012 before it was officially localized by Frontwing who expanded their business into localized the VN overseas. I think in regard of this they did good job for that, although there's a matter of censorship though (Not as bad as Pulltop because only the picture was censored, and it was quite disturbing for some people). As for the premise, it was in regard of the world which about to face the apocalypse at July 20th 2012, and this VN depict that day from several perspective - the beginning of Subahibi was deceivingly present this VN as yuri harem VN though. What make this VN was good was apparently some say that it could change of how one would view his life, although if one want to be more realistic it's a denpa story which is belong to a horror genre - some contents could be disturbing because it could be happen in the real life as well. In the end, while this VN was divisive enough I would say that you should try it once. Forget to said that Frontwing did add Germany subtitle for this, just like Grisaia trilogy with French subtitle. That's all for my top 10 here. In the future I'll try to write my list for 2016 as well later to show of how easy the VNs score was fluctuated in VNDB, and of course to compare the score difference in one year as well between Conjueror's video and now. Hope you like my post here. PS - As for the title, I just combined both of Chaos Child and Subahibi title into 'Chaotic Everyday'. The explanation is that the 'Chaotic' part was come from 'Chaos', and 'Everyday' was come from Subarashiki Hibi (Translator's Note: Hibi mean Everyday).

WHO ENDS A VN LIKE THIS!!!! I dont think a VN ending has ever triggered me more than this

Pepper your angus for Total War : Three Kingdoms.

I only listened to it for about thirty minutes so far so I can't give my full impression on it but what I did listen to I liked. For me I've never been a fan of having H scenes in Visual Novels though I've accepted that it is something that will most likely never go away. If they are to remain I wish they would improve the quality of the scenes in regards to writing and placement. I can count on my hands the times where a H scene felt well placed. Oftentimes it just seems so jarring when it's like suddenly sex. It's always so unrealistic as well because rarely if ever is the subject of contraceptives even mentioned. It's like they never took a sex education class in their life. The quality of the writing takes the biggest hit as it just seems to plummet. There is a way to write sex scenes that are romantic and passionate but it seems that few games even try. It was funny to me that you brought up Kara No Shoujo because that was one of the few times I actually didn't mind the H. I think it was the art quality and the fact that the scenes were decently written.(For the most part) I think things are changing though visual novels are becoming more mainstream and the perception is advancing slowly that they can be something more than dumb sex games. I think the medium still has a long way to go and if they continue to rely almost solely on the Japanese market it probably won't change for a long time. Still, I mean hell if Playboy can stop putting nudie pics in their magazine anything is possible. I prefer games that were originally conceived as being all ages than to a game that is transformed into being all ages. This is a mostly adult medium and it should be treated as such. It's like those R rated movies that they broadcast on TV that are heavily edited. I'm not a fan. However, I think in order to continue selling games on steam it will be necessary evil that some content is cut. The best solution in my mind is to release a game on steam with only the sex scenes cut out and a separate version somewhere else with all the naughty bits intact. I read VN's for the plot though there might be one or two occasions where I get one solely for the sex. That is really rare and I sometimes end up regretting it. There are so many avenues for finding porn these days that I have no real need of it. So yeah, that's my rambling slightly incoherent take on it.

Why is that, though? I enjoyed the podcast and found the discussions on this in the subreddit very interesting. I was previously under the impression that the majority of that community (and, well, the entire VN community at large) preferred sexual content in their VNs. However, I noticed people arguing about how VNs are essentially interactive books, yet the vast majority that are produced follow a traditional format of pursuing cute girls with the ultimate intention of having sex with them, regardless of the overarching narrative. Why aren't there more VNs like STEINS;GATE (not the best example but bear with me here) and whatnot being produced? If there were, perhaps the image of VNs could shift a little bit. Is it really that its simply easier and more profitable to make VNs that have sex as a primary or secondary focus? Not arguing with or against you, here, just curious to hear more about your thoughts on this. P.S I also watched/listened on YouTube, and would encourage you to continue uploading there

Thanks! I'm glad I chose to put them on YouTube, some people prefer that method and I'm glad it's at least getting one person to choose that way over the other site. I saw a video of this and as an pro H-scene I'm super interested in going to one of these Thankfully my other friends who know me likely wouldn't be too awkward if I took them in this store and might even get a good laugh out of it.

Maybe Kohaku from Shinikiss? Other than that there's Hisui from Tsukihime in case you still didn't play that yet - funny that we also have Kohaku in Tsukihime as well, Mai from Kanon, and if you're willing to deal with convoluted DVD player format there's Ein from Phantom of Inferno. Hope the recommendations would be help.

Absolutely! Like I said above, I plan on laying out my full and unfiltered thoughts in audio form after I'm done; however, I will continue to post updates here as I go along. Also: thanks to you and Mr Poltroon for providing detailed answers to my question!

Heh, you guys talk about how the Mangagamer store feels "dirty," and it being a bit awkward recommending a VN sold there to people because of it. Try actually bringing people into a store that sells eroge in Japan. Literally every nook and cranny of those places have H-scenes playing on TV screens, NSFW posters hanging everywhere, and a billion different VN covers that are all made to look overly sexual. (+ A bunch of nukige mixed in with the story heavy games, because why not.) I'm not complaining, of course (/ω＼). I do have to admit though, buying Ma*ko Hunter in front of a female classmate was pretty awkward. At this point I have brought her into those stores like three times, so it's not as bad anymore, lol. Even got her to buy a game herself. 1) I personally do, yes. At this point it has become a core part of the medium, and trying to change that now would just annoy the current fanbase. That's not to say H is all VNs has to offer, not by a long shot, but there is no doubt that it is an important part of the medium, and I think it should stay that way. I am personally not a big fan of the way the west tries to separate H from eroge, then selling it as "optional DLC" on the side, even though the H was an original part of the game. This feels weird to me, since the game originally came with that content, and it isn't really meant to be optional. But, that's just how it goes when steam is the biggest VN distribution platform, I suppose. 2) I will always prefer the original version of eroge, and won't really play all-ages remakes. That being said, as long as the 18+ version is offered as well, I have no issue with them being a thing. It's nice that people who aren't big fans of H also has an option. 3) Both! Plot is great, but plot can be pretty darn good as well at times.

Ruuko in To Heart 2 then (my avatar) Ruu \o/ (You'll understand after playing her Ruute).

Very cool podcast, I'm just listening to the newest one and will be going to all the rest of them on YouTube in the coming days. I agree with a lot of what was said there so far. I'm personally completely uninterested in Hentai, but I absolutely don't mind milder/well-thought-out sexual content, many stories in VNs touch on various adult themes so there's no logical reason for sex to be excluded from that. Just most of the time the porn scenes in VNs are so trashy, schematic and obviously inserted solely as fapping material, so as someone who doesn't "use" that it's simply taking me out of the experience. I wished more devs take the approach similar to the authors of Dies Irae, with all ages version made with actual care and effort, but I have little hope for that actually happening - it's enough to point to what Dergonu wrote about the JP VN market in that hentai thread, sex do sell and people like me, wanting all-ages versions of everything that can work without porn, are most likely in minority even among the western VN fans. EDIT: And by having all ages versions I mean, ideally, having the ability to chose between the version with and without H-scenes, like many western VNs or better Steam releases do. Just not in a way that was mentioned in the podcast with Nekopara ("here's the obviously cut content"), but with at least minimal effort. It takes a few lines of well-written text to signal what was happening after the screen went black and don't leave you with an impression that something's obviously missing. It's just sad that publishers often can't give even that much thought and effort when censoring sexual content.

This was a nice listen, thanks for making this. One reason I like visual novels is that they don't shy away from, well, just about anything. The roots of that are, no doubt, in h-scenes for the simple reason that sex sells. I don't think the image of visual novels as glorified chinese porn powerpoints is one that'll ever be really changed for the better - I've tried introducing friends to visual novels, with mixed results. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is somewhat unwilling to mention it to people due to the prevalence of h-scenes. Still, with there being a good number of vn's without them and even a few examples of sex being used to aid the plot (instead of, y'know, the plot) as you mentioned, I think the medium is in a pretty good place as is. Dies Irae is tucked away somewhere in the depths of my backlog, but I'd also wait for the full version, if only because I'm the type who wants to see and know everything there is... even if it is just trashy porn, I can at least ascertain that myself. I won't claim to not like... the other kind of plot, but visual novels (besides maybe nukige) are kind of awkward when that's what you're looking for, as you have to typically read for hours on end whereas the internet is filled with plenty of nice images to please your libido. "I thought I knew this person..."

Probably no such thing as an emotionless heroine (if there is one, she'd be a robot or AI). Some just come awfully close, and have a cold exterior. These tend to be Kuuderes, or Danderes. Here are the ones I know about.... Yumiko (Grisaia series). Classic Kuudere, though her exterior is more prickly then usual. Kazuki (Grisaia series). She's a super genius among super geniuses basically (her IQ probably exceeds 400). The random antics from the other girls are the only things that have ever even remotely flustered her slightly. Hanako (Katawa Shoujo). Classic Dandere. Super shy, and she has her reasons. Kotomi (CLANNAD). Another Dandere. She also has her reasons for being shy. Yoru (If My Heart Had Wings). A genius loli kuudere, who seems a little sarcastic.

I second this. This is my first one and it got me hooked on VNs even though there are no lolis here. There should be a fan TL of the 18+ version. Don't expect too much though. Expectations ruins your experience.

Are you quite sure you want me to answer that question?

Clannad is probably right up your street. Has some moments that will hit you emotionally, like a truck. For something pretty lighthearted (and VERY lewd), check out Wagamama High Spec https://vndb.org/v17823 . Awesome art, cute music, and a ton of fap material. Now I've yet to play either, but if you want pure engaging plot, check out Steins;Gate and Fate Night Stay. Since you liked Kono Oozora (I loved it as well btw), maybe check out Dal Segno https://vndb.org/v17742 Also, the ONLY reason I'm not playing G-senjou no Maou https://vndb.org/v211 right now is because +18 version hasn't been released yet. This is one heck of a crime thriller apparently, and I personally can't wait to play it. One youtube video even described it as the 'Deathnote of Visual Novels'.

Kajitsu hooks you in, it's all about the girls, their unique backstories and the trauma that's 'broken' them in different ways. You read about who they are, and how Yuuji helps each of them using the tools he's learned about in his own life. Meikyuu's main storyline in a direct continuation, its focused on Yuuji, his past. The story gives his character even more depth, you'll start to realize the quirks and characteristics he displayed in Kajitsu weren't just due to his awkwardness in his new environment. You learn about the people that sculpted him into who he is. Devils and Gods. Also, Kusakabe Asako, I say again, KUSAKABE ASAKO [yeah i like her ]. They're a bunch of other great characters too, no worries. Rakuen is the Grand finale basically. I'm only 70% through but i can say that the pacing is great. Its gradual, calculated and consistent [drama, humour, character development and growth] with Kajitsu and Meikyuu. The characters, bgm, cgs, voice actors are all top notch. Honestly you can read these games back to back and it'll just seem like one HUGE story, they did a great job with the transition between the games. If you enjoyed Kajitsu, you'll enjoyed Meikyuu and Rakuen [I think]. You're lucky, since you don't have to wait for release dates . [Oh also, meikyuu also has a ton of skits, 5 after stories from kajitsu routes, random h-scenes allocated to its own section, and the grand route itself. Rakuen has a bunch of extras too]. Have fun reading the series mate, I know i am! [a lot, seriously, its beautiful stuff]. ps: KUSAKABE ASAKO, k i'm done .

This one will change your life: https://vndb.org/v13259

So playing Nurse Love and having a grand ole time and then suddenly WHAT? WHAT? WHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTT?

How do you like our symphony music OST?

I already said my opinion, but I wanted to add that even if it's not a VN, I love the choices of Devil Survivor 2 that makes the MC look seriously retarded.

Just been reading Doki Doki Literature Club

Now, I love nothing more than an interesting setting, and I'm tired of normal charage in general... so one of the biggest points that can be used to draw me into a charage is a crazy setting. Crazy charage settings are settings that have no possibility whatsoever of happening in real life or are so far outside of common sense that they are inconceivable as a real possibility to most people. This includes fantasy settings and sci-fi settings, but more often it includes a simple concept taken to an extreme. There are several types that have become common in the last ten years (common as in they've popped up at least five times in the last ten years in different companies' VNs). The Love City/School Setting This is the second most common crazy setting that pops up in charage. To be blunt, it is a setting where love and romance are encouraged as a part of the law or by school rules. In this setting, love, sex, marriage, and/or children are desirable outcomes and the 'system' in those settings goes to weirdly extreme levels of effort and expense to create the desired result. This can be seen as a part of other crazy settings (such as Kamikaze Explorer, where having children as a student was encouraged) or on their own (as in Love Revenge, where romance was essentially forced on the students by the school's new owner), but this particular crazy setting has popped up at least fifteen times that I can think of off the top of my head in the last ten years. The Virtual World Setting This is the most common sci-fi setting, often mixing with fantasy ones, where a virtual world (partial or complete) is put into place either in common use or as a part of the main characters' lives. This has a relatively low rate of occurrence for a crazy setting on this list, but it has popped up six times that I can think of in a charage in the last ten years that I can think of. Some where 'enhanced reality' types like Harvest Overray and others were 'jack-in' types like Hoshi no Ne Sanctuary. However, the key to making this list is that the virtual world element is key to the progression of the story, at least through the common route. The 'Get/got sent to another world' Setting This is the second most common fantasy charage setting. It can range from 'After I defeated the Dark Lord' types (Valkyrie Runabout is an example of this type) and 'school life somehow in a half-medieval setting' type to ones where the protagonist just shrugs and starts living with the heroines whom he just met (Unlucky Re:Birth). I've come across this six times from VNs made in the last ten years, and mostly they are fun. The 'Magical/mystical school' setting The most common fantasy setting. This can range from Alia's Carnival types where the school is the only place where the magic/mystical element is practiced to charage based in mystical worlds (Such as Racial Merge). I can think of about seventeen VNs that chose this type of crazy settings. The Cross-dressing Boy attends a Girl's School This one is... well, insane on so many levels. However, it is also the most common 'mundane' (non sci-fi, non fantasy) crazy setting. I can't count how many times this has popped up since Otoboku and Shugotate started the main trends of this crazy setting (for silly/weird reasons vs for serious reasons), but it is also one of my favorites, since you can usually enjoy the protagonist's antics as he tries to fit in... or fits in almost too naturally, as the case might be. My thoughts Crazy settings can often be amusing and add flavor to an otherwise trite concept (fall in love stories, which dominate charage), but some people are put off by them. Also, utilizing a crazy setting in a relatively believable fashion is a rare skill amongst charage writers, and many such games fizzle in the end. Nonetheless, I'll probably keep diving into crazy settings, if only to keep myself from going insane with boredom at all the dating and romance that dominate charage.

if you want something more...uncommon, I can recommend one of my personal favorites : I/O. The cyberpunk setting is great (with a bit of babylonian mythology), the characters are interesting, the OST is awesome... in short I am a true fan

G-senjou no maou, it's a great protagonist, a great true route. And a lot of laughs (at start), shivers and tears...a wonderful rollercoaster of emotions

I thought it'd be a smart shit post about making people read ToHeart

Kitto, Sumiwataru Asairo Yori mo, i cannot think now in another vn that put the "visual" and "novel" aspects together better than that, also Key should learn how to transmit emotions with that vn.

+1 to that. The best mistery VN ever. And the best soundtrack also.

Kimisora. A beautiful nakige made by Cabbit. This was one of the first VNs I read in Japanese, so I am probably a bit biased, but the story is truly beautiful. It also has an incredible OST, good art, and the story doesn't follow most of your standard cliches for the genre, but instead goes in directions you probably won't see coming. Each route is pretty unique, so it almost feels like you're reading different VNs for each route. (In a good way. What I mean is that it isn't repetitive like some VNs can be, and instead does something new for each heroine.) Although I can't say it changed my life, it was a fantastic read, one I'd strongly recommend to everyone else.

For me it would still be Analogue: A Hate Story, just because of the lasting impression it left me with. I was also thinking about Flowers, which I loved through and through and which cementing my love for yuri - but not being able to read more yuri after that would just be torture. That's how it looks now at least, I still haven't played through most of the kamige people would usually point to in this context, so I might change my mind in the future.