Leaderboard

I just finished Muramasa, and, well, it was a worthwhile experience, but not much more than that. It's definitely on the good end of the spectrum; it simply fell short of my, admittedly high, expectations. To say it in clearer terms, I wouldn't place it among my top 10 VNs, as suggested on VNDb; maybe not even my top 30. To name a few things I disliked about it: - The protagonist. Yeah, he's pretty much the definition of an antihero and he's expected to grow on you over time, but I still think you'd need to be able to symphathize with him somewhat from the getgo to truly immerse yourself in the story. Sadly, that is something I was unable to do for a good part of the game. I realized there was probably some reason for his actions, but not knowing those, I could only judge him based on the information I had been fed. This made me not really care one way or another whether he lived or died, which made battles, among other things, lose a lot of impact. Speaking of... - The fight scenes. They're probably my biggest issue with Muramasa, considering the fact that they make up such a large part of the game. Basically, I found them too long and over the top for my tastes. I could accept the premise of "Okay, foe, in order to beat you, I will unleash my ultimate attack, which cannot be avoided. <1 second later> Damn, he avoided it. Let's boost my power although I was already at the maximum and try again. Rinse and repeat." back in the days when I was watching Dragonball or Naruto, but I've kinda grown past that by now and don't find it nearly as entertaining or exciting as I used to. (This also happens to be one of the reasons I haven't read Dies Irae yet.) - The rape scenes. I can't recall a single one that was actually relevant to story progression in the grand scheme of things, meaning they were all just there either for cheap shock value or to cater to the tastes of the people who actually enjoy that stuff. - The info-dumping. I realize that many people might want to know every little detail about every little thing, but to me, it just felt tedious and bothersome. At one point, it caused me to literally start nodding off on the couch, so I ended up skipping past that part of the game just so I wouldn't get completely bored out of my mind. I think this is actually the first VN where I've skipped something that wasn't an h-scene, which should speak volumes about how disinterested I was. - The true ending. This came so out of the blue, I had to take a moment just to realize what had happened. I was entirely convinced I was on one of the regular routes and would later end up on some true route revolving around but then it just ended and all I was left with were a few missing CGs from earlier choices and the knowledge that all the stuff I thought were just a bunch of sidenotes in pursuit of something greater were actually what canonically happened in the story. It was a cocktail of confusion and unfulfillment. To not end this post on a negative note, I'd like to mention that one thing that Muramsa deserves praise for is its translation. I remember seeing one person making a comment about this being the new golden standard for localizations, and while I can't attest to the accuracy compared to the Japanese original, which I haven't read, this is without a doubt one of the best VNs I've read in terms of prose.

LEGO VOCALOID Miku Hatsune, (kinda-sorta) "Sweet Mayhem" actually, a "Minidoll" character from 2019's "THE LEGO MOVIE 2" that i fell instantly for upon first sight; https://thelegomovie.fandom.com/wiki/General_Sweet_Mayhem

So, I finished Kin'iro Loveriche or Kinkoi for short. I am not the biggest moege player as I struggle to keep my motivation when the stakes in a story are too low and there are no particularly engaging conflicts to speak of. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the cute characters, the SoL and the comedy, but I have to pace myself and be careful to not get oversaturated or chances are I'm not gonna finish the game. I picked up Kinkoi as per recommendation of a friend of mine who knows what I tend to enjoy very well, and he told me that I would most likely come to love the true route... and holy shit he couldn't be any more right. To be completely honest the rest of routes were nothing to write home about. They were funny and entertaining enough so long as I didn't binge, but I can't say they are spectacular by any stretch of the imagination. The romance also felt incredibly lackluster and I never felt a special connection between the MC and any of the heroines... until the true route. Hooo boy the true route. What a beautiful and powerful thing. I love how everything comes together and how tactful it all feels. It never feels cheesy or overly dramatic, it doesn't feel like they are trying to manipulate your feelings. It all flows so nicely and leaves you with such a good aftertaste and a message that will stick with you for a long time. It might not be exactly original or innovative, but it's beatifully executed and that's more than enough. Now I'm talking about it in very vague and abstract terms because I obviously don't want to spoil the experience for anyone. I am just going to say, please, if you have even the slightest tolerance for moege, you need to give Kinkoi a try. PS: Ria is such a beautiful human being and she earns a more than well deserved spot in my best fictional girls of all time, and in my heart. Bless her.

I just finished first episode of 9 -Nine-. I found it really engaging and enjoyable. If that was indeed the weakest part, then I see that I'm in for a treat And while some people say that Miyako makes for a rather bland heroine, I found her absoutely cute, and could definitely fall in love with her . Besides, the confession scene was amazing - very awkward and at the same time feeling very natural. I'd probably act very similar in such situation The way how the relationship between siblings Kakeru and Sora is portrayed was also brilliant - I loved their constant banter. Another nice thing was acknowledging of the other "branches" directly in the story, making routes and different endings part of the setting. I'm playing All-ages Japanese release, so cannot say much about H-stuff, but as for this episode I don't think anything was lacking, and I don't feel like this would be better as an eroge Kissing scene did very good job to convey the intimacy. And I dread at the mere thought of H-scenes between Kakeru and Sora in the next episode - that's one of the reasons I chose All-ages version There were some points that could see some improvement, but overally it was very good start. So it's 7.5 for the first episode, and I'm looking forward to the rest

Tool based on @Tester algorithm: https://mega.nz/file/se5RSAKR#puZVIXyjakhYn3ZPZYMQQB3a9YM1N1JDP6eoDi0vPAQ

Flowers -Le Volume sur Été- Summary Erika/Chidori: "Have you ever thought of wanting to do something for the one you love?" In the season of first meetings, a girl with a wounded heart, Suou, found a friend and lover who would accept her. However, this friend and lover left the school without telling her the reason at the end of spring. Suou was in denial about her loss, and fellow bookworm Erika was gravely worried and looked for a way to heal Suou’s broken heart. With the early arrival of summer, a girl named Chidori transferred into the school. She met Erika by accident when Erika was coming back to the dorm and told Erika that she was a coward for stalking her. It was the worst first meeting for the two who would end up becoming each other's "Amitié." Ending Guideline: Route Guideline: LOVERS END: GOOD END BAD ENDs MORE THAN FRIENDS END Dahlia END: GOOD END BAD END TRUE END: