Sick0ne

I only played through the Natsumi route of Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo so far . So I think I might try and play through the other routes before going for Yuukyuu no Shounenshoujo. Anyhow I already started playing Rewrite now ^^

Well I disliked the 1st season, but after story was still really good in my opinion ^^. I already started Rewrite now, although that might be somewhat suicidal, since I'm currently in the middle of my finals which I have to ace in order to get into my university of choice xD. Also, I might try Little Busters later, but for now I think I'm going to go with some other recommendations here

Yes, I think I'll go with Rewrite. However I'd like to ask how much time I have to put aside for it. Himawari no shoujo was supposed to be around 10+ hours, while it says for rewrite that it takes more than 50 hours to complete... Is that time meant for a single route or a full playthrough?

Well, I finished reading Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo two days ago, and I must say, I enjoyed reading it, although some of the plot was somewhat predictable. Even though I probably enjoyed G-senjou no Maou (I am making comparissons, since both works are from the same author and therefore have a similar feel), the story, character development and visuals of Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo were good (I didn't like the Touka arc as much as the others however). I am thinking of trying out a Key work now. I am thinking, as Rabbit recommmended, of going with either Planetarian or Rewrite, or maybe even Little Busters, since I have not yet seen the anime adaptation of those works (or they don't exist =P). However, having seen the 1st few episodes of the Little Busters anime, I don't think I would enjoy the characters very much. Which one should I go for next?

Thank you for all the recommendations! I will probably go ahead and read Sharin no Kuni Himawari no Shoujo, and decide what else to read after that. I might have given off a wrong impression with this thread though =/ I don't mind unrealistic/fantasy stories. Not at all. I don't mind unique characters with a defining feature. The one thing that bothers me is if the character has a specific trait which is then used to fuel the entire comedy of the show. I know I am talking about key works here without actually reading the VN's and I realize they might be FAR better than I think, but I cannot paint a picture of my ideal characters without relating to anime, since I have simply not read enough VN's. So to take for example Clannad - I dislike how the comedy is based on various interactions like between Sunohara and Tomoyo, where they fight for no apparent reason, and the fighting is REALLY exaggerated.

I was looking at Sharin no Kuni before, but I'll read some reviews before deciding. I feel reluctant to read Grisaia no Kaijitsu, as I have already seen the anime and therefore know most of the plot, which imo makes for not such a great experience, even though the VN might be better. I'll check out all of the recommendations in detail tommorow, as it is getting really late (I spent waaaaay too much time looking for something to read/play...)

Yes I know that naive characters are almost always present. However being new when it comes to visual novels, all the experience I have is in anime, where most of the series I REALLY enjoyed were those where the characters traits were at least semi-believable. What I most dislike about such writing is that most of the comedy presented in a story is then based solely on the on trait and is often plainly forced... I am not looking for an entirely serious story where everything must be completely realistic... I wouldn't be playing visual novels then, but reading books =P, however I'd like to keep the "emberassing" traits of characters to a minimum...

Hello, I know the tittle isn't very indicative, but I couldn't decide on it, since my preferences for a visual novel are very vague, as I have so far only played through three visual novels (G-senjou no Maou, Katawa Shoujo, Fate/stay night). To get to the topic at hand - I am looking for a visual novel with realistic, mature characters (I don't mind a high school setting, or the characters being teenagers, but I don't want them to be "dense"), who are able to objectively judge the situation at hand and act according to what they are capable of. Examples of characteristics I did not like: Fate -> Emiya being awfully pretentious and wanting to do everything alone, which is often idiotic when viewed objectively Key works -> Comedy portrayed through exceedingly childish characters Characeristics I liked: G-senjou -> Kyousuke being someone who can objectively judge both what's happening and his own abilities Katawa Shoujo -> I liked Hisao since he was portrayed as a normal human with whom I could relate, due to his decissions being those of a "real person" So to summarize, I don't like characters with exaggerated traits (eg. childishness, overconfidence, valour, being a pervert etc.). It's not that I don't like really powerful characters or characters with extraordinary abilities, but I would still like to see them portrayed as persons with "realistic" mindsets. For the story - I like stories in which romance plays an important role (however I came to see that romance is present in almost all visual novels) and the relationship between the couple is developed beyond just awkward talk and a kiss. Otherwise I have no preferences regarding the genre, as long as the story is interesting. I hope that you will be able to decipher what I like from these examples and am looking forward to hearing some recommendations.