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NowItsAngeTime

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    New Parody VN: Maji de "Majikoi & Tsujidou Fans Discord" ni Koi Shinasai

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    This was made solely by @Okiyuu on the MajiKoi/Tsujidou fan discord:  

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/17TIlvDV8Sb9cHXvfs_RQP9ql8DIceV1C/view?usp=sharing 

    The premise is you're a protagonist who's joining the Class of MajiKoi/Tsujidou and figuring out what the culture is like there. This VN gets quotes and common scenarios from the discord to get an idea of what it's like in there as well as mixing in some fun VN elements.

    There are some inside jokes and language that can be a bit... strong so just keep that in mind if you want to check this out.

    If you want to check out the MajiKoi/Tsujidou fan discord itself you can click here: 
    https://discord.gg/3NQZgaP 

    Visual Novel Monthly Recap - February 2020 Releases and Community News (ft. ANIPLEX.EXE)

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

     

     

    I attempted to make my recording volume a lot louder so hopefully you guys don't have to turn it up as much.

    A video series to highlight Visual Novel related news that has to do with Releases, Announcements, Major Project Updates, and the Community. This video covers February 2020 News.

    Feel free to leave any feedback you have, positive or negative, in the comments.

    Notable Links (all SFW):

    * Shift-JIS Encoding for Linux and Wine - http://brokendragontranslation.com/shift_jis_linux.html
    * Summer Pockets (Steam) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/897220
    * Alka Translations update on Summer Pockets FanTL - https://alkatranslations.com/summer-pockets-officially-released-on-steam/
    * Never7 PSP English Patch - https://www.reddit.com/r/InfinitySeries/comments/f01wqj/never7_for_psp_english_patch/
    * VenusBlood FRONTIER International (Steam) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1189440/VenusBlood_FRONTIER_International/
    * Fable Maker - https://cdcruz.itch.io/fable-maker
    * Senren * Banka (Steam) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144400/SenrenBanka/
    * Senren * Banka (Nekonyan) - https://nekonyansoft.com/shop/product/27
    * Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai Full Patch 2.0 - https://tsurezurescans.wordpress.com/2020/02/16/hoshi-ori-yume-mirai-update-28-full-patch-2-0/
    * Flowers -Le volume sur automne- Physical Preorder (JAST) - https://jlist.com/JAST019
    * ANIPLEX.EXE VN announcements - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5qY00B9xmg
    * Togainu no Chi ~Lost Blood~ (Steam) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1174400/Togainu_no_Chi_Lost_Blood/
    * OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos (Steam) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1233270/OshiRabu_Waifus_Over_Husbandos/
    * MangaGamer 2020 Licensing Survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdq1twpBQEVzVFaYJ1XajJc4-UE0uGEQomBOtN0qIrS1ie48Q/viewform

    Some notable Japanese companies MangaGamer have previously released/licensed for:

    * 07th Expansion (Higurashi, Umineko, Ciconia)
    * Overdrive (Kira Kira, Deardrops, Bokuten)
    * Alice Soft (Rance, Evenicle)
    * Clock Up (euphoria, Maggot Baits)
    * Moonstone (Evangile, Lunatics, Sakura mori)
    * Purplesoft (Hapymaher)
    * Novectacle (Fata Morgana)
    * Circus (Da Capo, Dal Segno)
    * Minori (ef, Trinoline, eden)
    * ChuableSoft (SukiSuki, Byakko)

    Props to AndrewBlackSwordsman for the theme rendition in the intro. Follow him here:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/andrewblackswordsman 

    Social Media you can find/contact me at:

    Twitter:
    https://twitter.com/superange128

    MyAnimeList:
    https://myanimelist.net/profile/NowItsAngeTime

    Steam:
    https://steamcommunity.com/id/nowitsangetime

    Discord
    NowItsAngeTime👉 👌#5392

    Which character(s) would you say most fit "your type" and why?

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    This can be from whatever angle you want: Physical Traits, Body Type, Personality, etc. Just whatever just the character(s) that specifically appeal to your personal tastes and why.

    There are a lot of characters I like but if I had to narrow it down to my type I'd say Kotori from Rewrite, Naruko from Bokuten, and Rina from Fureraba.

    3P9vsSz.png

    Some traits between the three I like are:

    * All are generally energetic carefree characters and know how to give and take jokes pretty well.
    * At the same time, they're clearly are smarter/down to earth than they seem and know when to be serious when needed. (Many energetic characters end up being too immature, dumb, or loony)
    * All 3 are childhood friends or some kind of childhood friend equivalent. While Himari was the true childhood friend of Fureraba, Rina eventually took her place and knew the MC well before the story started. In all 3 cases, I liked the bond the characters were able to create and show before the story starts. Kotori and Naruko in particular have very deep relationships that are more interesting the more you learn about it.
    * I like their casual clothes/general fashion sense is fairly simple but still looks pretty/cute.
    * Outside Kotori and Naruko being brunettes none of the 3 are that similar in terms of physical traits. One of the main reasons I liked Kotori a lot from the start cuz... basically all her physical traits are stuff I really like. Naruko and Rina still look nice but Naruko is maybe a bit too smol and Rina a little too thicc.
     

    Shame in liking H scenes/18+ Content in Visual Novels

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted · Edited by NowItsAngeTime

    I'm interested in other people who actually like H-scenes (and not just for their literary/story value) but rarely/never talk about what they like.

    Visual Novels/Eroge are a weird genre that mixes story and H/Sex scenes, though sometimes they are esentially fully separated. Sometimes H-scenes are so long that the length can be equivalent to an average non-H scene in a VN and almost feel like it's part of the story.

    I've seen various reception to the existence of H-scenes. Some people are just very much against the idea of them existing and only want to read purely all ages content in visual novels which makes sense.

    There are people who say they don't like H-scenes but then when certain 18+/H content is taken out they don't like that the stuff is being "censored". There are people who say they only like H-scenes if they have some kind of literary/story value besides "pleasing" the reader.

    Usually when I see people admit to liking H-scenes it's usually just a small comment about them, they keep discussion in like friend groups, or just post pics in some kind of NSFW friendly chat or something.

    Sexual Content in basically anything tends to have a stigma in certain areas and communities, especially when anime-style characters are involved. 

    The fact that 18+ H-Scenes integrate them in the story means anyone who reads visual novels at some point will eventually come across a VN with them. This isn't like porn or plain hentai or chaturbate where you can more easily hide your preferences, the topic of 18+ H scenes in visual novels will come in at some point.

    So this brings me to my main point. In relation to those who do legit like H-scenes:

    Are they just too shy to talk about what they like? Do they have to use excuses to not seem like a weirdo/pervert for admitting to liking them them? Or do they just not really know what to say about them? 

    What are you guys' thoughts on this whole topic?

    Visual Novel Monthly Recap - January 2020 Releases and Community News (ft Nekonyan Update)

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    10 hours ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

    Sorry for OT, but how are you doing with all that subreddit drama lately? Do you think that the war with Discord server and the bitter old-timers will cool down soon? :)

    Edit: And is it true that Nai wanted to carb the loli and extreme 18+ content from the subreddit? Maybe you should appoint him to create & run a SFW affiliate one? I think that could a good space for EVN content to thrive in the long run, without the baggage of Japanese fetish porn and old-guard VN purists. :>

    I'd probably expect at least another week for it to be fully calmed down. Especially now that the mod team just got fully replaced.

    From what I gather about Nai, it seems he (and the other mods?) didn't want users to not just post about 18+ Loli pictures but also to make lewd comments about their... preference to lolis. 

    I dont have time to run multiple VN subreddits (I already have another mid size sub and some discords and a full time job) but if he wants a more EVN friendly one I'd be more than happy to advertise it.

    Your Visual Novel, Manga, Anime, Game of the Decade

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Visual Novel: If My Heart Had Wings/Konosora- Helps I was part of the Retranslation project as QC/testing but it's one of the best uplifting, wholesome stories I've ever read.

    Anime: Dragon Ball Super- Seems like a kinda mixed reception but I loved almost everything about it and it was almost everything I wanted in a true Dragon Ball Z sequel.

    Manga: My Love Story/Ore Monogatari - Kinda ties in with the anime but it was a very wholesome/funny story. Unlike anime actually had an ending.

    Game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Smash Bros is my favorite series, every game is an improvement somehow, and theres just too much good stuff.

    List of notable Visual Novel related discords as of 2022

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Formlose Gestalt said:

    There are two official Discords if think you should add.

    - Shira

    Shira is currently translating Master Magistrate for Hobibox/DMM and since they are working with them they sometimes post news/info about Hobibox/DMM related projects like the translation of Marco & The Galaxy Dragon.

    Discord link: http://discord.gg/qBmrqDy

     

    - Nextension

    The official Discord for Nexton for communication with their western fans.

    Last year they had an poll for what people want localized from them and recently they been working on making merchandise avaible for their western fans.

    Discord link: http://discord.gg/GcyDtUt

    Cool, added these plus some other series I missed in the opening post.

    List of notable Visual Novel related discords as of 2022

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted · Edited by NowItsAngeTime
    Added more links and changed to 2022

    In the last few years I've linked a list of the known Visual Novel related discords I knew about. I wanted to make a new post for the new year so comments can be opened up again.

    Most of these discords should be welcome to all readers. Whether you want to read the series for the first time, or have already and just want to discuss the VNs. Just make sure to respect spoilers and any other rules the discord has.

    Only a few have been added since the 2021 list, but if I'm missing any, feel free to comment.

    If there are any notable Visual Novel related discords you want me to add to this list that I forgot or you feel should be put on here, or one of the links doesn't work, let me know.

    --------

    **List of Discords for official licensing companies**

    -----

    **List of Discords for fantranslation groups**

    -----

    **List of Discords for general VN fanbases**

    -----

    **List of fanmade discords for specific VN series**

    Bokuten - Why it's more than just a "dark/depressing utsuge" (A Non-spoilery Shill)

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    I've seen some comments and reviews posted that introduce the specific setting, characters, and story elements of this VN. This topic is going to be a more general/analytical writeup on the themes and overall presentation.

    Now don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to downplay the dark/depressing elements. In fact, a handful of events may not be for the faint of heart, and the endings aren't always the happiest. However, mostly referring to these elements really downplays the true experience of BokuTen and may stop people interested from checking it out.

    Bokuten actually has a good mix of legit emotional, heartfelt, heartwarming, and most of all, bittersweet moments. This might be an overused word to some people, but Bokuten is essentially a "Deconstruction" on the meaning of love and happiness. Moeges, charages, and even some storyge with romance tend to build towards some mostly happy ending where everything turns out alright. 

    Bokuten tends to ponder both the positives and negatives of a romantic relationship and what it's built on. Is truly getting together no matter what the best possible outcome for everyone? Who and what gets affected when you confess and/or get together? Can you really handle and love the other person unconditionally, flaws and all? All of these questions, and more, are potential themes to think about when you're reading through the story.

    Similarly, it also raises the question of what the true meaning of happiness is and how to obtain it. This is a big theme for various characters.

    In addition to these two important themes, Bokuten still has a lot of what it's in typical visual novels. It has comedy and lighthearted moments with some unique humor and some you see often (thank god there's no tsundere hitting humor). It has an MC that's oblivious to some romance, but obvious to everyone else. But the MC has a legit reason for feeling that way, and has much more personality (in a sarcastic/blunt sense) than others. If you've watched the Oregairu/SNAFU anime, think of him like Hachiman, but a darker take. Alternatively, think of him like Yuuji from Grisaia but instead of saying things to specifically troll and get on people's nerves, he is just that serious and to the point about what he thinks. 

    It also has a common route, but it's one of the most unique and interesting common routes I can think of in visual novels. While there are still slice of life comedy scenes as stated above, they aren't too long and each chapter gets to the meat of its drama pretty quickly. The common route is kind of a mix between Sharin/G-sen's chapter system and ef. The decisions you have to make can be difficult and the themes build heavily into what to expect in the actual heroine routes.

    Speaking of choices, a big theme is the general grey area of what's the 'right' choice. Compared to most visual novel choices that are simply ways to get involved with heroines faster, every single Bokuten choice is a heavy hitting one that at least makes you think and there may not even be a clear right answer. Sometimes the characters struggle with these choices themselves without input from the player. Similar to real life, not every choice is just a simple way to get something. There may be sacrifice needed in order to achieve what you want.

    In conclusion, while it is fair to call Bokuten a dark/depressing utsuge given how some endings play out, there's a lot more to it as stated above. If you're interested in finding a character oriented visual novel with more story than usual, but the utsuge comments deterred you, hopefully this post can help you reconsider. If you like utsuges and just wanted more motivation to read this, even better!

    Bokuten - Why I Became an Angel is now available on the MangaGamer store and Steam!

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

     Finally finished the VN! Spoiler thoughts below.

     

    Alright now that I have finished Bokuten, I have a lot to say...cuz well there is a lot to say about this VN in general.

    If I were to give 3 things that stuck out in a positive way it'd be:


    1) The music. Even after Chapter 1 I was enamored by the different songs. Some standouts includes the happy Let's Go, the atmospheric Crossing, the darker Painted Black, the very sad Fragile, but my absolute favorites were things like Rebirth (the arrow shooting theme), I Cry Your Name (possibly #1, usually the song of an upcoming confession or character development), In the Gentle Sunlight (usually during a very heartwarming moment), and Overflowing Emotions (during a more dramatic but very feelsy moment). One that surprised me was Snow Crystals (the H-scene music) cuz while it's romantic/sexy and all, it's actually very memorable melody wise and it has this "This is the last sex we'll ever have" bittersweet vibe to it, and many times it does end up being the last sex.


    2) The common route. This is definitley one of my favorite common routes ever, if not possibly my #1. I had no expectations that there would be any couples beyond the typical 4 heroine harem, let alone having 5-6 potential ones! I've always really liked the idea of seeing more couples besides MC playing out and I really like how they integrated them into the plot/development of the MC. But most importantly, the common route chapters themselves are all mostly quite good by themselves! They could all be their own short VN/movie romance stories even without the heart shard thing. 

    They all felt fairly realistic or at least had potential to actual happen. I also really like how the Shard choices feel like a true 50/50 of whether it's a good decision for the reader. And it's thanks due Aine and Tomoe's back and forth arguing on analysis on whether or not returning it is a good thing in the long run. And generally each of the endings are justifiable/understandable, since it reflects how grey area life can be and there isn't some "everything will be 100% alright" like many VN route endings end up going.

    One of the flaws I have with the common route are the fact that (over) half of them involve adult/teen romance/crushes/relationships in some way. It makes me wonder if the writer either likes these a lot or he thought it would be a good/easy way to create characters with fractured hearts. The other flaw is... the last part of Chapter 6. I still like the idea of everything before the reveal of Koyuki needing a gangbang to get pleasure. Which might make sense in some girls might be that broken mentally I guess but it felt like the author added this super edgey dark reveal to prepare you for another route... but then the issue is that since Ch 6 has 3 ends, it's pretty obvious the locked 3rd one is by far the best ending. This was good since the 6th chapter was way edgey at the end and needed something good but at the same time kinda took away from the 50/50 choice factor since it was the obvious choice at the end.

    If I had to rank the Common route chapters it'd be something like

    Chapter 2 (Adult romance making tough career choices was super interesting) > Chapter 1 (Kinda cheesy way to end but the the running scene really hooks you into the rest of the VN) >  Chapter 3 (Insecure internet girl with her romance was super nice but not telling her friend and accidental reveal by sex in classroom was silly) > Chapter 4 (Probably the most wholesome coming out of the closet story I can think of, no preachiness you'd get from current year society and the added benefit where both endings were bittersweet relation to no resolved romance) > Chapter 6 (Broken girl and saving her from a rapist was nice, but the edgey ending/reveal brought it down a bit) > Chapter 5 (Kinda typical adult/teen romance drama but the two endings were interesting)


    3) The characters. Ties a bit into the common route, but all the side character/couples were done very well, and I thought the way it was executed was way better than other series with multiple couples (like say ef imo). But most importantly, the main characters were all quite good. I'll cover them more in the actual routes below, but I like them a bunch as a whole. Tomoe had super good development that came to a climax of Aine's route which was one of the best parts of the VN, but even seeing his development in the other 3 routes was nice. I thought Aine was just alright dummy baka character at first, but she really grew on me especially when you saw her influence on the Tomoe, the characters, the plot,...and apparently the Earth itself. Naruko still has my favorite base/waifu personality. I liked Minamo's drive to do well for her mom and career... and her romantic assertiveness. Yuri was my least fav of the mains but I've known people in her position and in some ways can be relatable.


    So while those things were my stick out positive... I have much more mixed feelings about the routes themselves.

    I did think Minamo's route wasn't bad, it was just a little predictable. Probably doesn't help I know how the Japanese idol industry works and I heavily predicted the whole "them not being able to go out cuz idols can't date thing" but I suppose it wasn't bad. Similarly the whole "My parent was making a big sacrifice secretly for my sake but was hiding it by being harsh" is a boring trope. It doesn't helped Ive kinda experienced it myslef and dont really like that excuse. But either way, the development of Minamo's actual character was still nice. The ending where they run away felt a little over the top but considering how long it took to find Minamo's shard for some reason (obviously drawn out for drama) it was understandtable Tomoe had to do something or risk Minamo's reputation and mental health.

    Yuri's route.... ugh. So this one hurt cuz once again I know someone (and maybe me a little to some extent) who was basically a slave to guilt which to be fair was a pretty unfortunate thing that happened. But damn Momo I literally thought was the devil. However, Chapter 6s edginess was only a teaser for how...ridiculously stupidly edgey this route was. If Momo were the older sister or something I cound understand her actions more. But apparently I'm supposed to believe that a middle schooler is capable of planning indirect harassment through ripping clothes, strapping someone and beating them with a bat, and worst of all RAPING him and her sister... all because she's jealous and her parents died through an accident? Like obviously she's sociopathic and crazy in the head but I don't think these series of actions felt realistic given her age, but who knows maybe I just underestimate middle schoolers. While the good ending was cathartic in a way cuz she ended up offing herself... her "selfless" reasoning felt too convenient given what her personality was so even that didn't fully satisfy me. It just brings up the issue of a middle schooler being the main villain but just happens to have an innocent mindset at the same time?

    Naruko's route... I quite liked it till the red string twist. Then I had more mixed feelings. This was when I knew the VN writer made you want to hate him for screwing over nice characters. Maybe I'm just biased since Naruko was my favorite personality wise. Like I know childhood friend romance is a hard thing to make interesting and unique. But using the "if we get together something will magically make us stop" felt like a cheap way to make it dramatic. Like it was the only feasible way Tomoe would legit care enough about Naruko to romance her when he was perfectly fine with Minamo and Yuri without red string drama. That said... I will give praise to the realism of their actions given the knowledge of the twist and it did do the 50/50 thing of both choices being grey area best compared to the other 2 routes.

    Aine's route was definitley the best overall route. That said I'd consider it just good, not great. The cheesey romance scenes I actually really liked. Seeing Aine and especially Tomoe's development was super nice, especially since it explained where the title of the VN comes from (apparently Tomoe uses Boku as pronoun?). Tomoe smiling getting over his past, and him turning into angel to make Aine and everyone happy felt like the culmination he learned from his childhood wishes and everything he did in the common route. The whole thing with Earth having a fractured heart and that messing up the red threads was... kinda weird but considering how angels were prominent I guess it wasn't that bad but still an odd way to solve the plot. But even though the ending was "bittersweet", it was much happier than any of the other routes which I liked. It almost felt like a true happy ending and I thought it was a fitting way to end the story.

    I do also have somewhat mixed feelings about the red thread twist since it does screw over the common route I really liked in a way. But thankfully Aine's route kinda fixed that... both in the giving hope before the TomoeAngel thing and after since the red threads being fixed turned back time to an extent made it so the Shard endings can be canon without separation (assumedly thats what Tomoe would do). And thankfully the emotions I felt during the common route stories still hold value since they're still characters and stories that happen wither way.

    During the common route I was heavily considering this VN to be a potential all time favorite, maybe even a top 3 VN. The routes brought it down a bit to just "quite good" and still very much worth reading. It had really good emotional moments (heartwarming, depressing, and bittersweet), realistic grey are choices, cool angel-related themes and music, super unique common route, and great music and characters.  I'll have to think of how to shill it properly since people may have different thoughts of how the the routes turned out compared to what I thought of them.

    Overall I'd give a VN like an 8.5 ish... rounded out barely to a 9 only because the characters and music themselves were consistently great.

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