Plk_Lesiak

Note: I was provided with a free review copy of the game by the developer. All opinions are solely my own. Sequels to obscure, low budget EVNs are always a slightly awkward topic to tackle. They are inevitably tied to games which few people are familiar with and which can be, at least in some aspects, of subpar quality simply due to their indie nature. This makes giving a meaningful rating and recommendation for potential readers tricky – at the very least, any kind of conclusion about them will be served with a good number of caveats, related to the interplay between titles in the particular series and the value proposition they represent both together and on their own. The latest title to create such a conundrum for me is Eldritch University by Jackkel Dragon. Released on Steam in June 2020, this game is a sequel to early 2019’s Eldritch Academy, a supernatural horror VN combined with a fair dosage of high-school yuri romance. While amusing in its romantic arcs, the prequel had several issues: unlikeable protagonist, repetitive routes, below-average visual and, in my opinion, an unreasonably high price for the level of quality it represented. University, while borrowing the setting and tying itself loosely to the core intrigue of that game, represents a major improvement in most aspects – a better-looking, more focused experience with a price tag way more representative of its entertainment value. Is it, however, good enough to make the whole series worth it, or to be a viable read as a standalone experience? Well, it depends on what you want from it… Read the full article at evnchronicles.blogspot.com

Wow, with so many subtypes this makes it a three-layered category! We should implement these categories to user profiles on VNDB and make everyone even more miserable/confused.

Welp, just like wanting people to stop throwing Unity asset packs on Steam as original games... Shovelware will be Shovelware. Quite likely the only reason you don't get fed up with miserable-quality crap made by Japanese people is that it doesn't show up in the storefronts/sites you use.

I think otome and BL fangirls deserve their own place on the archetype list. :> The one thing tying all the categories outside of the storycuck and the autist is convenience. People are willing to accept obviously "false" categorisation because they reflect the kinds of games that tie the community together. Ejecting only things that stretch the definitions of the genre beyond that point of utility. Just like Erogamescape lists all those obviously non-ero games, because they appeal to similar audiences and use similar storytelling conventions as eroge. Because, in practice, we use VN both as a genre description, with a very precise set of storytelling conventions and mechanics (basically the Key/Type-Moon formula), and as an umbrella term. What Palas was trying to do was to justify the use of the umbrella term by coming up with a legitimate definition for it. Something that can't really be done in a strict manner, but can work to inform the boundaries the community sets for itself. I think I even used the "pure story or gameplay serving the story" idea in an academic paper I wrote... But that was only justifiable because I was focusing on the community and fan translations, and not trying to push a legitimate genre definition. So, Zaka, I feel sorry for you and every other genre-definition-pedant, but I think that as long as we don't separate the narrow genre definition from the umbrella term, your position is utterly hopeless and you're meant to suffer for all eternity from AAs and Danganronpas of this world being miscategorized.

I'm still surprised they didn't double down with Ragnarok though. It seems to share a lot of the same appeal as Frontier, while also being that kind loose sequel that has extra value for people that liked the original but doesn't require the player to be familiar with it. Kind of makes me wonder whether the Frontier project proved more lucrative as an expansion to the Western market or as the expanded/remastered Japanese re-release. It still feels to me that Ragnarok would be a more obvious choice if this was mostly about building up the English-speaking fan base...

I'm not sure if this will make sense to anyone, but I'm kind of sick not only of arranged marriage plots but generally of the "defying the parents" drama, whether its about marriage, career or whatever. I know it's a very realistic trope, but as the main source of conflict and/or character development for a heroine it just lost all appeal to me a while ago, mostly because of how much it's done not just in VNs but media in general. Crystalline is a good example of using it in a way I loathe, because the already bland central heroine got her "character arc" through her parents opposing her becoming a knight... And it felt exactly just as empty and superficial as everything else in that game.

Yeah, but still, LNs go way beyond what S2 is alleged to cover and I think they're not finished yet with releasing new volumes. Essentially, this is a harem story and expecting those to get adapted to the point of romantic conclusion is hopeless. But if they go with Maria ending this will be the first LN I ever read. There's no way I'm missing out on that.

So, I finally got my shit together and started catching up on this season's shows. Bakarina was rather delightful, although it went pretty overboard with how dense the protagonist is... Although I guess that's necessary to maintain that insane harem scenario. Which means, it features some of the typical pitfalls of harem fiction, only putting a clueless female in the middle instead of a clueless guy. The main things saving it are how genuinely funny and wholesome the story is. Even though Catarina does many things for dumb/misguided reasons, from time to time we get a glimpse of how genuinely empathetic and caring she is and this makes the whole experience warm and satisfying. It's also very nicely paced – whenever I got tired of Catarina's silliness there was a transition into something more meaningful to keep my interest. I still feel that making Catarina a little less of a moron and making her respond to the romantic tension around her would make it even better (9/10 material), but still, a solid 8/10. Also, if they'd both made Catarina less dense and went with a yuri pairing for her (I adore Mary, but I guess Maria would make more sense and be a funnier twist)... That'd be a straight-up 10/10 for me. I heard Maria is actually a legitimate contender in the LNs, but we'll never see enough of those adapted to anime to get to that point. Gleipnir is nearly over and surprisingly enjoyable is its uber-trashiness. It could use slightly more consistency with its characters, but generally, it has a similar vibe to last season's Darwin's Game – insane powers and a pansy protagonist who eventually has to become brutal to not lose everything he cares for. The dynamic between Shuichi and Claire is actually quite interesting, production quality very solid and super-transparent edginess enjoyable if you're into such stuff. I'm wondering why I like it while I deeply hated Happy Sugar Life, another ultra-edgy show, but I think it's mostly because this has no pretences of being a psychological horror and gets creative with its supernatural elements. I never really knew where it was going in advance and despite all the gratuitous violence and fanservice it shoves in, it's not stale and not that obnoxious. I'll be curious what other people's reviews are going to look like at the end of the season, but for me, it's likely going to be a 7/10 – way higher than I've expected from the premise and even watching the first episode. Now, I should probably try to catch up on Kaguya-sama...

Honestly, because I agree completely with what Clephas and Zalor wrote, I would simply fictionalize it. Making a quasi-WW2 setting in a fictional country gives you a lot more of creative freedom to discuss issues you want to discuss and not be tied so heavily by historical accuracy and the possibility to insult real-life groups. This VN is a cool example on how it can be done – it has a lot of flaws and the setting is a bit weird, but the way it handles the loyalist route is actually quite excellent, I think catching surprisingly well some of the allure and mechanism of totalitarian power. Still, doing research is super-important. Even if you drop setting your story in Nazi Germany as such, you want to get your description of the totalitarian machine and how society functioned under it as accurately as possible, if you want your story to mean something.

Well, you're right of course, but I didn't want to explain Lynne in detail either, but rather give some point of reference... I might rephrase is later, but it's kind of hard to do as briefly as I wanted to do it – it'll be reductive no matter which angle I emphasise.

Note: I was provided with a review copy of the game by the developer. To talk about the latest slice-of-life VN by ebi-hime, nothing & nowhere, we have to start in a less-than-obvious place. Nearly two years ago I made an overview ebi’s freeware games and one of the most memorable and unique of them was Lynne: a heavily stylized, pixelart horror game about a teenager crumbling under the pressure from her dysfunctional family and societal expectations she's unable to truly meet. Full of suffocating atmosphere and visceral dream sequences, it is to this day one of the most effective horror experiences I’ve seen in the medium and one that ends on an abrupt, but appropriately disturbing note. Nothing & nowhere, while representing a completely different climate and stylistic, is basically an alternative timeline spin-off of that game, offering something probably every person that read Lynne wished for – some form of respite and hope for the future to the game’s tortured protagonist. Interestingly enough, after being released in mid-May 2020, nothing & nowhere was not marketed directly as a sequel or spin-off of Lynne. Even the Steam page only mentioned the connection at the very end of game’s description, suggesting it’s above all a standalone story, despite sharing the central character with its horror predecessor. In my experience, however, it was exactly that link, and the extra context being familiar with Lynne provided me with, that made the new game a truly worthwhile. More than that, I’m willing to argue it's likely be the same for most potential readers, for a few crucial reasons. Read the full article at evnchronicles.blogspot.com

Welcome to Fuwa! I hope we'll not ruin the nice impression you've got so far.

Yup, maybe not to the extreme, but it still ends up sounding sped up and artificial. The composer behind it used to make vocaloids songs and, bafflingly enough, makes a singer she now works with sound a bit like a vocaloid too with all those effects. Kind of defeats the purpose of that whole transition IMO, particularly when working with someone this talented.

Welcome, welcome! Hope that our little community will prove uplifting rather than soul-crashing... Unless that's what you're into?

Wow, man, I kind of envy you. I sometimes struggle to write a short review of a VN that resonated with me, while you managed to create this over what is essentially a nitpick. I need some of that energy.

That is a completely different definition from the one Zalor presented though, touching on a seperate issue. It kind of makes both claims true... But when it goes to the mode of engagement, I'm definitely with Zalor on this. In my experience, reading VNs is close to reading a novel or watching an engaging show, when it goes to mental effort. I can watch YouTube or play traditional PC games for hours/days on end, but VNs are way more emotionally stimulating and I need proper mood and mental energy to tackle them. ...and that's why also get burned out on them and anime pretty regularly, even though I still consider those my favourite forms of entertainment. :C

The album version of this song is actually pretty meh due to all the effects/mixing used in it, but this performance from The First Take is, in my opinion, absolutely brilliant. :3

Well, they claim they dodged it, but actually it just bounced off the plot armor.

I was very much into history, military history and world politics in the past. Also did academic work in popculture/fan studies... And now I'm kind of a sad weeb doing office work while listening to Japanese music and reading (and writing about) VNs in my spare time. Who needs those normie hobbies anyways?

Welcome to Fuwa! I hope you'll have fun around here (& find a translation project that is up to your tastes).

The point about those relations though, is that people who were involved with fan translation of Fuwa and wanted to transition into professional work for localisation companies already did so. Those that didn't probably have little interest in taking official responsibilities in any Fuwanovel-based localisation company... The lack of leadership is an important barrier for sure, but even when we removed the most important hurdles and got full access to the site last year, there simply weren't enough people to work on content – you can notice how basically I did some things for the main site and there was zero follow-up (which, in return, made me demotivated). Suddenly finding the energy in this community to not just create stuff, but do so in a commercially-viable manner? Well...

Well, I'm writing on a phone so I'll be brief... 1. You probably through your absence missed the worst times of institutional paralyses due to Tay's disappearance. This was partially resolved by Emi taking charge, but generally, nothing could be done on Fuwa for literal years because Tay went AWOL. When it got (partially) fixed, there was no energy left to ressurect the site as something more than the Forums, which is also staying alive through inertia more than anything else. Because no main site content = no traffic and no new people. 2. The main roles of this site are not as important as they once were. People get news and discuss them on Reddit. Socialise on Discord. Organise fan translation... Pretty much nowhere because those are dead. I'm being hyperbolic, but only a little. Fuwa is a cool community... But is in no way essential as it once was. The "fix" I was hoping to spearhead for that issue was making it something like an editorial/review hub once more... But few people, me including, had any kind of energy for it, and none had enough for long-term commitment. 3. When it goes to the community itself and the atmosphere on the site, I think it's overwhelmingly positive. I'm not objective here of course, but I don't think it's toxic members of any kind of cultural flaw that keeps Fuwa down. Unless you count lethargy as one. I don't want to discourage you and any initiative to energise the community is welcomed. I'm not sure there's an answer to this crisis though, different then the community being old, slightly anachronistic and really not having time or energy for all that reforming/rebuilding business. :>

I find the lack of information on the game's page disturbing. Can you tell how long it is and how many endings there are?