Plk_Lesiak

Hey there people! I apologize for my arguable overreach, but I've decided to take down the original thread as I felt troubled by the direction it was going. While everyone's free to discuss the pandemic, I strongly plead to everyone to keep the thread as fact-based as possible and focus on things we can do to keep ourself safe in this crisis. There's a lot of information floating around there and I won't allow this site to be another source of counter-productive panic, at least as long as other admins don't overturn my decision – you're free to appeal to them if you disagree, but for my part, I will observe this thread closely and act decisively. In Poland, situation so far seems somewhat under control, but it's also because the government introduced some harsh preventive measures real quick. In other parts of the world, in Italy in particular, it's much worse. I'm myself probably going to be stuck at home for a few weeks while our family's company mostly switched to remote work and this is basically the main appeal to everyone, whether the virus is already spread out in your country or only starting to show up – stay at homes whenever you can and do research on what steps you can take to keep yourself safe when going out. Even things like masks are only effective if you use them right. If you are not worried about getting sick yourself, think whether there are vulnerable people around you: elderly, those with chronic conditions or weaker immunity. And, in the end, don't panic or obsess over preventive measures either. There's only that much you can do, but those few crucial things like hygiene and minimizing contact with strangers are actually very likely to keep you safe. This will pass and if you keep acting responsibly, it'll pass sooner. Stay strong guys!

Harsh... I've only lost around $180, but basically the next opportunity to make this happen will be next March, so I'm extremely frustrated... And I'll be watching a lot of anime while stuck at home for the next few weeks... >.> Right, I think you talked about this one in other threads too? This could make for a cool anime... Or a cool VN. :3 Anyway, looking for the emotional comfort of mindless entertainment, I've finished the first season of Strike the Blood after all, along with that season's OVA. It... Was more of the same, but thankfully with a few fun developments between the protagonist and the main girl. While it's still hardly conclusive romance, at least it made her status of protag's future partner very explicit and I at least can appreciate the lack of pointless baiting there. Also, I've watched SAO: Ordinal Scale, which was like the most SAO thing ever. Dumb, loud, occasionally melodramatic and once more showing that Kirito's magical protagonist powers can surpass any challenge if he bothers to try. And as usual, I really like it. It's the kind of nonsense that just flaws perfectly and throws flashy pictures at you in a way that makes you ignore the obvious stupidity of most things that actually happen. Outside of that cursed Fairy Dance arc, I still can't dislike SAO due to its sheer entertainment factor. And Kirito/Asuna relationship which is pretty refreshing as a constant axis of the story. I even think Asuna's character was handled better than SAO season 2, for the most time being more proactive and reasonable than Kirito. 8/10 Now, for the next thing I watch I'll probably go a little bit more adventurous. Bakemonogatari, let's see if I can stomach you after all...

OK, so I had to cancel a trip I've planned months ago and was extremely looking forward to because of the coronavirus mess, so I'm depressed as fuck and indulging in self-pity-driven anime binging. Looking for something slightly more to my taste than harem crap I've watched Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry and... Well, it more or less delivered on the romance, which is refreshing, and the fights were really intense, but the plot was so paper-thin... Very little beyond empty cartoon villains and forced drama. Plus the main girl was just a walking cliche. I really hoped it would capitalize more on the funny-sounding premise (the one with first duel and the loser becoming other person's slave) or do something a bit more fresh, but the structure of the story was very standard and the chemistry between the main couple pretty weak. Hate SAO as much as you want, but I never felt that I didn't believe Kirito and Asuna as a couple. Even the weird "family" part made sense in the confusing and desperate situation of being trapped in that VR hell. Here... Let's just say, I don't think I'll remember much of this show a few months from now. 7/10

Inspired by the minor vampire theme in Karakara I've decided to finally give a try to a trashy shounen series I had on my to-watch for ages, that is Strike the Blood. It was... Well, like any other harem show really. There were a few things that I definitely liked: the vampires were implemented with no emo BS. The protagonist is OP but flawed enough in his handling of his powers that he gets his ass handed to him on a regular basis, rarely being in actual danger, but having to work for his victories. Also, every time he does win it is very much a team effort, with nearly heroines contributing in meaningful ways. Also, the obvious main heroine is how a complete dumpster fire like it's often the case. The magic system also felt pretty clean at first and the arc-based story structure was kind of refreshing, always building towards something... But then, around the half of the first season, all the typical problems of harem shows came in force. The harem expanded at an absurd pace with girls getting less and less development. The story started introducing arbitral powers and new forms of magic when in an overly-convenient fashion. The was no real character progression for either the protagonist of the main girl. After episode 19 I simply lost all interest and I'll probably stop there for good. 6/10

And what happens to the project if he gets cancer? What kind of question is that? With peoples' lives at stake fan projects should be around the last thing with any kind of priority. Let's wish for everyone to get through it rather than wonder how much delay we're gonna get if they drop dead. WTH man...

I thought I'd be the coronavirus that finally gets us, but now the e-mail server is going to beat it by a few weeks? How anticlimactic.

To some extent is absolutely has to be the case, because there's too much going into licensing decisions outside of the demand from your core audience: what's the cost of the license, whether the developer even want to sell it to you, how expensive the localisation project itself would be, would the game have any appeal outside of the people that fill those surveys (i. e. most dedicated VN audience). Plus outside those few mass-requested franchises (which are not happening anyway for the reasons I've mentioned already, or, like Evenicle 2, are going to happen no matter if people request it in the survey) I imagine the votes are too spread out to say to MG "oh, this will definitely sell!". I always thought about those as a "pool of ideas" and general sentiments the company can use, it's probably not realistic to expect them to matter that much.

It's not an election though. You're not "voting" for anything, you share your suggestions to show MG what titles might be interesting to English-speaking audience. And you'll have stuff like Fate, White Album 2 and Sakura no Uta at the top of the list most of the time, so it's not exactly nukige winning the thing every year. Also, Nekopara-like crap is definitely Sekai Project's specialty, not really what people expect or ask from MG. And while title suggestions are likely to mean relatively little, there's also the part about requesting more of specific genres etc., which is much more likely to influence MGs licencing decisions. If you think we get too much crappy nukige, it's probably a good idea to express what you'll like to see more of.

I've played through Karakara 1 & 2 and the best way I could describe the experience is "NEKOPARA, but without sex slavery". The first episode is beautiful visually, greatly voice-acted and just wholesome slice-of-life fun spiced up by the interesting post-apocalyptic setting (definitely the most lighthearted post-apocalypse I've seen). The scripting is great, making the dialogue very lively despite the lack of Live 2D or similar techniques used. Even the way heroines are treated feels extremely NEKOPARA, with two added to the harem every episode. I have to say though, I liked the second one, which Fred the Barber trolled everyone with by giving it a 5/5, a bit less than the first. The gimmicks of the new heroines are pretty poorly done, the story introduces many new elements that feel more like retcons than expanding the game's world and the mystery subplot is a jumbled mess. I'd rather get more slice-of-life stuff and well thought out stories about the setting than these half-assed attempts at being dramatic with a massive cliffhanger at the end. I felt antithetical to what was actually enjoyable about these games. I give 3,5/5 to Karakara and 3/5 to Karakara 2. Nice, short distraction, but hardly anything beyond that.

Hello and welcome to EVN Chronicles' seasonal Steam Curator Wrap-up, where I cover the VNs sent to me for review through Steam's Curator Connect functionality. Lately, I’ve come to a sad realisation that I’m unlikely to keep up with all the games I’m receiving, with the appropriate tab in my Steam library growing more and more intimidating over time. However, I’ll be still working to give a chance to as many of them as possible, and assess them for all of you. This time around, I've been able to check out five titles, the main highlight being the newest VN by the Indonesian studio Kidalang, Legend of Everything, with its deeply unique spin on the isekai formula. This is, however, not where the interesting stuff ends, as the climatic Revenant March and wonderfully-stylized Tell a Demon also proved to be strong contenders, making this one of the most compelling lists I've worked on in this series. So, please join me in this brief overview and if any of the games catch your interest, you can go straight to their Steam pages by clicking their titles. Enjoy! Legend of Everything Legend of Everything is definitely the most unusual visual novel in today’s post, particularly because of its subject matter. At first glance, it might look like a simple spin on the isekai formula, with an inhabitant of a fantasy-themed, video game world being the protagonist and interacting with a particularly chaotic person transported there from our reality. However, pretty soon it transforms into a giant thought experiment, and basically a lecture on the simulation hypothesis – the idea that our universe is actually a simulation created by some advanced intelligence. This notion might seem absurd at first glance, but is made less so the more you learn about modern physics theory and strangely arbitral rules that govern various phenomena it describes. While never fully abandoning the formula of comedic fantasy adventure, Legend of Everything thoroughly explores this idea and conveys tons of legitimate science knowledge, basically becoming the most moe course on modern science you're likely to can find, presented in a highly accessible, but genuinely educational way. If you’re at least marginally interested in this kind of topics, the game should be quite enjoyable to you. What’s less impressive, in my opinion, is the visual side of the experience, dependent on subpar-quality 3D sprites and environments. It’s particularly disappointing in contrast with the rather-stylish art in this studio's previous titles, An Octave Higher and One Small Fire at a Time. However, I was pretty quickly able to look past it thanks to how enjoyable the writing was, consistently combining well-constructed science discussions with quirky characters and humour, and even some epic and heartfelt moments worthy of a “proper” fantasy story. Saying anything more would inevitably involve spoilers, so I’ll simply recommend everyone to check this game out – it offers a lot more than you’d expect at first glance. Final rating: Highly Recommended Read the full article at evnchronicles.blogspot.com

Remember guys when I was talking about giant house spiders showing up in my place? Apparently, they are getting bigger.

Sure, but one person's treasure is another one's nightmare. Just read up some opinions on Hoshimemo or Himawari. And as you can see, few people here mentioned obvious trash. Obvious trash rarely can leave you with a strong impression and achieve real hights of terribleness, because no one expects anything from it, including its authors. When something actually tries and takes itself seriously... That's how true abominations are brought to this world.

Interesting how dead it is this season. :> I actually didn't watch anything for over a month, but having no energy to do anything useful inspired me to start catching up on Darwin's Game... Highly entertaining trash, I have to say. Reminds me of Hand Shakers in the overall idea, with a tiny bit of Gantz on top of it (kind of "Augmented Reality" battle Royal with BS rules and BS powers, but happening in real world). So far, it showed some creative scenarios and a lot of dumb violence. Just what I was looking for.

Confession: I don't listen to it much, particularly nowadays, but I actually like Indian pop. Quite a lot even. Also, Daler Mendhi is such as alpha. This kind of energy most pop singers can only aspire to.

Oh, in an event? And here I was ready to complement your choice of office clothes. You can't be late for this party. It's like human vanity in general: eternal.

All Best Wishes To You @ittaku!

Yup, I highly recommend doing just that. If the only emotion I'm feeling while reading a nakige is slight irritation, that's a pretty good indicator it's genuinely atrocious. I think it's pure contrivance plot-wise, its main theme is pretty much nonsensical and it desperately reaches for emotional impact without even one attempt feeling genuine the way twists about Yumemi's behaviour and backstory did. I have to read up on people's opinions about it, it's of course well put together, but I'm not sure how to defend it beyond that. ^^ Also sorry @Silvz for this backwards way of responding but I rather won't make too many separate posts and turn this into a Harmonia thread.

Among the games that showed any kind of promise or genuine effort (I exclude Sakura games and similar shovelware then), my personal most hated is probably Carpe Diem: Reboot, recently mentioned by @Seraphim88. I despised its protagonist and nearly every piece of its "intrigue" like probably nothing else I've read to date. Looking at it from today's perspective I kind of understand what the writer was going for, but that true ending will forever stay with me as most pointlessly upsetting conclusion to a VN ever (and I really hope nothing beats it, I don't want to go through something like that again). When it goes to JVNs, I haven't read that many... But I am finishing Harmonia and it's probably taking the price. What a sorry attempt to resurrect the Planetarian's charm. Predictable, dreary, mediocrely written and constantly attempting to be profound with no substance to back that up. Maybe the final acts will surprise me with something interesting, but I don't have much hope left... Edit: Ok, so the main twist of Harmonia is actually even more garbage than the buildup. There's one part of it that I didn't predict, but it's stupid enough that I can't count it as a positive... I guess I have to double down on it being the "winner" of this category. Ugh... The story in this is dumb and sometimes pervy, but that's really not what makes it terrible in my opinion. That's just silly fanservice for Sunrider fans and it would be strange to expect much more from it. The horrible part is the gameplay – one of the most boring and tedious things I've experienced (it still wouldn't be my top choice, both because it's more a dating sim than a VN and because I didn't feel much emotion about it).

Welcome to Fuwa!

True, but those people are often actually quite active over the internet and vocal about the things happening in their countries of origin. So diasporas would rather fuel than weaken thematic subreddits.

Well, it's available in Iraq and at least decent part of Middle East - outside of Iran, Saudi Arabia and maybe Syria internet access is not that heavily limited in the region and even there people find workarounds. I also couldn't find much info on Reddit being specifically banned outside of China and Indonesia. People in the Middle East obviously have their own, Arab-speaking platforms, but at least the lack of interest from English-speaking users and the general sorry state of these communities felt jarring. The contrast with the porn board was brought up by me for semi-humoristic reasons, but it's still kind of telling...

Confession: One of my very bad hobbies is following various conflicts and political development in the Middle East, and getting pointlessly agitated about some of them. So, today I wanted to find a bit more info on a very important thing happening in Iraq, that is the attempts to form a new cabinet under Muhammad Allawi. Not finding much on Iraq Livemap, I've started looking for related subreddits, in hope some of them have fresh reports on what's going on. My findings were: /Iraq, 6.4k subscribers, half-dead. /MiddleEast, 1,6k subscribers, dead. /MiddleEastNews, 10k, somewhat alive but nothing on the topic yet. And next on the search list was... /MiddleEasternHotties, 106k members. Nice to be reminded where the internet's priorities truly lie.

I've added Seisai no Resonance to my Short List of Yuri VNs I'm Writing Into Every Localisation Survey Without Any Hope It'll Actually Lead to AnythingTM.

Nah, at worst it will end with a C&D letter like 99% of situations like this do. I mean, nothing is impossible, but it's enough to look at this dev's record to see they're probably not the first choice for strategic partnership with Nitroplus. They also use mistification and multiple studio labels for promotional purposes.

I bet 50 Venezuelan bolivars that the dev here asked them whether she can make a free fan game featuring Saya and they said it's OK without expecting the sudden claims of it being "official".