Zander

You make a fine point there, Kiri. I'm relatively new around here, and I'm as fed up with the shitposting as anyone else (I'd love to make some contributions and even start a blog, but I'd rather not bother if I'm just going to get trolled like half the other people here), but at the same time I don't want to be thrown in with a small group of instigators just because I joined the Discord. Punishing the many for the actions of a few is a draconian stance to take, in my opinion, and will lower faith in the moderators rather than restore it.

Very well. Breathless is a tough term, since I generally experience breathlessness during nukiges if you catch my drift , but to answer your original question... I say it a lot, but Kara no Shoujo gets my vote on this one. The soundtrack mixed with a stellar translation and chilling scenes left quite the impression on me.

I'd love to make a recommendation for you, but I'd much rather hone in on your interests first to give you a more personalised suggestion. What sort of VNs, characters, etc; interest you Ittaku?

Don't be silly, Chikadox. Don't feel like you are morally less than anyone else just because you encourage romance between fictional characters. It's harmless, and very common. I used to do the same among my friends back in high school and secretly loved it!

Favorite vn: Kara no Shoujo Favorite route: Usami Haru's route in G-Senjou Favorite loli: I honestly think anyone that sexualises underage children is disgusting. But that's purely my opinion, and I respect everyone else's, except Kiri. Favorite kyonyuu: I'm sorry, but I don't know what a kyonyuu is. Favorite shota: See two lines above. Favorite best girl: That's a very tough one, but I'd go with Ratboi. Favorite art style: I like a modern art style. I generally dislike the anime style that is so prevalent in VNs. I really like a modern, colourful, "vivid" style in general when it comes to anime and such though. Dark Side of Dimensions film is a great example of this. Favorite genre of vn: Don't really have a preference, as long as it has a decent plot. Favorite "dere" type: Not sure what these are, honestly. Favorite yuri game: No experience with this one. Favorite non- canon pairing: I don't really pair characters up, so I'm not sure. I'm sorry. Favorite side character: Uozomi Kyouzou from Kara no Shojo. Favorite otome game: Blood Code, but I'm a bit biased due to my involvement in it. Favorite best boy: Uozomi Kyouzou from Kara no Shoujo. I'm heterosexual, personally, but if I wasn't... Favorite translation: Also Kara no Shoujo, but again, I'm biased here. Favorite OELVN: Ace Academy. PixelFade produces the best OELVNs, in my opinion. Favorite trap: I honestly think anyone that sexualises traps is disgusting. But that's purely my opinion, and I respect everyone else's. Favorite jrpg: Trails of Cold Steel Thanks a lot for writing up this survey, Chikadox. I had a ton of fun with it.

Welcome here! Looking forward to seeing your posts around here. Feel free to let me know if you need help navigating the forums here.

And that's perfectly fine. After all, a wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

I read a blog post by Darbury on this topic quite a while ago; I think you might find both it and the discussion in the comments interesting. There are also a couple other posts where he attempts to define what a visual novel is. Personally, I don't fuss too much over whether or not I consider something with gameplay elements a visual novel. I hold some heretical opinions. I consider the Ace Attorney series to be visual novels. I consider the traditional formula of having heroine routes (or heroes) in nigh every VN to be unimaginative and banal, and embrace new ideas and formats within the genre. With that in mind, I welcome VNs with gameplay elements, or VN hybrids as one might call them, so long as the time spent playing doesn't outweigh the time spent, er, novel-ing. The Danganronpa and Kara no Shoujo series are good, but certainly not perfect, examples in my humble opinion.

Would you rather have a forum with active moderators, or a forum with consistent quality content like this very thread here?

No problem mate.

My top 1 Fuwa members that got me thinking: 1. Huang Ling Yin for posting the "Top 5 Fuwa member that got me thinking..." thread

Thanks for this review. I've heard that HoshiMemo was released in a poor state, but I had no idea it was this bad. I understand from your blog that you have some experience in the translation / editing business, Fred, so I'd like to pick your brain on this. How does this even happen? I was under the impression Sekai Project is a professional company so it boggles my mind how something can be released in this state without anyone noticing. Is it a total lack of QCers, hiring incompetent editors, lacking a proper budget or what? I can understand a sub-par translation but not one that is blatantly incorrect with untranslated lines.

Didn't expect to see you here, but now that you are, I'll expect my shill payment in the mail :^) Looking forward to Chapter 4!

Having played through Euphoria, and being a mere novice when it comes to darker VNs, the fact that its H-scenes are not "too extreme" like the other games on the list chills me to my very core.

You're probably correct about that! Valerie was definitely the most direct of the bunch, but there were some hints, opportunities, and slightly suggestive scenarios in Kaori's route too. It's a shame that the ending was so abrupt and a total let-down, though. I felt like I was at the height of the story when suddenly the ending slapped me in the face. On a side note, I love how other characters got into relationships and had their own lives, in a way. Also, look out for my new blog one of these days then, Lesiak. I'd love to have your commentary! also i follow your blog senpai OELVNS are legit I have no experience with this one, and I'd love to give it a try, but unfortunately I speak Japanese as well as your average fish can climb a tree. The day a patch is released is the day I will start reading it though, I promise you that.

Sorry if I misunderstood here, but does this mean you've never actually read Danganronpa? As a newcomer to the series having only played the first game, I'd be interested to hear your opinion on whether or not the sequels match the quality of the first entry. You assume wrongly, Zaka. I would love to hear more about the first and second entries in your list, as you seem like a knowledgeable VN connoisseur, atleast moreso than myself. Furthermore, if I have interpreted correctly, it seems that you prefer to read visual novels in Japanese rather than English translations almost without exception. May I ask if this is universal? Have you ever, for example, read an English translation that you enjoyed more than the original Japanese script? I don't know if there are any Ghost Stories level direction changes in VN translations, but I imagine that the discrepancy in quality cannot be present in every case. Furthermore, to what do you attribute this lack of quality in English translations? Are there not enough proper translators, editors, and so on, or is the market merely not large enough to make hiring a proper localisation team profitable? Thanks in advance for your response, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

As a fellow fan of STEINS;GATE myself, have you played STEINS;GATE 0, Kurisu-Chan? If so, what is your opinion on it? Thanks for the write-up by the way, it reminded me that I still have to try out Danganronpa's sequels!

You're very welcome, thanks so much for reading Lesiak! Ace Academy is an awesome game as well, the fact that it had a fully platonic route, and even an ending for the "token male best friend" character, impressed me very much. PixelFade's products will always be on my radar, too. I should have noted that Crystalline is being released episodically, but even with just 3 / 5 chapters released I feel I've gotten my money's worth in laughs already. Also, the animations and general art are of exceptional quality for a western VN, in my humble opinion. Thank you very much for the translation. Jigaishitekudasai to you too, Mr. Benson, for making a mockery of my hard work here.

Are you sick of immersing yourself into a good story when a wayward, stiff penis drags you out of the plot and into an entirely different dimension? Do you think H-scenes are deplorable and exemplification of how far humanity has strayed from God's original vision for mankind? Does it upset you when your virtual chaste relationship with a VN character is progressing well when you suddenly open the door on her while she is changing, without any player input? Fear not, then, my friend, for you are not alone. Gaze upon the forthcoming list without need to fear even a single ounce of sin weighing upon your eyes. 1: Gaokao.Love.100.Days "Getting a girl-friend before the National College Entrance Exam... I know it's crazy, but from today on, we will face everything together." Have you ever wanted to experience the stress of being a Chinese high school student facing the most important exam of his life? Have you ever wanted to disappoint not only your parents in real life, but also your virtual Chinese parents when they both find out you are diddling anime girls in your spare time instead of studying? Want to experience the meta sensation of being yelled at by your parents as you are yelled at by your parents? Boy do I have the VN for you. Feel the intense passion of a non-sexual relationship with your chosen girl, feel the platonic bonds between you and your male friends also struggling with their life-school balance, and feel the hole burning in your pocket as you struggle to make an income while buying gifts to purchase your chosen girl's affection. Who needs a good personality? 2: Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For- If there was a robot that could laugh, cry and smile... Does it have a soul? In the world of Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For-, genetic ingineering has made robot anime girl slaves possible. All the better, they possess no emotions or feelings whatsoever. However, the protagonist stumbles upon an abandoned android servant; one that appears to have emotions, dreams, and feels pain just as humans do. How will you treat Lucy? Banish her back to the dumpsite as just another robot? Treat her as an equal human? Close the game and look up fanmade H-scenes of her on Google like a degenerate? Somewhere in between? No matter what you choose, PG-13 tears await you. 3: Crystalline Crystalline is a comedy-centric, fantasy adventure visual novel with an intricate romance system. It's pretty much universally accepted that Western OELVNs are superior and better written than their original Japanese counterparts, and Crystalline is no exception to that. Rather than the traditional godless trope of having a "harem" of many girls to choose from following "routes" in Asian VNs, Crystalline emphasizes Western morals and values by only offering a single female "route". Unsurprisingly, that single route is far more developed and intricate than routes present in "harem" games. Go on meaningful dates as you travel around a fantasy world, interacting with a host of interesting and humorous characters as you attempt to find your way back to the world you came from. I look forward to hearing everyone's opinions! Thanks so much for reading!

Hello Nikolay, and welcome to the forums! I watched the trailer and the gameplay video and still have hardly any idea what your VN is about. Do you have a description / synopsis of the plot? Personally, I like the art. It looks fresh and unique compared to most VNs I see these days. I think giving the sprites a few poses or animations would be a big improvement; right now they look a bit rigid, especially Pin. It's not that bad at first, but over the entire VN it can get boring seeing characters permanently standing in the same exact position. The music is passable, nothing special there but not offensive to the ears either. I'm not sure how far along in development you are, but overall it looks promising and seems like a very original setting. I'd probably give it a try if I knew more about the story to see if it appeals to me.

I may be late to the hat party but I'm still feeling that holiday spirit. Forgive my technological and artistic ineptitude, Fiddle, but I'd be overjoyed if you could kit me out with a Santa hat as well!

I sure hope those are katanas you're grabbing or I'll have to have a word with the non-weeb police myself Thank you for the warm welcome! I'm on board with the idea of western-made VNs too, so if you come across any good ones let me know Even if it's yuri. I'm really proud of your choice in VNs, son. KnS had just the right mix with its historical setting, murder mystery theme, and likeable protagonist; it checked all the right boxes for me. Really loved it even though I probably died more times than I did in my first playthrough of Dark Souls III. I'm excited for KnS 3 too I've heard a lot about that series, and will definitely check it out! Thank you! That's true, I probably chose my words a little didn't mean to imply anyone would bash me for it. This forum seems extremely accepting and friendly. I don't prefer OELVNs necessarily, but I am interested in VNs that break out of the Japanese setting so I'll probably track down this Rooke sometime. And thank you for the Fata Morgana recommendation, it looks exactly like what I'm looking for and will be my next VN! I took a look at Subahibi on vndb and this screenshot made me curious enough to want to give it a try Shadows of Pygmalion also looks really interesting! Thank you. And thank you for the welcome littleshogun!

I'll come clean right away. I don't particularly like anime, I don't have any special interest in Japan or Japanese culture, and I'm the kind of guy that patches his 18+ games to the all-ages version. Some of my mates call me a "normie", even though I'm still not sure what that even means. Before you grab your pitchforks and send me on a one-way trip to the Shadow Realm, let me tell you what I do love: visual novels. I love the Kara no Shoujo series, STEINS;GATE, World End Economica, anything with a narrative focus really. Even if some of Kara no Shoujo's 18+ scenes made me want to get a lobotomy to forget I ever witnessed it. Feel free to recommend me your favourite one, I'd love to check it out! Anyway, I've followed a couple of blogs on this site for a while (Fred the Barber and that Darbury fellow are both hilarious and enlightening) so I thought I'd check out the forums too to get to know all of you lovely people. Looking forward to it!