Clephas

Something I noticed over the past ten years is that the best writers in the industry have mostly left it, with no one really replacing them. Higashide Yuuichirou, Shumon Yuu, Kinoko Nasu, etc etc The fact is, as SOL took over VNs, fewer serious writers remained. Those who replaced them were, to be frank, low-level LN writers rather than people with skill or talent. Occasionally, one of the 'great talents' of the industry will pop in and write a new game... but that just makes the difference in quality between those games and every other game released in a given year even more obvious. Edit: There are a few bright lights like Fujisaki Ryuuta or Mikage still hanging around, but even their contributions become fewer with every year. Even Takaya Aya hasn't released anything serious since 2018.

While one doesn't necessarily need dozens of characters, just having twelve solid ones can make for a rich story even if the writer is only moderately talented. The problem is that every person has a different degree of 'social memory', and recalling all the characters of large casts and their roles becomes very difficult. This can be seen in book series like the Malazan Book of the Fallen, where there are literally over a hundred major characters and keeping them straight is a task in and of itself. Locations I fully agree on. Most JVNs, in particular, will restrict themselves to 5 or fewer locations (usually a high school and home being two of them). If you'll notice, most good chuunige will have at least twice that many, often more. Dies Irae had well over ten locations (all the swastikas; Ren's home; Reinhardt's castle; inner realms of Reinhardt, Ren, and Wilhelm; the false throne; and the true throne). I'd say if the characters with sprites number less than seven, the game is more likely to have no real depth (protagonist plus faceless parents equaling ten, lol). That's not to say character numbers define depth. I've played VNs with only two or three characters that have been ridiculously deep and emotionally powerful, but that's an issue with writing talent more than anything else.

Good anime make horrible VNs and good VNs make horrible anime.

Also sprach Zarathustra is generally considered to be an incomplete version, which is why it was rewritten into Acta est Fabula, which later was re-released as the non-ero version known as Amantes Amentes with a second ending and final battle for Rea's route. You'll notice that the official website for Also sprach Zarathustra even got taken over by Acta est Fabula, and it is impossible to find a copy of the original version anymore. There is nothing missing from the later versions that existed in the first version. If anything, there is significantly less content in the original.

With chuunige, that isn't the issue. Rather, the more CG-reliant a chuunige is, the lower the quality. To be blunt, the worst chuunige I've played in recent years, Ryakudatsusha no Raillore suffered precisely because it was 90% reliant on CGs and dialogue to tell the story. I know some people have trouble with the reading aspect... but the question you need to ask yourself when you start complaining about having to read extensive narration is... why am I not watching anime? Otomege need to get over DIDS (Damsel in Distress Syndrome). I don't mind that western VNs imitate Japanese visual styles. What I do mind is that they try to rehash Japanese writing styles and story types. I also don't want my VNs to preach to me (for some reason, some EVNs that look good on the surface are trying to lobby the reader on social issues that I get enough of in the news). Moege as in pure moege is a dead genre. As an umbrella, it is almost entirely made up of charage in modern times. Charage need stronger protagonists, and when they have a strong protagonist, they should stop nerfing them during the heroine paths to make the heroines stand out more (Tsuki ni Yorisou, Otome no Sahou 2 being a prime example of this type of massive fuckup, since the best part of the cast was the protagonist and he suddenly became a piffle in the heroine paths). Let's be clear... Narration/Monologue padding almost never happens in JVNs. Rather, the problem is 'meaningless SOL'. There is a literal ton of meaningless SOL in JVNs and entire JVNs that have nothing but meaningless SOL that isn't even amusing or interesting. Protagonist VA is definitely something that should be universal in games with VA. Self-insert being harmed by it is total BS. It is an excuse not to have to pay for it. I agree with the need to do away with high school settings. It's been done and overdone ad infinitum. Protagonist personalities definitely need to be revamped. If I wanted to self-insert into a moron or an average guy, I'd read 19th century literature.

Haru Uso is the first game in the Uso series by Campus, a subsidiary of Light. This series is actually fairly high quality, but I recommend that it be played all at once, as it is otherwise just a bit frustrating. Hatsuru koto Naki Mirai Yori is probably Front Wing's best non-Grisaia game by far. It has an excellent story, great characters, and a great setting. The only downside is that it is profoundly uncomfortable to consider a zombie loli to be a heroine. I rated Kodomo no Asobi fairly highly, but that was because it was a quality game, despite me finding it a bit outside my tastes. Koi Suru Kimochi no Kasanekata is one of the few VNs Ensemble has made since its decline that didn't fall apart entirely during the heroine routes. Koko Kara Natsu no Innocence... let's be clear, Clochette doesn't make bad games. Even their worst games are about two stages better than the best the average charage company can do. However, their aesthetic (hint: oppai) often puts people off. One of the better games by the company with an interesting concept. Yome Sagashi is an excellent harem-ge. I re-reviewed it recently on my blog if you want a fuller opinion. Maggot Baits needs to be mentioned, if only because of its potential. If it were possible to excise every last H-scene in this game and censor the torture scenes, it would be a first-class chuunige. Kurashiki really went all out on the writing in this game. Unfortunately, the numerous torture and torture-sex scenes ruin everything.

Kenseiki Alpha Ride is an example of a game that would have been so much better... if 1) there had only been one protagonist, 2) the gameplay was more well-balanced, and 3) Said protagonist wasn't a whiney little bitch. I gave Sakura no Uta a relatively high rating, but most of my positive comments on it exclude the true path. I say this because, while Sca-ji constantly annoyed me throughout the game, it was only on the true path that he managed to send me over the edge into rage. Kyuuketsuki no Libra... it should be noted that this is a watered down Draculius with a much weaker protagonist, less interesting humor, and an unnatural obsession with loli+urination. I liked the game, but it was so obvious that they were trying to create a spiritual successor to Draculius that it ended up falling short in every respect. Primal Hearts 2... is basically the same as the first game. It is a great charage with hot H and decent humor, but you won't find any deep insights or truly interesting plot elements to it. Unlucky is an isekai SOL charage. While it is a fantasy world, it is a fantasy world that has tech at around the same level as the 1980's modern world, though lacking in some areas. Decent story and characters, and it is definitely worth playing for people interested in any of the genres. However, it isn't so exceptional that you should play it even if you don't have an interest in the genres involved.

Because it is on sale?

Psychologic Love Comedy is... nothing like the title indicates. It should be called Psychopathic Love Comedy. I actually rated this VN fairly high later on, and I really should have played it at the time. Still, it is a doujin game, and as a result, its visual effects suffer somewhat. Boku wa Tomodachi is the second doujin game from this month I played... and it is extremely unusual. I gave it a low rating because the sheer stress of self-inserting into the protagonist is unbelievable. Essentially, the protagonist is the 'best friend' of a bunch of harem protagonists, cursed to always be on the outside and despised by the heroines. He also has to watch as the heroines - whom he generally is fond of - lose everything when they aren't 'chosen'. Traveling Stars starts out pretty good, with a large cast of non-humans and a really unusual protagonist... unfortunately, it is just too sugary. It needed more spice to be VN of the Month material. Tou no Shita no Exercitus is a decent dungeon-crawler VN. Honestly, the story is interesting enough to make the game worth reading to the end, though the gameplay isn't exceptional. Tenkiame is kitsune nukige. An excellent kitsune nukige with enough non-H content to make you like the characters. Does anything else need to be said, my fellow fetishists? On the surface, Koi to Mahou to Kanrinin should have been a good charage... unfortunately, it stumbles repeatedly in execution.

A lot of Nitroplus games are disturbing... in particular, I recommend Jingai Makyou, Muramasa, and Tokyo Necro. The former because of the approach to the inhuman, the second because of its unique approach to moralism and duty (with mostly disastrous results for the characters), and the third because... well you have to play it to understand.

Other than guro ones like the ones above... Namima no Kuni no Faust Why? Because it is so easy to see where that particular dystopia could arise in our modern world.

Himitsu no Otome is a failure of a trap protagonist game, so I won't bother saying much about it. Neyuki no Gen'ei is a horror game that has some similarities to Clock Up's style. Maboroshi no Dystopia is a game that channels Kinugasa Shougo in that the endings are inconclusive but fails to create as powerful a setting or characterization as that particular writer is capable of. As such, the game feels a lot like a pale imitation of Akagoei. Love Rec is a high-quality charage with a solid cast of heroines. It's one of my few unreserved charage recommendations.

Hyakugojuunenme no Mahoutsukai is just a worthless kusoge. Ayakashi Contract is one of AXL's better SOL plotge, but it is really only suitable for people who already like AXL. Chuunibyou na Kanojo is a mildly funny charage that doesn't really do anything special despite having an obvious theme. Koitama is a decent game that is half-charage, half-plotge. It's major flaw is that no backstory is ever really given for the main characters. Love, Vampire flowers is a plotge/charage hybrid focused on a centuries-old vampire (who became a vampire in order to overcome hunger and then ended up getting sealed away) who has just entered into a period of a vampire's life cycle where he searches for a potential eternal mate. It is a good VN overall, but it definitely has its flaws, not the least of which that the protagonist is the opposite of what you'd expect of a vampire in most ways. Natsuiro Recipe is on my 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' list for a very, very good reason. If you want iyashikei in a story, this game is an excellent choice to play. Rensou Relation is one of several kusoge that LoS put out in this period. If you can get past the dated visual style, Sumire is actually an enjoyable VN, though it is done quite a bit differently from more modern-styled VNs.

Bansenjin was the sequel that should never have been written. Why couldn't Masada have just created another new IP? Chrono Clock is at the lower end of the post-Mirai Nostalgia Purple Soft games in terms of quality, but that is still well above the average for a VN. Evenicle has decent gameplay but the story is crap. Kami no Rhapsody has a decent concept and story, but the gameplay suffers from inherent limitations due to a system that was probably designed with eventual mobile ports in mind. Puramai Wars is a decent charage... but it doesn't go beyond decent.

11gatsu was an attempt to make a plotge with a bunch of charage paths tacked on for fanservice. I'm not saying it was a horrible choice, but this game would have been much better if they'd gone one way or the other. Anekouji Naoko to Gin'iro no Shinigami is the most dramatic failure of Minato Soft to date. It still saddens me to recall how awful this game turned out to be. Debate School 9 was an attempt to be clever by including a debate club into a charage... and it failed miserably. Hana no No ni Saku Utakata no is a first-class nakige worth playing for anyone who wants some nice catharsis. Hanasaki Work Spring is one of Saga Planets less plot-centric games, and as a result it is less quirky and eccentric as such works as Hatsyuki Sakura. Unfortunately, quirky and eccentric is one of the elements that defines the company, so it wasn't a good thing, though the game itself is decent. Sengoku Hime 6... was dramatically lower in quality (story-wise) than 5. Since the games all cover the same era, that is essentially me telling you to just stick with Sengoku Hime 5 rather than any of the earlier or later entries in the series (at least so far). Shirogane Spirits is a battle royale combined with a charage, something that was verging on becoming a theme in 2014 and 2015. It has its high points, but it fell well behind Hana no No and evne Hanasaki Work spring in my estimation. Yuki Koi Melt... is forgettable. Valkyrie Runabout is one of my go-to games for replaying, for a number of reasons. One of them is simply that it is Agobarrier's last work and he did an excellent job in bringing it to life. However, another big reason is that it pulls off the combined comedy and catharsis elements sufficient to make you care about the characters early in the game. It feels, in some ways, like if you were to add a complete harem rom-com with nakige elements onto the end of a 'protagonist gets summoned to save the world' story (the beginning being where it turns into a rom-com, lol).

This is the latest kemomomi VN from Lump of Sugar, whose best VNs all have kemomimi girls, lol. In this one, the protagonist Takuto and his little sister Shiina are transported to the world of the gods, where human perceptions of the world, mythology and legends come to life. As a game, this story feels a lot like a 'gentle and slow nakige'. To be blunt, the first thing I think most people will note upon getting past the prologue of this game is... that Roka is the most moe-moe heroine they've seen in a VN in years. Roka, the kitsune, is probably the most perfectly moe character I've seen in an anime or VN since before 2010. The desire to pat her on the head and spoil her rotten was the first emotion I felt in this VN. That said, I could do without her being a heroine. Does that sound odd to you? Well, I've never been fond of lolis as heroines, and lolis like Roka really seem like they shouldn't be heroines to me. Her mother, Kuzuha is much more to my tastes... to the point where I'm a bit irritated there isn't an extra H-scene for her, hahaha. I got a bit off track with my kitsune moe obsession there... Anyway, this VN has four heroines: Mikoto, the combined avatar of the Rabbit of Inaba and Tsukuyomi, who is a natural mischief-maker; Roka, the avatar of the concept of the nine-tailed fox, who is basically an adorable child being mothered by he predecessor; Chiyo, the embodiment of the concept of the Tsukumogami (objects that gained sentience from Japanese myth); and Shiina, the protagonist's stoic but mischievous little sister. This VN is heavily winter-themed, based in an old-style Japanese town. The backgrounds are all beautiful and well-done, and it leads to a very 'cozy' feeling that enhances the slow and quiet feel of the game's atmosphere. The common route of this VN is focused on the protagonist living a quiet life in the gods' realm while he waits for the chance to go back to the human realm, and it is pretty much a lot of cute and/or comedic sol with a surprising amount of traditional 'lucky sukebe'. While there isn't a lot to remark on here, I will say that the common route does a great job of filling out the heroines' personalities and background, thus fulfilling the role of helping you decide who to pursue first. Roka As I said above, I could have done without H content for Roka. However, seeing Roka's adorableness increase in her path made it worth playing. If you paid attention to the world-building in the common route, you can probably guess what the drama in the path is about. However, I will say that the ichaicha here is very reminiscent of the odd relationships between Makina and Yuuji in Grisaia and Tonoko and Tsukasa in Kamishino (hint-hint) at least in general outline. I found this path enjoyable and emotional, even if I didn't want any H for it. Mikoto Once you've played the common route, you'll probably be able to guess what the conflict of Mikoto's path is (they foreshadow both paths during the world-building). So, I'll focus on her personality. Mikoto is a 'stereotypical bunny girl' in some ways, and not so in others. Like the stereotypical bunnygirl, she gets lonely easily and has a somewhat dependent personality that she covers up with her smile. Unlike the stereotypical bunnygirl, its causes are a bit more esoteric and deeper than simply 'she is a bunny'. Overall, her path is even more emotional than Roka's, though there is a lot less cuteness (you all know from above about how I feel about Roka, lol). It also has a very, very extensive epilogue that made me smile through the catharsis of the main part of the path. Chiyo For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, a tsukumogami is generally an object that has been treated well and used constantly for over a century, causing it to become self-aware (this is why tsukumogami are usually things that would normally be well-preserved, like antique bowls, cups, chairs, swords, etc). Chiyo is the embodiment of the 'concept' of the tsukumogami rather than an actual tsukumogami, which means she doesn't have an object that serves as her real body. Chiyo's path was the first one that wasn't foreshadowed in the world-building. It was also the strangest romance so far... not the least of which because Chiyo's desires are a bit different from human desires in some ways (well, I imagine there are people who have similar hangups, lol). It was actually a pretty decent path, but the drama felt more forced than either of the previous two paths, perhaps because Chiyo's character had no obvious issues that would cause drama on their own. Shiina If there was one word that would describe Shiina, it would be 'eccentric'. At first glance, Shiina seems like a stoic, unemotional heroine, but she frequently teases and makes jokes with a straight face. Her reactions are often off-center/odd compared to normal people. I'm honestly glad I left this path to last, because my intuition screamed at me to do so from the beginning. I recommend that anyone who plays this game do this path after Mikoto's, at the very least, as playing this path will spoil the experience somewhat. Shiina's path is the most dramatic path in the game (and not for the usual incest reasons). It also has a large infodump about the general setting toward the end. For those who like incest paths, Shiina is a great imouto character, as well. Conclusion Lump of Sugar games tend to vary widely in quality, from total kusoge to kamige. While this one falls short of kamige level, it is nonetheless a first-class VN with a good story, excellent characters, and great characterization. I wouldn't object to future games being based in this setting, either, lol.

This was a pretty active month. As such, there are a ton of games worth talking about. Akuma Musume is yet another poor-quality simulation VN made by Softhousechara. Honestly, they should have stuck with dungeon crawlers and strategy rpgs. Boku no Hitori Sensou I gave a decent rating, but the game is disturbing at best, distasteful at worst. Kujiragami no Tearstilla is another step downward into the abyss of mediocrity for Whirlpool. Marrybell wa Shinda to Papa ni Tsutaete was released in a package with Rakuen no Shugosha, both of them unique VNs that don't fit into any existing genre. Marrybell is a game where a bunch of kids are transported to another world, where otherworlders are common and commonly used as tools by local governments due to their literacy and the broad general knowledge they tend to bring to the table. It is mostly focused on how the group's members deal with the loss of everything they know in a world that is not kind to them in any way, shape, form or fashion. Rakuen no Shugosha is an utsuge without any sort of H-content based in a world where a small portion of the world's population (both human and animal) have gained superpowers sufficient to make mundane weapons obsolete. It is full of pretty high quality violence, with excellent storytelling. Sakura Synchronicity is a kusoge of a charage from Whitesoft. I don't really feel a need to get into Sanoba Witch, since anyone with the money can play it in English now. Soreyori no Prologue is a high-quality plotge... but it is also by Minori, which means there are a ton of wince-worthy moments from the protagonist and incomprehensible reactions from the heroines. Silverio Vendetta... at this point do I even need to tell you how good this game is? There is a reason why I've already replayed this game four times in the years since it came out.

Natsu no Iro no Nostalgia is a decent plotge with an empath for a protagonist. It isn't a kamige, nor is it really exceptional. However, it is good enough to be worth playing once. I dropped Gakuen Butou no Folklore because it was such a crapfest from the beginning. The Leyline series is the Leyline series. I dislike it when games are split up in this manner, and I hate the ladder-style story structure. It also isn't written as well as Purple Soft's games, so it isn't good enough to overcome my distaste for this kind of thing.

The limit of dictionaries is in the lack of a connection to cultural knowledge. One problem with becoming dictionary-reliant is that it becomes more difficult to learn common usages and more specific meanings of given words in given situations. So much of the language is situational, especially idioms that are presented as simple verbs, adjectives, or nouns. A great deal of it requires background knowledge of cultural minutiae and/or a lot of experience with the usage. That's why you get a lot of seriously off-base results with even the best machine translations (which are essentially advanced dictionaries connected to a translating program). I don't even want to get into kobun and VNs/books that use archaic forms of Japanese... the effort it takes to read that stuff even with external aids is ridiculous for non-native speakers (and even some native speakers). Edit: Example of one such headache below.

Once you start dreaming in Japanese, it gets a bit weird, though. I thought I was going crazy the first time that happened.

Kadenz Fermata was a very poor quality sequel to Fortissimo. It is rare for me to completely bash a chuunige, but this is one of those that is deserving fully of being called a kusoge. Kami no Ue no Mahoutsukai is a plotge with a pretty creepy story. Honestly, it isn't my favorite game, but it was definitely VN of the Month material for this particular month. Tsuriotsu 2 proved the rule that Navel is incapable of making a truly good sequel with new characters. My primary complaints (though they aren't the only ones) were the way the protagonist's personality (which was the best part of the game) and abilities were suddenly downgraded in each heroine path and the low quality of the heroines in comparison to the original series. While not having anyone to match Luna in quality is perhaps understandable, I would have liked to see at least one heroine who could have competed with the others. Unionism Quartet is an oddball VN with a strong battle royale element that reminds me a lot of Appare Tenka Gomen in style and execution. It is a decent read, but not near kamige level. I later played Teito Hiten... but like with a lot of Liar-soft games, my feelings are mixed. For Liar-soft fans, this is like their drug of choice, as it hits all the high points of a Liar-soft game. For people who find Liar-soft's tongue-twisting and repetition annoying, this game is wince-worthy. It is also worthy of note that this game lampoons the 'dark fantasy' anime of the 1980's and 1990's in a way that will feel very, very familiar with anime fans who got started in that era but will make no sense to people in later eras (mostly because dark fantasy anime in that era didn't even try to make sense or fill in the plot holes).

To be a bit clearer, I should say that without grammar and syntax, knowing vocab or kanji is pretty useless. I don't recommend you even attempt to play an untranslated VN or watch raw anime without a complete knowledge of grammar and at least a working knowledge of syntax. When I say the 'rest can be picked up along the way', I don't mean to be cavalier about it. Vocab takes time and is a task of memorization combined with an understanding of usage. The reason Japanese has so much pun humor is because so many phonetically-similar words in Japanese have drastically different meanings, even compared to English. Every one of the elements you gain, whether kana, kanji, or new words will add to your understanding. In addition, while I say that 'vocab takes second place', I mean that you will inevitably learn a large number of verbs and basic nouns in the process of mastering grammar. Kanji is also useful in mastering syntax. I say this because kanji is integral to telling the difference between phonetically-similar words if you don't have enough understanding to grasp the difference from context. If grammar and syntax are the bones and organs, kanji is the skin and vocab is the veins, muscles and nerves.

Aokana... my opinion on this game tends to vary greatly from what most Western VN readers seem to think. It isn't a kusoge, but it is extremely derivative of a much better game, Walkure Romanze. The only real difference is that the cast isn't as interesting in Aokana and the setting. Oh and the protagonist in Walkure Romanze actually gets back into the game in most of the paths, lol. Zannen na Oretachi is a nice comedy charage that is worth playing if you want some laughs and a decent SOL. Venus Blood Hypno is the peak of the series. It has the best story and the most refined gameplay of the VB series, with the story in particular far surpassing anything in the previous games or those that came later. Koi no Aria is yet another mediocre release from Ensemble made to appeal to fans of its early successes without having any soul. Kimi no Tonari de Koishiteiru is an oddball romance charage by Alcot Honeycomb. Like most Alcot Honeycomb games, it is a mid-price game that is somehow better than most other companies' high-priced or normal-priced games. Edit: This is romance SOL, but it is excellent romance SOL. I'm not saying this is something on the level of a kamige, but it does what it was meant to do quite well. This is the peculiarity shared by most Alcot Honeycomb games, in that they are about as high quality as you could possibly expect within the price range. I dropped Harukaze Sensation despite its fantasy setup because 1) the protagonist grated on my nerves 2) It started out with the fake girlfriend trope.

Grammar and syntax. Vocab can be filled in along the way, as can Kanji. You'd go slowly, but if you are using a decent furigana parser with a text hooker it is possible to play untranslated (albeit difficult) with just a solid understanding of how Japanese grammar and syntax work along with a limited vocab.

This game is a peculiar one. This is the third time I've played the game, and the second time I've posted on it. If you want to see my original review, please look here: I'm going to focus here on coloring in some of the details of why I like this game and think it is underrated amongst Western readers of untranslated VNs. First, the factors that lead to it being underrated. 1) The protagonist takes on a man-whore role through large swathes of the game and isn't a pure-hearted boy by any standard. For some reason, man-whores aren't received very well by a lot of Western readers, especially ones that are calculating and intentionally act that way. 2) The visual style of the game differs significantly, if subtly, from the more common styles of the post-2010 era. It is rougher in some places and more elegant in others. 3) A large portion of the readers don't like Arika. Now, there are good reasons not to like her in many's eyes. She is whimsical, manipulative, and lazy as all hell when she isn't interested in an activity. However, she is also hyper-intelligent, intuitive, and has the same kind of super-luck that Cap did in Majikoi. Unfortunately, she is the kind of character that seriously divides readers. 4) People's expectations of trap protagonists. Most people going into a trap protagonist game expect a lot of comedy antics related to the cross-dressing. However, Hajime doesn't bungle things and doesn't panic the way a lot of trap protagonists do. In addition, 'calculating' is a quality that many who actually like trap protagonist games don't like in them... and Hajime is nothing of not calculating. 5) The surprising darkness of the setting. People go into trap protagonist games thinking they will be comedic and moe-moe festivals. Ojomasu is neither. There isn't a lot of comedy in the game, and there is very little in the way of moe fanservice. 6) The prologue H-scene. Probably the thing that annoys a lot of people is the h-scene in the prologue and how it came to be. For people that go into this game with a 'I want to see pure love romance from beginning to end' attitude, this is a huge downer. That it is followed by Hajime using the affections of a number of other women during the course of the story only enhances this impression for this part of the crowd. 7) Ginko isn't one of the heroines. Yes, in any other game, Ginko would have been one of the heroines. The things that make this game worth playing. 1) Everything above. Seriously, the fact is that a lot of the people who play this game aren't the intended audience. In some ways, this is a more down-to-earth version of the 'guy infiltrates a girls' school' trope. 2) Despite only having three heroines, those heroines provide a full spectrum of personalities. The whimsical Arika, the stoic and straightforward Benio, and the sweet-natured Peko provide a lot of variety without any real overlap. If Ginko or Rion (the ones the largest part of the fanbase seemed to want routes for) were heroines in this game, it would distract from things greatly. Moreover, there is way too much overlap between Ginko and Arika personality-wise. 3) There is just enough darkness to the setting and story to create a firm contrast to the soft atmosphere of the girls' school. In a lot of cases with these 'girls school infiltration' VNs, there is a sense of unreality created as a result of poor buildup of the setting. 4) This game doesn't even attempt to imitate the success of other companies. I honestly think they should have named this game something else, because the title makes it seem like a game that should be a soft romance rather than the more complex story it is. 5) Hajime is a protagonist you can enjoy self-inserting into. He is capable, intelligent, and ambitious, a combination that is a refreshing change from most VN protagonists in general.