Clephas

For me, about twenty-two to twenty-nine hours on Dies Irae, seventeen hours for a complete playthrough (all endings) of Paradise Lost. Edit: I'm not a good reference though. Those times were from my most recent playthroughs in 2018 and 2015 respectively. My first playthrough for Dies Irae took 43 hours, when I was first starting to play VNs in Japanese back around the time Acta Est Fabula version came out.

Polyamory, whether it is harem or multi-directional, is a difficult issue for people raised in the modern era in first-world countries. While it is beginning to be normalized in some countries, it has been demonized for so long that it will probably be a long time before the stigma associated with it fades away, if ever. In VNs, I think the one that takes polyamory to its ideal end is Draculius, one of my favorite VNs. While Jun, the protagonist, is central to things, each of the heroines has a defined role within the family that can't be played by any of the other girls. Belche is the mother, Xeno is the protector, Rika is the attacker, and Lian is the representative. I do agree that in most cases a harem should stop at three (one primary and two secondaries with a relationship aside from that possessed by the primary). To be blunt, there is only so much time one person can put into other people, and expanding to the ridiculous size some VN harems have is just undoable. Traditionally, there were any number of reasons for a harem to exist. One was in the case of royals and high nobles, where numerous heirs were necessary to solidify power and ensure passage down to the next generation. Then there were rich merchants and leaders of settlements. In both cases, this prevented too much wealth being permanently settled into one bloodline and reduced resentment from the population at large. It also provides a larger supporting family for the raising of children, reducing individual burdens for child-rearing and making things more flexible without going outside the family group. Generally speaking, early human civilizations didn't place emphasis on and in some cases didn't even have the concept of romance. That is why some cultures retain arranged marriages and defacto polyamorous relationship setups. (for JVN fans, the example would be the way it is tacitly understood that powerful Japanese men - like high-ranking politicians and corporate leaders - will have lovers outside of their wives).

Mashiro-Iro Symphony is often mentioned as being the peak of the company's moege/charage era games. It was made during the latter-stages of the 'golden age of JVNs', in 2009 (The 'golden age' is generally seen as being from 2005 or 2006 to 2011 or 2012, depending on who you ask), and it was an example of quality in a time when VNs had only just branched out into distinctive genres and sub-genres but before the templates had been set in stone. As games of the type go, it is an excellent choice for localization.

I was hesitant about Hakkenden because the original story of the nineteenth century novel by Kyoukutei Bakin was a bit too moralistic for my tastes. It was the second Japanese classic novel that I read (after Genji Monogatari). It was also the most annoying to read, since the version I got hadn't been redone in modern language (unlike the version of the Tale of Genji I read), probably because the original version was still readable (barely). Lots of bad memories there...

Basically, UQ Holder is a sequel focusing on the after-effects of the manga-only chapters that led to the end of the original series. The most important remaining character from the original is Evangeline. It is a more action-focused and darker-natured series than the original Negima.

Ragnarok is decent, but it definitely falls a step behind Frontier story-wise. Normally, in Venus Blood games, you are presented with a choice between Chaos and Law (more direct translation being Conquest and Rulership), with numerous available endings on either end. However, Ragnarok is the first game to directly add in the 'Ruin' element to the story. Certain choices in heroine scenarios are presented that can incur Ruin as well as Chaos or Law. In order to get the Chaos path, you have to have a certain amount of Ruin, whereas the opposite is true of Law. Sadly, if you fall short of either, you get a bad ending at the game's turning point. Ruin is generally incurred by choices that would 'break' the heroines (think of it as being similar to the Madness choices in Hypno/Hollow) past the standard 'turn to darkness' level. Generally speaking, the story of Ragnarok would be 'average' for the series as a whole, being better than Empire but falling short of Frontier or Hollow. The gameplay is basically a slight update on Hollow's (and like all new VB games, whether it is an improvement is entirely subjective). Given a choice, I would probably skip to Lagoon, because it is just more interesting, but I suppose they have their reasons.

Death March- Despite it being a rather abortive attempt to put a great LN/web novel series into anime form, there are some good points to this anime. The animation itself is good, as is the characterization. The everyday life parts are first class, and the animation (if not the action itself) in the action scenes is pretty good. The reason most people don't like it is because the story never goes anywhere and it is a bit too much of a slow life anime. This is a hazard inherent in making anime out of incredibly long book series, so it isn't surprising in retrospect, but this was about when they began seriously overdoing isekai, so this series became a victim of the excesses of the time. Grandcrest Senki- Decent action high fantasy anime. However, it never goes beyond being decent. Killing Bites- People have genetically-altered humanoids combined with animals fight each other for entertainment. Generally doesn't go anywhere, though the action is good at times. Beatless is an example of what NOT to do when making a sci-fi anime. The AI characters are too alien to be relatable (including the supposed main heroine) and the protagonist is too much of a simpleton. It makes it impossible to invest emotionally into the story, so the watcher generally isn't interested in the results. Overlord II is more Overlord. If you liked the first season, you'll like the second. Sword Gai- Random sword monster rampages, no real story beyond that. Saiki Kusuo 2- It's Saiki Kusuo. If you like the series' humor, you'll love it, if you don't, you'll fall asleep. I laughed.

Inuyashiki- Honestly, I loved this anime, despite how weird it was having an old man as the main character. Good watch for an out there sci-fi series. Juuni Taisen- Battle Royale full of people with weird talents and abilities. I never managed to invest in the characters, so my opinion of it isn't high. Dies Irae- ... a perfect example of failure in translating a great visual novel into an anime. The first episode is an example of what not to do (such as disrupt the measured revelations that made the game interesting by revealing the most important stuff at the beginning). Because it wasn't intended to be a long series, the developments are rushed, the presentation is weird, and the characters are somewhat off.

No, it is more that nukige that actually have something approaching a romance story stopped existing shortly afterward. The two 'umbrella genres' only became more and more strictly split as time passed. There weren't that many hybrids in the first place, but at some point they just started specializing.

It would be fine to state that... if you had actually watched that anime. While I'll be the first to admit that reusing the same universe/multiverse places constraints on the writers/creators in question, there are plenty of times where a sequel surpasses the original in some aspects. In this case, the only repeated characters from previous entries are ones who only make cameo appearances. All the main characters are unique to this particular plotline... and the fact that you didn't even notice this tells me you are basically looking at the Fate name and saying 'oh, it's Fate, so I'm going to bash it for being Fate'.

Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni- Iyashikei 'easy-mode' isekai series. An early example of the type that was a bit too light. Fate Apocrypha- @kivandopulus This is not a sequel but rather an alternate world with a completely different set of characters and on a timeline that diverged around WWII. Unlike other Fate series, the war is a larger-scale one between two sets of seven Servants, and the resulting battles and stories are of a much larger scale. This series is also known for having some of the best battle scenes in anime, so it isn't something that should be dismissed outright, even if you don't like Fate. Knight's & Magic- This was my first experience with the maker/fighter type isekai reincarnation. This type of protagonist started to appear more in the last five years or so, and a lot of the web novels and light novels of the type are pretty good. This one in particular is a fun watch, as the battles remind me of Escaflowne if they had a mech-obsessed Earthling redesigning them from scratch. Isekai Shokudou- A mostly 'stand-alone episode' series about a cafeteria connected to an isekai. It is basically iyashikei and little else, but it is fine if you want a break from heavy stories and don't necessarily want girl meets boy. Youkai Apartment- Another slice-of-life series, it was one of the few I actually enjoyed in the last ten years. The jokes are pretty old and the story isn't anything to write home about, but I enjoyed it anyway. No Game No Life Zero- @kivandopulus Umm... your misunderstanding is pretty obvious here. This is a prequel to No Game No Life, covering the mythological age before the world became Disbordia under Tet. I need to note here that the translation/localization (all of them) for this movie is abominable. I actually just recommend watching it without subs, because the subtitles will only confuse you. Somehow, they managed to mess up EVERY SINGLE IMPORTANT LINE IN EVERY SCENE of this movie. I was really amazed that it was still possible to mess up a localization this bad in modern times. It made me nostalgic for the pre-crunchyroll age, when if someone put out bad subs, someone would come along behind them and fix them. The dubs are even worse, since they also mess up all the most important scenes, making it incomprehensible. On the other hand, the animation, the story, the characters and the voice-acting for this movie are all top-class (in Japanese). I don't know how many times I've rewatched this movie, crying every time.

Nukige that are also worthwhile romantic-wise: Erect; Sakura Iro Quartet; Prima Stella; Sara Sara Sasara

It needs to be understood that the mainstream of romance/slice-of-life as a genre (often referred to as moege/charage in the case of JVNs) are games that run around ten to twenty hours for a native reader. To put that into perspective, Tone Works games, to complete all the paths, are expected to hit 40 to 60 hours depending on an individual's reading speed. Because of the size of their games (which meant more cg artwork, more lines written, more development time, etc) it cost them more to make them than the rest of the industry. In addition, mainstream readers were not necessarily interested in extensive heroine routes that run well into adulthood. This meant fewer sales and a longer development cycle. Making things worse is the collapse of the JVN market that began around 2019 and was massively accelerated by Covid-19 (and the financial impact it had on the people who normally bought those games) and you have a post-Covid JVN market that has MAYBE three non-nukige VN releases per month (there are times when it is only one)... and most of those are not comparable with games before covid in most cases. To further put that into perspective, at the height of the JVN market, it wasn't uncommon for nine or ten non-nukige VNs to get released in a single month. They wouldn't necessarily be good, but there was usually something worth mentioning coming out. Tone Works went silent shortly after it made its final release (a repackaging of Hoshi Ori) halfway through the epidemic, and it hasn't done anything since. A lot of companies suffered a similar fate during the epidemic, making final releases then going quiet, their sites vanishing or lacking any activity whatsoever as their parent companies likely made hard decisions to cut staff and projects to save money. Edit: There is hope for the company itself, since its parent is still alive. However, I wouldn't hold out much hope for the original staff as a whole, as they were probably let go or redistributed to its other subsidiaries.

It needs to be said that Tone Works is pretty much the only company that has ever done romance VNs as extensive and detailed as their games. It is the reason why they have such a solid following. In terms of artwork, 80% of all slice-of-life commercially-made games have that quality of artwork (it is pretty much standard for the course) post-2012. Except for nitpicking details, there really isn't anything to choose from. Komorebi no Nostalgica comes to mind, for sheer emotional impact and depth of the romance. However, it also has a philosophical aspect that some people might have trouble with, so I'll leave the choices to you. Haru to Yuki is also a good choice, if you don't mind it being generally somber in atmosphere. The romance is highly emotional but if you don't want a fantasy element in the story, you should go elsewhere. (more like this is if you don't mind it, otherwise I won't barrage you with suggestions of the same type) Soshite Hatsukoi ga Imouto ni Naru, Shunki Gentei Poco a Poco, and Love Rec by Alcot are straight-out slice-of-life romances that draw out the emotions. Natsuiro Recipe is 'comfort food' slice-of-life romance based in a Japanese country setting. Any game by Clochette will have good romance and humorous character interactions, with various levels of fantasy or sci-fi depending on the game. If you are in the mood for tragic romance in a unique future setting, Sakura, Sakimashita is an excellent choice. It is based in a future where people discovered how to become ageless using genetic engineering, and where all humans have the right to become so. However, due to the appearance of a planet-destroying asteroid, the previously ageless 'tokoshie' people (including the protagonist and the heroines) are forced to face the reality of their own mortality, while they seek to make the best of the time they have left. Lovesick Puppies Izayoi Fortuna Hana no No ni Saku Utakata no

明けましておめでとうございます。 Happy new year. @#!%$&$%^*&(#$$#! *returns to his true form and screeches the new year's greetings while waving his billions of planet-wide tentacles excitedly*

Yuzuriha no Uta- I'm playing it, and my opinion is that it is more of a straight out story-focused/plotge rather than a chuunige. There is too much slice-of-life involved, and there isn't nearly enough melodrama for a chuunige. The romance is abrupt and the story is structured so that there is little difference depending on which heroine you choose, which kinda defeats the point of having routes. I'd say it is a very, very old style of game, and not in a good way. Eiyuutan Gaiden- This is basically a fourth route to Shin Koihime Musou. Instead of following one of the three kingdoms rulers' factions, it puts the protagonist in the Han-preservation faction focused on Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu. I don't know if it will be good or not, but it is probably worth playing if you want more Shin Koihime but don't want more meaningless after stories for the original three routes.

Rokudenashi- Great setting, horribly explained. Great action, often with little or no explanation of what is going on. Great characters, whose settings are left hanging for the most part. I had so many mixed feelings about this anime that I could spend hours considering them. However, since I'm getting older, I won't bother. Eromanga-sensei: Comedy with some ero, mostly not. Mostly a fun watch. Seikaisuru Kado: Science fiction/science fantasy where a being from a higher dimension appears in ours claiming to want to uplift the people of Earth. What follows is right out of a science fiction horror novel. Oushitsu Sensei Heine: Commoner protagonist takes on the task of teaching the princes of the country, whether the brats like it or not. Ends on a sour note. Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho: Great fantasy series with prejudice, hate, war, and betrayal. Generally a good watch for fantasy lovers. Clockwork Planet- The idea behind this setting is pretty crazy, where a steampunk god basically stopped the end of the world by rebuilding Earth utilizing clockwork technology. As a result, electronics are illegal, and meisters adjust and make clockwork devices by hand to support the lives and lifestyles of the people. The protagonist is an idiot savant who can tell precisely what is wrong with any clockwork device just by hearing it, but he couldn't explain how he does it for the life of him. On the other side is the genius meister who is at the peak of modern clockwork science. In between is the clockwork android made by the clockwork god who designed their world. Shuumatsu Nani Shiteimasu Ka: Tbh, this is the most memorable series from this season, in my opinion. It begins with a hero fighting a calamity that turns him to stone, only to awaken in an era where humanity lost, the surface of the earth is plagued with disaster and monsters, and the fairies - the only surviving races - rule the skies while quivering in fear of what lies below. They sacrifice the leprechauns, the children closest to humanity, the only ones who can use the powerful weapons humanity left behind. The protagonist decides to settle in as a handler for the girls, all the while despising himself for being unable to help them. Ren'ai Boukun: A lazy and careless cupid who looks more like a shinigami (and has a thing for creating yaoi couples), a hapless protagonist with a poor view of love in general, a psychopathic yandere heroine who would love nothing more than to keep him for herself... lots of comedy antics as a result.

Maid Dragon- Along with Saiki Kusuo, this is one of the two best comedy anime made in the last ten years. Youjo Senki- Sociopath salaryman protagonist gets reincarnated as a little girl in a fantasy WWI setting by a malicious god who wanted to test the reality of faith and evil. Generally a fun series to watch, even if the protagonist is completely incapable of empathy. Gabriel Dropout- Decent fantasy comedy SOL series. Fun to watch, generally amusing. Demi-chan- Cute story where a caring human does his best for a bunch of troubled demi-human children (and one adult). Onihei- Jidaigeki type anime following a samurai who leads a violent crimes magistrate unit.

Drifters- Anime by the same studio as Hellsing. Animation is great, story is brutal. Basically a bunch of heroes (questionable) from history get summoned to another world and start a war of conquest while another group of dark heroes lead armies of monsters on a war of extermination. Great action, story is decent, and lots of good scenes that make the blood boil. Shuumatsu no Izetta- Decent fantasy based in an alternate earth where magic existed at one time and where only one magic user remains. Some great war scenes, emotional and interesting overall. Like most truly unique anime, it never got a second season, sadly.

Hatsuru Koto Naki Mirai Yori Ayakashibito (fantl) Nanairo Reincarnation (if you don't mind some bittersweet endings and some guro mixed in here and there)

Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star. From the moment this heart began to beat, the dark prophecy was set in stone. The messenger of disaster is given no right to live upon the earth. Sunken deep beneath the dark ocean, the serpent burns its very self with curses. It will never be forgotten, it will never be forgiven. The grinding of scales, the raging fangs. For the sight of Midgard burnt upon the inside of its eyelids stokes the flames of its hatred. Do you desire my death, oh gods? Then you are resigned to your fate, are you not? The promise of reaping what one has sown. The great serpent sheds its skin again and again in order to become the prophesied divine demon. The endlessly long, massive body and resentment. It isn't enough, more, more, more, more... it devours and writhes, and now it is too late. The World Serpent has been completed. Looking down upon the small planet, its fangs glisten with malice and its tongue flickers. Now, who should I swallow first? Metalnova- Sacrilege Jormungand! Be burnt upon the heavens, oh my guardian star, that I might raise up the metallic flame. The black death that corrupts the half-man, half-horse. The endless poison of the hydra whispers to me to give up my immortality, but I merely snort, calling it unworthy of consideration. Let my hooves resound against the earth, let me draw my bowstring back, let me hold my resolve within my heart as I run toward the horizon. Neither suffering nor despair can cause this great bow to rot away! For if I listen closely, I can here it... the sound of lightning in the heavens. Oh great father in the heavens, you say that it is too soon for me to become a constellation? You bless me again with the order to fight? Then I will go all out, giving everything I have. I have cut off my rotten flesh and replace it with iron limbs. I need not tainted blood, I shall change it out with burning oil. Until you call me to your side and become one of the constellations, now my comrade let us go together into battle! Let us raise up the promised vow and loose the arrow to pierce through evil! Metalnova, Overdrive Sagittarius! Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star. The time has come for your punishment, oh dark god of the bloodlline of the cloud giants. You now reap what you have sown, so look upon this. The blade you once forged with your own hands has been freed from the iron box. The flames will never forgive the countless sins whispered of in the shadows. With the flames burning with rage, you will be burnt away with your castle. Turn to ashes, oh kingdom of the heavens! Rot away, oh Valhalla! And listen, you souls of heroes! Those collars are unbefitting of you. Let us march forth to strike down the gods. For the sake of the world that will bloom once again after the solemn hell. Metalnova-- Valhalla-birth Laevateinn! Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star. The noble duty of chaining the hungry wolf. If all others stand still in terror, then I shall be the one to complete it. Now go ahead, take a bite. My off-hand was offered to the demon beast, and as it hungrily devoured the flesh and blood, it was chained down firmly. As the price for my bravery, crimson drips from the end of my mangled arm. My fingers will never return, but why should I regret it? If I can protect prosperity and the law, as well as show my bravery... ... to be a shield is my honor. I beg of you, that you should smile and praise me. 'Your devotion is the example of what a protector should be.' Metalnova- Tyr-Bind Gleipnir!

In my experience, JVNs - at the very least - tend to be reliant on sit-com and manzai (someone saying or doing something silly and the other person pointing it out in an amusing way). The other common one is plays on language (kanji puns, misusing proverbs, etc) that don't translate into English and are thus usually missed or fall flat when translated. The vast majority of comedy in JVNs is sit-com, where the situation and its inherent absurdity provides the humor or the reactions of the characters do so. Japanese VN writers love tongue-in-cheek, though every once in a while slapstick will be dropped in to change the pace (slapstick was a lot more common twenty to thirty years ago in anime and manga than it is today, whereas sitcom was relatively rare... manzai is about the same, since it seems to be the undying genre of comedy in Japan, for whatever reason).

Mob Psycho- Weirdly fun anime whose primary attraction is waiting for Mob to snap and blow things up. Alderamin- This is what is called a 'senki-mono', a story about war that is partially told from the characters' perspectives and partly from an omniscient past-tense perspective. I really enjoyed this story, and I wish they would put out a second season... Berserk- The story of the years after the end of the Band of the Hawk. It has an even darker and more medieval cast to it, with intersections with the inquisition witch hunts and invasions from the east added in with monsters and fairies. It ends just as things are getting awesome. Taboo Tattoo- Modern fantasy in an alternate earth where ruins of an ancient civilization were found in the modern era that contained 'tattoos' that granted powers to those imprinted with them (for various costs to the individual). Unfortunately for people who think it sounds interesting, the attempt to compress an expansive setting and story into thirteen episodes ruined the pacing and made the story incoherent, so it really isn't that good outside of the action scenes.

Come into being, oh supernova written upon the heavens--- for we are a falling star from the Age of Gods. Oracle received, beginning revelation of the star. The plundered afternoon light brings forth the frozen blizzard. The wind, the sword, and the wolf... the steps to ruin within the winter prison. The uncountable ruins stained our family and brothers in crimson. Not even the three children of the gods were excepted. There are no longer bonds between the sun, the moon, and the sea. Then, oh Tsukuyomi who rules the dark of night, give to me twilight. This is the realm of man, that which stands between the heavens and earth. If the ancient laws are no longer needed, it is the gods that should be massacred. The enraged butcher bares his fangs from the depths of Hel. Chew upon the roots of Yggdrasil and open your wings, Nidhog! Then I shall guide that flight with the moonlight that falls upon the path of night! To a brilliantly-colored twilight that lies at the end of the Age of Gods! It needn't be said, oh silver goddess! For I exist only for you. The demonic dragon rises from the underworld, tramples the rainbow bridge and devours the nine universe to become a new sun! Now is the time, bestow Fate upon the jaws of madness! Oh, thou martyr of Light, dig your fangs into my heart and complete Ragnarok. Metalnova- Silverio Fimbulvetr!

Tanaka-kun - Mild comedy anime that is worth watching if you want something mildly amusing. Sakamoto Desu Ga- Another comedy anime, this one focused around a guy who is Tanaka-kun's opposite. He is an active Mr Perfect, and most of the series is him doing stuff perfectly and amazing the characters to get a laugh out of the watcher. Sousei no Onmyouji- A decent onmyouji fantasy with good action. Shounen anime, so it is a bit long. Hundred- One of many futuristic science-fantasy series centered in the period between 2011 and 2017 (before almost all fantasy series became isekai). I recall it being enjoyable to watch, like most similar series from the era, but it wasn't terribly memorable, not the least of which because we never got an ending. Joker Game- A spy anime that is actually pretty good to watch. Shounen Maid- A young man with nowhere to go gets taken in by a touchy-feely artist (wealthy) as a cross-dressing maid. It is actually pretty cute and sometimes nakige-like in atmosphere (think Key). Bungo Stray Dogs- Good action, story is incoherent with writers being incarnated with magic-like powers. Tbh, it feels like a throwback to the nineties and not in a good way. There are good episodes, but the basic concept is so silly that it is hard to take it seriously. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri- Zombie apocalypse, protagonist is half-zombie, fights other zombies while being looked at with hate and suspicion by the normies. Nothing special.