Clephas

*Clephas spits out several beautiful demon women, who immediately go to their knees before him, he then orders them to be Ranzo's servants in all matters for the rest of his life*

Aselia and Seinarukana.

Another issue you'll probably run into with any game using the mono system is that, after a while, no text hooker will be able to catch anymore text. At that point, you have no choice but to just shut down the game and restart it if you want the hooks to work again.

Amongst translated there just aren't that many options that fill your request (the merely romantic doesn't tend to get translated very often, for some reason). Kira Kira comes to mind, but it might be a bit too off in the wilds for what you are looking for. If you are willing to take second-hand advice, Hatsukoi 1/1 (really, anything by Tone Works, if you understand Japanese, but since you only have translated listed on vndb...)

As long as it is not the 'ladder style progression' or a 'split off at the very last second' branching path, I can honestly say I'm fine with both linear and branching paths. Edit: To clarify, I mean VNs where the heroine endings/paths split after the climax of the story... it always feels like a cop-out on the part of the writers to me.

だが断る

Mirai Nostalgia is the game that turned Purple Soft around. After Ashita no Kimi to Au Tame ni, the company produced a number of middling and poor quality games, and it looked like Purple Software was going to fade into the background, like a lot of other companies that prospered during the 'Golden Age'. Then, all of the sudden, they released this game... and they regained the hearts of their followers, leading to a series of high quality releases, including Hapymaher, Amatsutsumi, and Aoi Tori. Mirai Nostalgia follows an extensive cast of characters... a group of friends centering primarily around the protagonist Youichi and Uta (called Hime by the rest of the group). Like most high quality VNs with a lot of SOL, the interactions with the friend characters and non-heroines are lively and vitally important to fleshing out the setting and characters as a group and as individuals. The Protagonist Kudou Youichi- Youichi is a lazy young man who is utterly incompetent at all forms of housework. He lives alone (at first) with the ancient bakeneko Kuro (who has apparently been alive for over a thousand years) and is a weak esper, possessing telekinesis and an unstable teleportation ability. In obedience to his family traditions, he keeps his powers hidden from all but those few others around him that also possess powers. Youichi is, by nature, a very calm, accepting individual who instinctively puts others first, often disregarding his own well-being if faced with the needs of others. He is also generally on the lowest rung of the family ladder (even the cat is above him), and he spends a lot of his time accommodating the females in his life (Shizuku and his little sisters especially). The Heroines Kasuga Iori- Iori is a traditional black-haired beauty and a miko... with an airgun and immensely powerful telekinetic abilities (think being able to erase someone from existence with pure kinetic force). She is also constantly threatening Youichi's life, for reasons she declines to mention to him, and her temper is almost always sharp-edged. She is definitely S by nature. Despite this apparently violent nature, she also has a deep capacity for love and compassion, and she is quite capable of forgiving a lot from those she cares about (though Youichi apparently pushes her over the edge). Hatori Uta- Youichi's osananajimi, the daughter of the CEO of a large electronics company, and the spiritual center of the group of friends that lies at the center of the story. She definitely marches by her own drummer, living life as she wants to live it and ignoring inconvenient realities completely. All of the group of friends can't help but love her, and she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She is a heavy gamer and loves nothing more than beating the shit out of Youichi in competitive gaming. Kudou Nono- The older of Youichi's twin stepsisters, a genkikko who does the vault in track and field. She loves to exercise, loves to eat, and loves her oniichan (not necessarily in that order, depending on her priorities at any given moment). She always has a smile on her face and can make friends with just about anyone. Kudou Hina- The younger of Youichi's twin stepsisters, a sharp-tongued beauty with glasses who rules the Kudou family with an iron fist. A natural dictator, she openly states that her goal is to become the next student council president and enslave the student body to her will. She adores her niisan, but she doesn't let that stop her from insulting him constantly and prodding him into doing what she wants him to do. Where Nono is the type that wears her heart on her sleeve, Hina is the type that has quiet depths beneath the surface. Anna- Anna is an esper who has traveled from the future to the past, in order to change the timeline she came from. She states that the future Youichi denied her confession of love, and she also presents herself as the most powerful esper in existence. She is generally a prankster, playful and easygoing, taking endless pleasure in teasing Youichi. However, she is quite obviously hiding a lot of things from him... She is also the true heroine. The Other Characters Hatori Ei- Uta's elder brother, a rootless wanderer who travels the world for years at a time. His generally irresponsible nature makes him the butt of jokes for most of the group of friends, and he and Shizuku are rivals for the position of 'elder caretakers' in the group. Hoshikawa Shizuku- The all-powerful student council president, Youichi's cousin, an immensely powerful clairvoyant, and the 'elder sister' of the group. Most of the group's members have resigned themselves to being her slaves, and when the whim takes her, she drags them all into her schemes and plots. She cares deeply about the other members of the group, but her position as an elder sister often puts her in the position of having to think of what is best for everyone. Sanada Kanata- The waitress at a local cafe, one of Youichi's osananajimis, and an infamous dojikko. She shines the most as the butt of jokes or when being dragged around by Shizuku or caught up in her schemes. Everybody teases her, but they all love her, too. Kase Touya- An unfortunate young man who finds himself in the same position as Kanata most of the time (the butt of jokes and getting dragged into trouble by Shizuku). While he is good-looking, because of his overly eager manner, most girls don't take him seriously, and he has yet to manage to get a girlfriend. He and Youichi often commiserate about their treatment by the girls in the group. Kuro- A thousand year old bakeneko (youkai cat) who has advised the Kudou family for generations and is one of the 'people' who raised Youichi. Once an immensely powerful youkai, time has taken its toll, and now he only retains the ability to speak mentally to those who possess esper abilities. Immensely dignified, wise, and gentle by nature, Youichi's trust in him as an advisor is absolute. While Kuro will advise if asked or if he thinks it is truly needed, he doesn't believe in 'holding the student's hand' (figuratively speaking) and is perfectly willing to sit back and let Youichi make his own mistakes. Kasuga Haru- Iori's mother, an easygoing nurse and sometime coach to the track and field team, she is an immensely strong person (mentally and spiritually). Her capacity for love is as deep and strong as her daughter's, and one can see the results in Iori's private interactions with her. She does share Iori's S side though. The story Mirai Nostalgia's story begins with the protagonist's first contact with Anna, the supposed 'girl from the future' and the return of his twin imoutos, Nono and Hina after several years apart. Soon after, he encounters Iori, and his peaceful life is suddenly overturned as a result. This is a nakige, much like the other games Purple Soft has made since, but its style is more 'traditional' (closer to the format Key pioneered, albeit with a stronger central story). My suggested play order for this game is Hina>Nono>Uta>Iori>Anna. The reasons are pretty obvious if you play the game, but I'll go ahead and outline them here. I basically put them in order from 'least relevant to the central story' to 'most relevant'. Hina's path is by far the weakest of the five, which is probably inevitable in retrospect (Hina's character is hard to grasp as a heroine). Nono is a bit stronger as a heroine, but the events leading up to the climax of the story felt forced in comparison to the events that led to her and Youichi becoming lovers. Uta's path is a bit more fantastical in some ways, mostly because of an unexpected turn of events caused by Uta's dependent personality. Iori's path... is emotionally powerful, not the least because it reveals the biggest reason why Anna returned to the past. Anna's path... is a cryfest. I cried through roughly a third of Anna's path both times I played this game, simply because it was just that good. The audio This game's music is slightly above the standard quality for commercial VNs, so it is noteworthy in that sense. However, this was also the VN where Purple Soft began to seriously typecast the company's favored voice actors (Kazane in particular), and so you can pretty much tell the personality of a Purple Soft character by the sound of their voice, in a generalized sense, lol. Visually The first time Purple Soft used Koku for their visuals was in this game, and for those who have played Hapymaher or Chrono Clock, the style will be familiar by now. Overall This game is a nice nakige with a strong mix of humorous slice of life and powerful emotional moments. If you want a good nakige to sit down and read through that is less moe-dependent than a Key VN, this is an excellent choice.

I always figured they use a random number engine to decide which thread to disrupt...

If they kept the shitposting to where it was appropriate, there wouldn't be any trouble. I won't say 'keep it in the coliseum' (because that isn't going to happen), but I would like to think they would at least know that there is a time and place for everything... and places where inappropriate behavior both should and will be punished, regardless of how 'harmless' they see their actions as being.

Until 1998, I was mostly an action and fantasy anime fan, ignoring slice of life entirely... then I came across Ai Yori Aoshi, and for the first time, I found myself weeping for the characters. I was addicted to the anime based off of Key games for the longest time, and I can still make myself cry by remembering 'I can make this the goal, can't I?' from Misuzu in the Air anime...

Because it is Zelda, and Zelda is on a pedestal, whereas Assassins Creed is wallowing in the mud of Ubi Soft.

I'd love to comment on this... but my knowledge isn't extensive. The big one is licensing costs, though. Originally, that was the biggest cost for a localization (this doesn't apply to MG or localizations by Western branches of Japanese companies). One of the early rumors I heard, when they were trying to license Clannad, was that Key wanted one million dollars for the license. However, I imagine that is at the higher range for this kind of thing, lol. Edit: To clarify, I honestly don't know how much the licensing fee thing applies under modern conditions. With the advent of Kickstarter and closer interactions between VN companies and localization companies, there is every possibility that this kind of cost is no longer valid or nonexistent. I do know that some companies pay translators by the symbol and others by the line (symbol usually is a better deal for the translator)... and costs for the average game (just the translation) can be in the low to mid five digit range depending on length. Depending on how the company in question handled the original game production, there is every possibility that royalties have to be paid out to VAs or the original team... *shrugs* This kind of crap is why I hesitate to make a guess on the total costs. When I first started getting into VNs, most Japanese companies didn't want their stuff coming over here, because they didn't want to have to deal with Western mores and companies (there were a couple of issues with eroge of the Illusion type at the time).

Devils Devel Concept- This VN's characters and the setting are so out there that I can't help but see this one as unique. Psychopathy, amorality, homicidal impulses...

Hapymaher... the style of the game in itself is extremely unusual, but the story is also pretty unique amongst VNs. Semiramis no Tenbin... I don't think I've ever come across another VN like this one. Nanairo Reincarnation... you'll see it if you play it.

That's normal for most Light games. It will extract an entire 'page' at a time.

This VN is an odd duck on my long list of recommended VNs. While its existence as a time loop story is a trope, the way the game's story handles it is pretty interesting. I went ahead and revealed this as a loop story because you find it out so early on that hiding it as a spoiler is meaningless. The game's story begins with the protagonist meeting (and helping out) Nodoka, one of the four heroines, and her confessing her love to him on the next day when she transfers into the class. While he is at first somewhat bothered by this, he eventually falls for her, loves her... and then suddenly wakes up on the second day of the month, the day after he first met her. Now, you will go through a lot of route loops before the game is over (you have to see all four heroine loops, plus a bunch of side loops, to get access to the endings), and a lot of these have seriously crazy outcomes. The protagonist, being a young idiot, goes off and tests everything he can find (often to hilarious results), and his 'morality' tends to be rather fragile when it comes to having fun (in one loop he ends up gambling so hard he gets sold to an organ broker, lol). To be honest, the journey through the non-heroine loops is probably the most attractive part of this VN. The music is slightly below the average quality of the industry, as is the art (though that is comparison to the present day), but the game as a whole has a lot of laughs and good moments. The protagonist, Minato, is essentially your average (slightly baka but not totally stupid) harem protagonist who is kind to everyone and as dense as the lead plating protecting a fission reactor's core. Minato has solid reasons for being dense about the three heroines other than Nodoka (Nodoka being very open), based in his past relationships with the others (Inori being his abusive childhood friend, Korone being his little sister, and Yuuki being so friendly to everyone it is difficult for a harem protagonist to see it in her, lol). That said, that is perhaps the most annoying part of his character, though it gets relieved over time. Explaining the heroines to this game is counterproductive. I'm not being mean, but if I were to start explaining the heroines, I would probably ruin the experience for you. I really advise you not to read the character profiles (both because they are deliberately inaccurate and because forming your own impressions of the heroines is important to getting into this VN. There are five endings to this game. One for each of the heroines and the true (harem, no H) ending. The heroine endings are mostly kind of bittersweet, because there are solid reasons why things aren't going to end perfectly, but the true/harem ending is pretty hilarious. Other than the true ending, I liked Korone's ending the best, both because I liked the outcome and because it was the happiest one other than the true one. Edit: Incidentally, Inori is probably the only case I've ever heard of where they handled the tsundere osananajimi realistically (rather than just using the sides as a contrast).

If you'd said this six years ago, there are those who would have jumped on the idea. However, too much has changed since then for this to work. Not to mention that it would have inevitably failed.

*Clephas has been summoned by tens of thousands of people with glowing orange eyes and steel-trap teeth, emerging into the world as the embodiment of the greatest love of all. His form is impossible for the eye to grasp, as the world is entirely contained in one of his many stomachs, and this is merely one of his incarnations, devoid of intelligence and driven by the most primal urges of the universe-devouring monster* *The orange-eyed people spread out from the spot of the summoning, devouring the people in the surrounding city in sprays of blood and screams of agony mixed with ecstasy, as the devoured come to know that they are loved. The devoured rise, their bodies made whole, their eyes glowing as orange as the ones who loved them, and they spread out to further spread the word across the world.*

I know I had teachers who would have thought it a great idea... but one of them got fired for sexual harassment of a student and the other one came in drunk and got reprimanded so loudly he quit on the spot...

Since it was you, I thought you were just looking for reactions. As Tymmur said, without a subject, there is absolutely no possibility whatsoever of getting a coherent lesson plan together.

I also object! Don't you know that catgirls are the ultimate expression of moe art?!!!! Now, please use the spell I implanted in your brain so that they can end civilizat- *Clephas coughs and pretends he didn't say anything*

1) The glory of catgirls 2) Pictures of adorable catgirls from various anime, eroge, and manga 3) Use a demonic summoning circle to call one of the catgirls from my many stomachs *instructions have already been sent in R'lyehian to your brain* 4) Perform various wonderful acts with said catgirls at home.

Moe isn't necessarily a bad thing. I love animal-ear girls to death, and I have nothing against cuteness in general. However, when moe becomes the point of a piece of entertainment, it suddenly become immensely boring and melts the brains of the more susceptible.

You need to find the newest version of ITHVNR you can... the older versions can't handle it, but the latest update can. VNR can also handle it.

Eiyuu Senki Seinarukana (restoraton patch brings back H content)