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Mr Poltroon

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Posts posted by Mr Poltroon

    Symphonic Rain

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    How is it possible to feel nostalgic for something I first experienced half a decade ago?

    At any rate, once in a blue moon I replay the songs in the game by playing them, and today was that day for the past couple of years. I am utterly rubbish at it, but I remember them, and it makes me feel so attached...

    Lamunation Release

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Just now, Plk_Lesiak said:

    Aye, that price and launch discount are very hard to say no to. :3 Probably will be a while before I read it, but I'm going to grab it anyways. 

    Yep... Like, I don't have it in me to not buy this. There's just no way.

    I'm not seeing how they can profit off of this and give the team enough to keep food on the table, but perhaps it is a steam gamble with low price, h-patch, and good translation, and in that case I genuinely wish them all luck.

    What Light Novel are you reading right now?

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    19 minutes ago, Dreamysyu said:

    Well, on second thought, I'm not sure. I suspected this might be a bit dark for your tastes, but you like Grisaia, and it can get a lot darker at some points in the story. Also, I feel like the dark parts are mostly there just to make the MC into a cynical chuuni edgelord, and it actually shifts towards more comedic direction starting with the second volume. Excluding the fact that the MC doesn't particularly hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his path.

    I only read the 4 volumes, by the way, so it can make a complete 180 turn later on, of course. I plan to finish it, but I already spent a bit too much money on entertainment this month. :makina:

    Your new assessment (this one) is correct. I invested into two volumes and found that I quite like it.
    I first suspected I wouldn't mind it when I first started seeing comedy pop up frequently. I believe that if you're capable of pulling these hilarious shenanigans frequently with your setting, then surely your edge is not too much for me. As of volume two I'm entirely convinced. If you have a slapstick party member then you can only be a good story in my book.

    I dislike stories with pessimistic worldviews, but that isn't the case here. Not really. Enough emotional bonds have been formed that I not longer fear the story.
    I dislike stories that tease things and then don't deliver on them. But this one's done a good job so far.
    It seems like this story is here for the audience to enjoy, not to torture them or to make them invested to drag the story. That's excellent for me.

    What Light Novel are you reading right now?

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    Spice and Wolf (11 Volumes) - The first light novel I ever tried reading. I brought a load of volumes during a holiday a couple of years ago, and it became my sole source of entertainment. Homely entertainment, anyway. As a result, I ate the volumes up in a week, reading 10 or 11 of them. It, uh, exhausted me, to say the least, and also ensured I failed to commit most of them to memory. Especially with the complicated topics that were oft breached and the Yen Press translation that I thought made it harder to parse for a plebeian such as I.
    I like the character interactions and am okay with the economics, so I should love this, but I found them rather dense. And now, when I try to restart at volume 12 three years later, I quickly realise that the gap creates issues of both memory and engagement. But every time I see the volume 16 cover I feel compelled to try again...!
    I should try and make it daily reading on the train or some such.

    In Another World With My Smartphone (5 Volumes) - As the translator, which I follow on twitter, often talked about his work on this series, I felt tempted to try it. Indeed, it tackles a lot of themes I really should enjoy. And I did, as I read it. The main character finds romance and there's actual development on that department; He's overpowered and free to do whatever he feels like; He's a "political player", even though the politics here are more hilarious than anything else. By all means I should love it, and yet there's one big problem: Not enough focus on character interactions. There's loads of characters, and all of them have moments, but with such a large cast a lot of them seem to be lacking a personality, or, more specifically, seem to only display it whenever the author feels it is convenient.

    This is a recurring issue I have with Light Novels: The non-reader-perspective characters only speak, interact, or act whenever it is convenient for the plot or if the author has determined this is to be a character interaction moment (such as some slice-of life chapters or group discussions), and they'll be ignored or just be in the background (doing not much in particular) otherwise. How can this be fixed? Well...

    Konosuba (9 Volumes) - Unquestionably the best light novel I have read. Characters have character! They do things! They have personalities! They're doing things even when it's not meant to be their moment or required for the plot! Even if characters are "off-screen" you hear about the consequences of their actions or how their mood has been affected or whatever! Konosuba is the king of character interaction, and that is the single aspect I most appreciate, and the reason Visual Novels are (usually) my entertainment medium of choice. Phenomenal. Especially so for the plotpoint that started in volume 5 and came to a head again in volume 9!

    @cro-mag - With Volume 6 of Konosuba I definitely felt... odd. It's like it suddenly took a random turn and veered right off-course into the middle of chaos. I initially thought the development to be kind of generic, but quickly found that I love the characters too much to mind. Whatever position they're put in will turn out alright when you consider their ridiculousness, in my eyes. It's also the first moment that I came to realise that they're really all trashy human beings that require a lot of poking and prodding to let their stubbornness go and play nice. I'm glad I still love them all.

    How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (6 Volumes) - I loved the first two volumes! A whole lot! The themes this tackles are very much to my interest (government, politics, military, development, etc), and there is romance and development in that area! Lovely! However, the more volumes I read the more it came to suffer from the same things as Smartphone. With so many members of the cast, it becomes difficult to give them all life. Those who were interesting and intricate in 2 were by now forgotten or flanderised in 6. I can clearly recall moments created to provide them with personality and all that, but I cannot do anything but file away those attempts as generic, or at least, they failed to elicit a good reaction from my part. I have cause to believe that perhaps large casts on this level are simply unmanageable. I cannot keep an emotional connection with them all. Minatosoft most writers are not.

    Hokuou Kizoku to Moukinzuma no Yukiguni Karigurashi (2 Volumes) - A fan translation, which unfortunately isn't very good, on top of the topics already being... slightly uninteresting to me (lots of cooking, butchering, hunting, etc.). The premise of the novel itself, however, is excellent. The characters are excellent. Romance is one of the main topics, and it's really good! I like the personality and design on of the main character and his wife. It's really great. It's just that the existing translation for it is not very good in English.

    An Archdemon's Dilemma (3 Volumes) - Volume one was perfection. It feels as if it were made such that the whole thing could've ended there. Wonderfully self-contained and loose ends generally tied. But it continued, and I'm glad it did! Romance is one of the focus areas, so that's already 11/10, but it goes further! I like the personality of the protagonist, and, for once, the battle scenes! The Sorcerers' fashion sense slightly aligns with mine own, and for some of the battles the descriptions try to show the main character as keeping calm and taking care of business with a single arm with the other behind his back. Not every time, but it's enough to make me all happy inside. Second best series I've read to date, aside from Konosuba.

    About the Reckless Girl Who Kept Challenging a Reborn Man Like Me  (Completed) - A oneshot. A beautiful, emotional, powerful oneshot. I think this is very much worth reading. As usual for me, Romance.

    Marietta-hime no Konrei (Complete) - Something I stumbled upon whilst looking to see if 18+ Light Novels were a thing. This is the fluffiest fluff that hath ever fluffed. It's fantastic, and the princess in this is the most precious thing in existence. Characters are not real people, so it's good to be able to appreciate a character that can be made to be so lovable and... just create happiness.

    Lazy Dungeon Master (2 Volumes) - Probably the third best series I've read. Unlike others it's not particularly addictive, but it's always enjoyable while I read it. The character interactions are also fun. The main character's got a strange fetish that gets played up all the time, but at least it clears any illusions of possible romance, so it's way better than those novels that constantly tease something that'll only be resolved in 20 volumes. As a side note... It's also got the most explicit illustrations in a light novel series that I've seen! One of the colour pictures in volume two would not look out of place in my local eroge (and I actually prefer its intimacy to what is typically present in said eroge)! I also like the character design for the main character. It's interesting.

    Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! (6 Volumes) - Love a whole bunch of stuff. The main character has traits I really enjoy, the most stand-out of which is being unabashedly (technically not unabashedly, actually) OP and everyone recognising that is the case. I love that it's generally light-hearted and that it's an adventure story. It also does the cast pretty decently. It's not ideal, but the characters in the party have personalities and I do feel attached to them to some extent (though I may be starting to lose that a bit at this point). It's also somewhat of a problem that most of Mile's inner thoughts and jokes very specific weeb references I don't get or puns that scarcely count as puns because they only make sense with a Japanese pronunciation, for example (by Japanese pronunciation I am referring to, for example, the English words that have been incorporated into the Japanese language. Their meaning sometimes even changes and they don't always sound like the English equivalent).

     

     

    After all this, I wanted to ask if anyone has any recommendations.
    I'd be especially interested in anything that has romance that is actually romance and not just "feelings" that'll get addressed in the centenary volume. I can take waiting 5 volumes or something for there to be a confession or something of the sort after the interest was teased to the reader. But if that's not going to happen, then please have the decency to not tease such a thing!

    Fall 2019 Anime Discussion

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    Average Abilities (4 episodes) - The first three were excellent. It was a great comedy story with no particular stakes. As of the 4th, it took a turn for the serious. Comparatively speaking. It's at a point where they could still go either way, and I'm counting on it taking the light-hearted "handwave it away" path.* In short, I hope it continues to be a silly cute girls story with a bunch of ridiculous OP-ness. Pull off another story like Endro~!.
    That said, on the off-chance that they tried to take a less original and more serious approach, I decided to read the light novel. I feel this adaptation will be best if they just continue on their own way, and let the light novel's plot be experienced as intended, rather than summarising it in anime format.

    Light novel spoilers:

    Spoiler

    @Dreamysyu is responsible for intriguing me, and I am satisfied with what I have read. This was a good investment.

    *I really think they could pull-off the handwavy comedic approach, because that is more or less what the light novel did. Tone up the comedy a bit and let it slide!

     

    How much do you play VN a day/a week?

    in Members' Lounge

    Posted

    As with others, time dictates what time I can spend reading VNs, so it is by no means daily that I read them, but when I do, it's normally 2 or 3 hours per VN. I can read multiple or none in a day. If I am particularly engaged, I can spend my every moment of free time on the particular title of interest.
    However, this goes for any piece of entertainment, so if I'm engaged in an anime, manga, light novel, or game, then I will have no time for VNs.

    Fall 2019 Anime Discussion

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    I even posted here but forgot to pin it! Someone could've reminded me... :P

    So... This season looks pretty good! Very much so, actually.

    Kemono Michi (3 episodes) - This was the first thing I watched this season, driven solely by the fact that the original author is the same as Konosuba's. Thanks @littleshogun for bringing that up!
    Anyway, I like it! I see some people may take an issue with at least the first episode and the main character's obsessive and possibly sexual interest in animals, but I think further episodes toned at least the sexual aspects down.
    I found the show to be very much funny, and compared to Konosuba... Well, the dynamics are necessarily different, for one, because Kazuma is a very different type of person to the protagonist here. Unlike Kazuma, the protagonist here is the one lacking the common sense, and others usually act as the straight man. Since it has only just started, it also lacked a consistent cast (though I think that'll change from here on) and Konosuba's gold really came from the cast's interactions, so it is natural that it wouldn't hit the same good points yet. Episode three offered some very promising scenes that probably resemble what's to come, so I'm very much looking forward to this in the future!

    Kabukichou Sherlock (1 episode) - A detective show and an adaptation of Sherlock. There's no reason not to like it, and so far I like it, so I'll continue with this.

    Oresuki (3 episodes) - It, uh, went in a lot of directions, so if you haven't watched these three, stop reading for fear of spoilers!

    Spoiler

    So, the premise for the first episode was already interesting, but then they went and completely threw it out by episode 3, changing more or less what the story was about? I've got no idea what they'll do from now on, but what was here was a big ol' mix of funny and relationship drama, and almost reminiscent of Gamers!, except they did the funnier thing and threw the misunderstandings out quickly after they formed. It's definitely interesting and addictive, as well as funny, but I'm kind of hoping they stick to funny in the future where possible. I don't want a repeat of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU season 2 (said nobody but me ever).

    For more specific comments, I do like Pansy, I do like the protagonist a lot, and I especially like the wholesomeness of how he really wants to be Sun-kun's friend. Even before the anime spelled it out for us, it was clear to me that Sun > Romance for him.

    Cautious Hero (2 episodes) - There's a whole lot of bloody competition this season, so I can't say it wins comedy of the season, but it definitely wins best animation for a comedy! The first time I heard about this title, even before it was announced to be getting an anime, I became super interested because of the way the manga had drawn things, and I'm so so glad the anime did not ditch the style!
    The show itself is still super funny, and that is all I really need to have a whale of a time. The goddess's reactions are currently the gold mine, with the occasional ridiculousness of the guy's actions thrown in for good measure, such as

    Spoiler

    destroying the whole village they'd just saved in an effort to take care of something else he could well have done somewhere else without collateral damage.

     

    Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (4 episodes) - The surprise so far. I started it because I liked the character designs, and I felt like it would fit a fantasy/adventure-ish mould that I like. So imagine my surprise when I realised it is doing literally everything that I like! Iruma-kun (aside from his age but Japan's Japan) is everything I've ever wanted from a protagonist. Everything from his general demeanour to his ability to "dodge everything" (a premise I've often dreamt about seeing in a show; and now, finally, here it is! If you know of any other pieces of entertainment with similar abilities, do point me in their general direction) to the course of events of "accidentally win at everything" is all I wanted from a show, so I am ULTRA happy with this.
    I hope to god this doesn't fall into the shounen tropes I dislike later on. I can see I can't avoid fights and other such things. Okay. But please avoid getting the protagonist to attempt irrational things and pulling through on willpower alone. Don't make him attempt to do things that others better suited to the job are already tackling just because he can't sit and wait when it's not his turn.
    Additionally, try to make it work without adding more abilities to him, or particularly changing them. It always irritates me when someone that's supposed to have no attack power suddenly gains some. :( Don't lie to me and get my hopes up if you're not going to make it work...
    I'll see how they tackle it. I hope it continues to be a funny story as it has been so far!

    Ouka Sabaki aka Master Magistrate localization is (kinda) available on steam!

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, Infernoplex said:

    Oh, I see. Yeah, I agree. Japanese developers do this for "self-insert" purposes (as well as to save costs on hiring one more VA), but I'm more fond of VNs that have all characters voiced, including protagonists. It's a shame, but the way of the industry is such that the VNs featuring voices for the whole cast are in minority.

    It makes no sense here, since the protagonist has a unique design and personality, and plenty of scenes where his entire sprite is on screen, talking.

    This is a bloody curse, I tell you!

    Ouka Sabaki aka Master Magistrate localization is (kinda) available on steam!

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Infernoplex said:

    Strange you say that. If I recall correctly, you were fine with no voices in Rance and Evenicle. Or is it only something you are fine with when the title has good gameplay, lore, and story? xD

    I believe I've mentioned this elsewhere, but my problem with a lack of voices is when it's selective. Or, even more specifically, when it's just the protagonist who lacks voices. I'm fine with partial voices or no voices, but going out of your way so that only the protagonist lacks a voice irritates me to no end. There really is no reason for this on games such as this one.

    What Anime are you watching now?

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    So I went on and concluded Machikado Mazoku. I recall watching the first episode and thinking... not terribly much of it. It was good, but didn't really push me to continue watching. That's why I stopped a few months ago when I watched the first episode. That said, now that I restarted it the other day, I quickly finished the whole thing! It turned out to be so good!

    Spoiler

    It's wonderfully heart-warming to see our weak protagonist grow stronger and becoming healthier. Getting along more with people, and slowly becoming good friends with her 'enemy'. At the same time, the enemy in question, which never showed herself to be particularly antagonistic, also came to have some of her many heavy burdens relieved by the protagonist.

    This kind of stuff is just so good! I really like happy shows about people growing closer and healing and becoming better that don't focus on the bad things in their past or present, but on surpassing them. I feel like there's a whole genre just for me that I've somehow managed to generally miss.

    That said, this is a comedy and I really like comedies, so...

    Over the course of the series, a narrator is her continuously going "Do your best, [Name]/[Nickname] at the protagonist.", which serves as a generally funny commentary to end segments with. However, with one of the final reveals of the series, a possibility arises... This narrator may be her father, which she hasn't seen since childhood!

    The best thing about this series, besides generally funny moments, is how heart-warming it is.

    Ouka Sabaki aka Master Magistrate localization is (kinda) available on steam!

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    I've played up to most of Chapter 3. For the first chapter I was iffy on the trial systems, but that went away by the second. I was sad the main character is unvoiced, but that's a curse of the VN world. And then Chapter 3 really went and did everything I hoped from the game, so I'm very happy with this.
    At this point I'll probably wait for the rest of the game, which should be between half to a third of the complete game.

    Arunaru not working anymore with mangagamer

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, kokoro said:

    It's kinda funny how former fan-tls want more money even though they used to 'work' for free.

    It is funny, but it is a true phenomenon.

    If you do something enough, the magic of it will disappear or lessen. And then something else needs to make up for the difference. This is the reason I don't consider cases like this "exploitation", exactly. As fans, people are willing to take on bad deals or volunteer for things. But this spirit will not remain forever. Once the magic is gone, they might end up feeling like they let themselves be exploited, but at the time they did not feel as such.

    Regardless, fans that work for free enough will generally start to feel like that isn't enough anymore. Not out of greed or any such thing. It's not the desire for money that increases, it's the will to work hard for their hobby with no recompense that decreases.

    Has Your Relationship With VNs Changed Over Time?

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    I suppose in a few ways.

    To start with, I have, in general, less time. Whereas before I actively looked for long VNs as the only way to get immersed in the VN world, these days I haven't found a VN I'd call 'short' for years. I take ages, no matter the length.

    Before I was also both more and less picky. I used to only play all the big and famous VNs (Like Muv-Luv: Alternative, which I wouldn't play today), but then transitioned into playing all the romance ones, and now those really are all I play, aside from gameplay or mystery ones.

    I enjoy the writing much more. The reason VNs are my medium of choice are because I prefer dialogue and character interaction over all other sorts of writing. That said, before I'd consume things just to say I finished them, even when I didn't understand what I was reading or had to filter out a bunch of sentences for being unable to parse them or understand their meaning (due to wrong grammar, for instance).

    I'm also worse at finishing things before starting something else. More new things are coming out these days than they were previously, which is very good. I'm at a point where even if the industry implodes tomorrow, as long as all announcements we currently have are released I will never lack for reading material.

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