Ayana

I want Itsuka, Todoku, Ano Sora ni to get translated from the Lump of Sugar catalog. Looks can and will be deceiving, as it's an epic kamige hidden under the standard Lump of Sugar moege veil. (*‿*✿) It'll never happen because the Japanese text is pure insanity and would be extremely difficult to adapt into English. x.x

Confession: Now, I don't buy into the "waifu" thing and all, but holy shit I love Watashi. I understand this sounds bad, but fear not..

Oh yeah, I'm playing this right now (stalled everything else so this better be good). Spiritual sequel to Flyable Heart or something, but someone I know talked to me about it and he has good taste so.. er, we'll see.

だから私は生まれ変わりを信じる… 次回に続く。（笑） え、どちらにしてもいい曲だよ。10/10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIQELsfQCuE

I most definitely need to start getting more into Light Novels.. especially given the fact that some of the highly-regarded writers in eroge out there are now writing them. For example, I'm currently reading one titled 'Humanity Has Declined/Jinrui ha Suitai Shimashita/人類は衰退しました' and it's by the one and only Romeo Tanaka, who wrote such works as Cross+Channel and Saihate no Ima. Even from what little I've read of Jintai, it's nothing short of an absolute masterpiece, and many others agree. Not to forget mentioning how it's continued success shows with the fact that there's an entire anime adaptation available. I'm then guessing the other eroge writers who saw his or maybe another's success probably decided to jump on that bandwagon too. I mean, I was also made aware of the 'Saekano' series, which is by Maruto (guy behind White Album 2 and Parfait).. and etc. so I'm pretty sure this is a new world revolution or something (笑). In any case, I definitely recommend to the people who enjoyed their experiences throughout the eroge/VN medium to also check out some of the rather lesser known but great works in the Light Novel medium. Hakomari is just one example of that, because there's probably going to be more where that came from onwards. Although I guess it really sucks when you don't get any opportunity to listen to stuff like reading a "novel".. （；￣д￣） Yeah uhh, I think I'll stick to playing Japanese Porn Games most of the time in that regard lol. When I finally start another Light Novel, it's likely I'll have some music playing to accent it because I really like music. (music is a big part of what drives me to watching anime or playing these games, actually)

I do not recommend going into C+C in Japanese right away since this is Romeo Tanaka we're talking about here. He writes pure insanity and it comes off as extremely 'roundabout' and "hardcore" for anyone not already very used to the language. Basically, to compare it to something.. his writing is like JP Wikipedia but 2 times as densely written and then add in some of the most obscure kanji puns, references, and jokes (oh god the jokes are WTF-worthy) and you got this guy's writing pretty much. This is also why the translation failed to do its job.. yeah. I'm saying all of this because I'm trying (failing miserably) to read his LN, Jintai (Humanity Has Declined for anyone who remembers the name), and it's actually only recommended to college-level JP students because of how inherently difficult to read it can be. Anything Romeo writes is going to be one of those "final challenges" like Dies Irae/Asairo/Oretsuba/etc. are regarded as. Though like I've said somewhere before (don't remember where), it's not so much "difficult" as it is more time-consuming and requires more patience/effort/motivation. And, as I've also said, reading is a two-step process where you first read what's written (the content), and then apply that content to your principles of understanding. If you take too long to read a single line then the meaning of it mentally fades away and you have only "50%"/incompletely read it. Not sure if this helps anyone but at least knowing this all keeps me from being discouraged to suddenly dive into anything I'd otherwise be too scared of. If your mind is in a heightened state and those three things (patience/effort/motivation) are perfectly aligned then properly reading anything in any level of JP is entirely possible (if not plain easy). I mean, you could suddenly read C+C and find that everything people say about it being "difficult" or whatnot to seem over-exaggerated from your point of view. It's mainly a thing of circumstance, I feel. Uhh ok obligatory on-topic confession thingy. I like my toast burnt and it's unhealthy. (don't ask I'm currently trying to break bad habits) (・_・ヾ

Aww why not? D: Although, the translation for Cross+Channel is not particularly great to begin with so it makes sense why the story's niche to a such a degree. Problem is, the current translation strays too far away from the original meaning of the text in almost every single line, which in turn means that what would appear as the original story instead appears as a completely new story but written in English (and TL notes, a sign of misunderstood translation). x.x It's generally regarded as a masterpiece (and I agree wholeheartedly), but of course everyone has their own preferences to keep in check as well. Not very many people like Taichi's character, or the concept portrayed amongst the themes of the story. Confession: I've fully read Subarashiki Hibi 7 times (4 times consecutively). It is just that good, guys (maybe). (*‿*✿)

Holy shit I love Atelier so much that I now have every major game from Rorona (all of the Arland and Dusk series, basically) onwards bought. Why is Atelier so amazing? How can a game literally about partaking in tedious and repetitive work be this addictive to consistently play? Whoever thought up this idea as well as the premise behind this game itself is seriously a genius. You're not playing as the hero like in most RPGs, you're playing as.. that 'one random final dungeon shopkeeper who has every single epic item in the game for sale'. And that person just so happens to be a qt girl! Then you add the music/OSTs on top of all that... Which, for me, being the huge music-o-phile that I am, leads me to think this series absolutely perfect if not ideal to actually spend my time playing (more of a "reading" person nowadays :<) casually. I've pretty much played through the entire Arland series (will have to go back and get some of the last few endings), and now I'm currently playing Atelier Eschatology (Yeah, very clever Gust >_>). I like Escha's tail. Also, I plan to play the older Atelier titles too just to get more alchemy experience. I really like alchemy after playing these games. :3 My favorite character:

猫叉Master's new album was recently released (March 4th) and I immediately bought it after hearing this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUQEyNMCT40 Holy shit.

Uhh so.. I don't have a picture or a video, but rather, a replay to showcase what I feel is an achievement in my current standing of osu! skill. In this play I use NoFail, because it's the mod of absolute comfort. In general I still suck at playing (why I'm even using that mod in the first place), however this particular play of one particular La Cataline map after having been terribly caffeinated with a spoonful of lemon was just too good (in my perception) to once again pass up an opportunity to post here about my osu! playing. I really need to break lurking habits...

Confession: Embarrassingly enough, I nearly literally squealed like a fan-girl when I realized this officially released a few days ago:

猫叉Master (again). I'll never get tired of the absolutely beautiful sounds he produces in his music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-AReQGHWzM

The full version OP to this Visual Novel (which I am currently reading, by the way) is so good I could cry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87VmuCKygwM Sona-nyl is about; purple, mushrooms, qt girls drinking tea, ticking clocks, mushrooms, trains, bedtime stories, and.. mushrooms.

Addicted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4bswR7J_r4

Give her the alchemical solution for the ability to fly. Ensure that she obtains the ability to fly through imbued feathers. Only one can be the pioneer of aerodynamics. Also, I would give her lunch and a tail.. and a light chop on the forehead.

Kaito is famously regarded as the best male character in a VN, and he's certainly the most entertaining to read about. I so wonder if someone like him exists, and what would become of the world if he did. Also, I read your blog just now and really enjoyed what you had to say about Japanese and the VN, as well as your experience with them both. Although, hehehe/くすくす... I'm rooting for you to read SubaHibi next and blog about that, actually. OH BOY WILL YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT SUBAHIBI HAHAHAHAHA!! That's because SubaHibi is very similar to Umineko, in that it's extraordinarily discussable. Even more discussable than Umineko, imo. I seriously could write endless walls of text on SubaHibi, on its story, on the philosophy, etc. right now, endlessly, in an eternal rotation of endlessness. In fact... Anyone who reads that story will inevitably have to talk about it and/or let their thoughts out (endlessly), just because that is a part of the whole experience in a way. I look forward to reading a 20-page blog post from you on SubaHibi. ｡^‿^｡

Don't worry, it's better to read SubaHibi in JP than in English no matter what. The translation couldn't ever manage to do the story justice because of certain parts and/or things written in it (I mean, it can get close but not replicate the same thing in English), unlike Baldr Sky. I actually would suggest you set aside SubaHibi for a later reading venture as it's hard as hell to understand (unless you're fine with the fact that you'll feel mindfucked the whole way through xD) and you wouldn't want to ruin the unique and quite epic experience for yourself. SubaHibi is possibly one of the coolest, most ingenious, and most intricate stories ever written in a VN (uhh ok that's my bias speaking but whatever, the majority agrees :<) so I do highly recommend it to pretty much anyone with any given preference, but.. reading it in JP would be ideal, and having an already good set of JP knowledge would be even more ideal (like at least on the level of medium knowledge). Me and one of my friends were arguing over how SubaHibi on this list of 'Beginner unTL'ed VNs' wasn't actually too viable for beginners at all, because of all the literature/poetic/philosophical written stuff in it that will almost always go over one's head the first time they read it. If I would have to compare it to anything, then it'd be like Forest. I mean, just imagine reading something as twisted and WTF as Forest, but all in Japanese. x.x This is that list, btw: I personally think that any time a written story is harder to translate to English from Japanese, that also means it'll be harder to read with an English mindset. Not to say that it's "as hard to read as how hard it is to translate it", though. SubaHibi's text is also pretty easy. However, it's really special because the writer is something of an eccentric who studied all his life and knows a lot, and he felt the need to reflect that in his writing of this specific title. Otherwise, even the ultra-lengthy Baldr Sky is easier than that IMO. Actually, please don't listen to me and my stupid ramblings and read that 神ゲー! Also, given that you're reading AkaGoei right now... how are you liking Kaito? (*‿*✿) Isn't he the epitome of absolute badassery?

I thought Ixrec said he will translate Baldr Sky next or something (?). Idk, but it's only (relatively) easy to translate the text, whereas the intricate gameplay mechanics and stuff similar to that would be absolute hell for any person to have to undertake in the editing images or hacking department. Let's hope Ixrec does actually pick the project up, though!

Confession: I do truly desire to wear a magically-imbued, motion-sensory tail on my rear end. Even better if it's infused with extra magical power that can transform me into an animal motif version of myself based on or according to my personality. ... Actually, no I take that back. Those things mass-produced might pose a threat to the sanity of our entire human race, and cause widespread havoc on a global scale. Great money scheme, though. (why)

猫叉Master. Every piece of this guy's music is simply a beautiful array of varied sounds, and that makes his stuff quite interesting to listen to. Also, he is incredibly diverse in what type of music he produces most of the time (ranging from darker electro with hard bass, to bubbly/cheery J-Pop). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlGvQ_3pWs4 My favorite electronic artist out there, for sure.

Yeah, I blame several people here (who shall not be named) for implanting the idea in my head to watch this animu. However, Milky Holmes is a pretty entertaining experience so far, and it seems to have its moments of experience-worthy greatness from what I've heard. There's just something strangely endearing about watching the shenanigans of qt girls who fail at practically everything they do. But while Milky Holmes causes me to question myself and my morals at the same time, I can keep up a good momentum with the normal everyday things I do after having watched an episode. Also, one of my friends on a certain place in the Internet rated it 9/10 and he's super critical on everything he watches. I guess I needed to see for myself and/or maybe confirm what made him think this was "exceptional" material.

Watching.. uhh.. Tantei Opera Milky Holmes. Yeah. There's really nothing at all of valid substance that I can say about this animu, even 6 episodes in. But~~ I can't seem to stop watching it 'fortehlulz' (an expression I will use in this instance, as it perfectly represents the nature of Milky Holmes). It's actually really funny, and acts as something nice to watch when I'm in not-such-a-good mood.