Zalor

I agree, I noticed that the guide disappeared recently as well. I can honestly say that I would never have even thought about trying to learn Japanese if it weren't for her guide. She provided a reasonable goal (2 years) and listed what to do during that time to reach the level of being able to read untranslated VNs moderately well. Her words were very inspiring, and often I would reread her guide when I felt discouraged. In other news, (Finally!) I finished RTK yesterday. So now I am officially focusing my efforts on grammar.

I agree, Little Busters lacked a sense of direction. There was nothing in it to keep my attention so I dropped it. Same with Rewrite as well. There was nothing substantial or interesting enough in the common route to keep my attention. My gripe with long common routes is that they create a real sense of monotony and kill any sense of progression. Tiago wrote: Indeed, if you can read a long common route without dropping it, then that means the common route is the primary interest in the story. Referring to the other routes as a "bonus" is excellent phrasing, because that's what they are. People who are interested in character and plot progression will drop the VN because the monotony of the common route will kill any interest. The people who actually do make it to the routes are people who either actually managed to find enjoyment in the common route, or have master level patience to wait it through. I felt like the real purpose was to divert attention from my previous criticisms of KEY, lol.

I was about to respond, but it looks like you found out the truth before I had to inform you. ;p

I personally don't like the chuuni genre much, so KEY sort of wins by default for me, lol. But I've been really disappointed with KEY. Clannad was the last KEY VN I liked, in my view the company got progressively worse. This is all my controversial opinion but, Kanon is their best work, Air is really good, Clannad is good, Little Busters is meh, and screw Rewrite. I gave KEY a 6/10 only because of how good they used to be. EDIT: By the way, I've only ever met one other person who shares the same views on KEY as me.

The art is old, but you should try Tsukihime. It's Type-Moon's first work, and the one that first made them famous. So if you can bare with the old art, you will probably love the story. I would also recommend Swan Song if you like stories that deal with dark themes.

Wow, thanks for this! I've heard a lot about Dies Irae (it seems to be a favorite among Japanese literate fans), but I know little about it. I asked this question somewhere else but never got an answer, so maybe you could tell me. Why is Dies Irae supposedly "untranslatable" to use a term I've heard other people use? What specifically about the writing, narration, dialogue makes the VN so difficult to translate? People say that the writing is complex, but they have rarely specified what specifically is complex about it. Edit: You actually just recently (minutes ago infact) addressed this question in the place I originally asked it.

Thanks for the link. While I have no ethical qualms for torrenting unlicensed VNs, it is nice to know a convenient way I could go about legally acquiring them.

The best fuwa quote ever! I would like the comment, but I somehow feel like I shouldn't. Don't worry OriginalRen, even though you barely know me I know who you are. Actually, after writing that out it sounds kind of creepy in retrospect... Still <3 How does that work? Like hypothetically, if the combined price of a Japanese VN I wanted along with taxes and shipping cost $120 dollars. I could pay the money to him through Paypal and OriginalRen would buy it and then ship it to my address? Is he even willing to do that for fuwa members that are outside his close circle of friends?

Awards are up!?! *Looks at my own profile and checks* "What I don't have any!" *Checks post count* How do I not at least have the 500+ post count award? Do I operate outside the system?

What does "LC" mean? Like what does LC stand for when you used in this excerpt: Congrats by the way, but I have no idea what you'll be doing. ;p Congratulations to everybody else! And thanks for your good work Nohman. Everyone deserves a break (even a permanent break if that's their wish).

RinxD, you're a man of few words. Or so your often laconic posts indicate. Your few words will be missed until your return.

That's understandable. It's funny since I find myself to be more disciplined when I'm solely accountable to myself. Also, knowing that I have to do Anki everyday forces me to be productive. I would rather have a computer program mixed with self-discipline to dictate my study pace than other people. By the way, I had lots of bad experiences with learning languages in classroom environments, so I'm sure I'm the oddball here. ;P

What... What did I just watch.

Woah, Yume Miru Kusuri was one of my first VNs too! If it weren't for YMK I wouldn't be as involved in this niche medium as I am today. Aeka's route was my favorite. And welcome to the forums!

Sounds like a good idea for people who benefit from learning in groups. Personally though, I hate learning in groups. I often feel discouraged when I see other people progress faster then me, and ultimately it depresses me. Learning at my own pace and not comparing myself to others is my preferred method. But some people seem to benefit from competition (not me).

Holy crap did you do that all yourself!? How long did it take?

I'm disappointed in myself for not thinking of that either. You'll be in one in the sequel.

But I included you in my Epic story that I wrote for batman's recent thread. You were not amused? =( I pronounce it /gif/ not /jif/.