VN Of The Year - Character Of The Year Thread 2015

[Funyarinpa]

Basically, what's your VN and your Girl (or Boy) of the year (in terms of romantic/sexual interest)? The only requirement is that you read at least a significant portion of the VN in 2015 and finished it. 

I watched an LP of Danganronpa 2 in 2014, so discounting that. My VNOTY 2015 is...

YU-NO: The Girl That Chants Love At The Edge Of The World is my VNOTY. The normal routes were a fairly entertaining time travel story and an unexpectedly complex Jewel system (for which I just used a walkthrough after getting stuck once due to finding it too random) was very interesting to use. The cast and their interactions were great, I especially liked the artwork which featured actually distinct portraits, every single sprite had its own charm. You had the broad and ominous Ryuuzouji, the laid-back Yuuki, the prude Mio and the stylish Eriko. IMHO the character portraits hold up extremely well. The h-scenes were also surprisingly sensual and the minimalist CGs suggested more than eyes could see or hands could draw. Every route set up a very interesting mystery, and then the true route came crashing down upon my senses. I read YU-NO in the summer, and despite having to stop for close to a month halfway through the routes due to vacation, I was just as invested in the story when I returned as I'd been the moment I finished Ayumi's route. What follows is a more spoilery reflection on YU-NO, so don't read that unless you've finished this VN- there are surprises in it I'd want every single reader to experience for themselves.

I marathoned the true route in (if memory serves) only two days (might even have been one), I am pretty sure I clocked in 10 hours in a single day. I was expecting some set of events and then an infodump with Koudai Arima. A grand, beautiful, enthralling, saddening fantasy VN was not what I was expecting at all. The whole Sayless & child YU-NO chapter is one of the best arcs ever written in VNs. It was incredibly heartwarming and seeing Takuya change so poignantly throughout his two years (or was it four?) at the Border, his love of Sayless and Sayless' love of him, seeing YU-NO grow- I don't think anything in any VN touched me quite like that arc did. This true route, this family, is what makes YU-NO the VNOTY for me. It was a bond, a relationship never quite present anywhere else. 

The murder of Sayless was one of the most saddening moments in fiction I've ever witnessed (despite being foreshadowed 15 minutes before the act). The whole journey from there to the quarry to meeting interuniversal cop Eriko to Takuya and YU-NO becoming the root of the universe under the tree is a journey too grand to convey in words. Expanded, that itself would have made an amazing VN. As a part of a wonderful story which somehow managed to tie back down to itself (especially realizing a few days after finishing the game that Kanna is Takuya's daughter from Amanda) and yet also do so wonderfully, YU-NO's true route is magnificent. I'm getting teary eyed again, and it's been months since I touched this game.

Girl Of The Year 2015:

[YU-NO SPOILERS]

My COTY 2015 is Sayless from YU-NO. From the day Takuya and Sayless meet in the forest, through Takuya's despair at being stranded, through making love in the desert sand under the moonlight, through bringing up Yu-no together... Sayless and Takuya were just a beautiful couple. There was something about Sayless being mute that was just poetic, her communication was (literally) completely nonverbal and she was still incredibly charming with her smile and the way Takuya and Sayless could still love each other despite being unable to talk really made me feel that their relationship was something truly heartfelt. The genuine character development, especially the initial part where Takuya is in despair from being unable to return to his own world, was masterfully done. Both of them made mistakes at times, but the way even their arguments and sad moments bonded them to each other was incredibly beautiful. I can't bring myself to replay the masterpiece h-scenes due to how important the whole context was and how I couldn't bear to see her again after witnessing her murder. Everything about her and her relationship to Takuya is near-perfectly done IMHO, she's become my second favorite female character (only behind Sora from Ever17).

 

[Ariurotl]

I barely read anything this year (did Euphoria, finished Cho Dengeki, and started both Steins;Gate and Chiruchiru).

I would've chosen Hilko-sama from CDS, but her route was the worst in the entire VN. That leaves Euphoria and Rinne.

Even though she's a bit too domestic! Hold your horses darling, we only just met.

[Dergonu]

VN of the year. For me; Euphoria, hands down.

 

Girl of the year:

Ai from SonoHana nyuu jene, without a doubt. She is way too adorable.

[Canicheslayer]

2015 Grand Prize :

Fate Stay Night Realta Nua

2015 Screenplay Award :

YU-NO

2015 Teardrop/Depression Award :

Eden*

2015 Best Comedy Award :

Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!

2015 Best Girl Award :

ex-aequo Miyako Shiina (Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!)

& Rin Tohsaka (Fate Stay Night)

2015 Best Male Award :

Kotarou Katou (Ayakashibito)

2015 Best Route Award :

Touko Ichinotani (Ayakashibito)

2016 Most Wanted VN :

Subarashiki Hibi

 

Edited December 25, 2015 by Canicheslayer

[Kawasumi]

Sharin no kuni is my number 1 experience this year, I have only read VNs seriously for a about a year actually lol.

SnK is still one of my favorite vns together with saya no uta and is still putting tremendous feels on me whenever I think about the plot and the heroines, I for some reason just love the heroines that looseboy makes unconditionally for some reason, I dont know what magic he uses.

[Kanbe]

Favorite VN this year is Sakura no Uta

Favorite heroine would be Ichinose Sora. She's such an amazing osananajimi chara

[Eclipsed]

VNs completed in 2015, in chronological order

• Neko Para
• Princess Evangile
• Eden*
• Yumina the Ethereal
• My Girlfriend is the President

wtf genre change

• Corpse Party Blood Covered + Book of Shadows + Sachiko Anthology
• Saya no Uta
• Corpse Party: Blood Drive
• Cartagra + Kara no Shoujo + Kara no Shoujo: The Second Episode
• euphoria
• Swan Song
• (current) Shikkoku no Sharnoth

 

~~
Candidates for VN Heroine of the year (1 heroine per VN)

Vanilla, Rise, Sion, Yumina, Ell, Ayumi, Saya, Kazuna, Touko, Kanae, Hibari, Mary

                                 


~~
Winner:

Kazuna

 

e: and my VN of the year would be KnS series.

Edited December 25, 2015 by Eclipsed

[Hijiri]

VN of the year for me is tied between NTY!! and euphoria (Both from the same company, funny enough). Reasoning for both is that I simply expected smut from both (and jfc do these games have smut) and ended up getting far more than I bargained for, which made it all the more enjoyable.

As for Heroine of the Year? There's really only one choice for me:

[Dergonu]

VNs completed in 2015, in chronological order

• Neko Para
• Princess Evangile
• Eden*
• Yumina the Ethereal
• My Girlfriend is the President

wtf genre change

• Corpse Party Blood Covered + Book of Shadows + Sachiko Anthology
• Saya no Uta
• Corpse Party: Blood Drive
• Cartagra + Kara no Shoujo + Kara no Shoujo: The Second Episode
• euphoria
• Swan Song
• (current) Shikkoku no Sharnoth

 

~~
Candidates for VN Heroine of the year (1 heroine per VN)

Vanilla, Rise, Sion, Yumina, Ell, Ayumi, Saya, Kazuna, Touko, Kanae, Hibari, Mary

                                 


~~
Winner:

Hidden Content

 

On behalf of all neko lovers, the fact that Vanilla didn't win this is unnaceptable! Re-count the votes!

[Eclipsed]

 On behalf of all neko lovers, the fact that Vanilla didn't win this is unnaceptable! Re-count the votes!

She got runner up, is that ok

[Dergonu]

 On behalf of all neko lovers, the fact that Vanilla didn't win this is unnaceptable! Re-count the votes!

She got runner up, is that ok

Alright, we'll accept that. But a neko better win next year! 

 

[Kawasumi]

oh yeah, the most hollow kuudere character ever didnt win, how sad lol

Edited December 25, 2015 by Kawasumi

[CeruleanGamer]

Wait... so is this official or can we just post whatever? I want to take my time posting my entries like what Canicheslayer and Eclipsed did.

Edited December 26, 2015 by CeruleanGamer

[Stormwolf]

Wait... so is this official or can we just post whatever? I want to take my time posting my entries like what Canicheslayer and Eclipsed did.

Well, he did ask you to post what you like.

[CeruleanGamer]

I know that but when I do post them, do they get taken in to a list/pool and we get to vote later on?

[XReaper]

the 2 most favourite ones i read in 20015 are teito hiten daisakusen ( i read it in april so quit whining) & fairytale requiem (after the 5th attempt) - mainly because i´m a huuuuuge sucker for militaristic backgrounds/serious themes/problematic stories/rich casts/non generic visuals/beautiful writings/gloomy atmospheres + fapwise its been virgin load. definitely.

title of kusoge(s) of the year goes to closed game (for EVERY reason you can possibly think of), nanairo reincarnation (the oni cast + follow-up onisex aka sacred oni-reproduction ritual annoyed the very fuck out of me, so all the mysteries/ creepy supernatural stuff had no effect on me later on...ergo my mood got sex´d) & finally the personally looooong awaited kawazakike2 remake (or so i thought) neyuki no genei, that felt like a german suplex right into my testicals, because it basically trampled on the memories of one of my most favourite titles ever & had no soul/deeper message to it, like its been the serach for absolution theme in its precedessor & yo the whole thing like the chicks behaved like some spoiled brats drove me nearly insane. only vibe i got from it was "i have it so bad in live, so i better shove my problems on someone else >< & the harem ending...dang!!!!! why the very fuck a harem ending?!?

character of the year...hmm would spontaniously say midnight hymns 2´s sayoko, but nah i love them all equally

[Toranth]

title of kusoge(s) of the year goes to ...  nanairo reincarnation (the oni cast + follow-up onisex aka sacred oni-reproduction ritual annoyed the very fuck out of me, so all the mysteries/ creepy supernatural stuff had no effect on me later on...

Them there's FIGHTIN' words, boy.

Seriously, the sex-magic bit is so common in supernatural VNs, I find it surprising it would bother anyone.  I guess everyone has their pet peeves, but to call Nanairo a kusoge because of them... that just ain't right.

 

Nanairo Reincarnation had excellent writing, good characters, and it avoided all the lazy traps most mysteries fall into (the 'Out of nowhere' reveal, and the 'Lying to the reader' trick being the two I hate most).  If you're careful, the twist is actually revealed in the first half hour of the game!  But the clues are so subtle, it's only in hindsight that it means anything.

Unfortunately, they took a one-route mystery story, and tried to slap multiple character routes onto it.  It should have had one, true, route.  No other ends, no character-specific side trips, nothing like that.  Playing it once through was great.  Playing through all the characters felt like a waste of time.

It was a very good game, but damn it, it wasn't no stinkin' kusoge.

[XReaper]

like i said it got better later on story-wise, but i´ve been already braindead from the what felt endless oni chakalaka...
& good for you that its cast been to your liking, because mine it regrettably wasnt

edit. this are/were my personal rated ones aka my own feelings/thoughts about them.