Aokana Release by Nekonyan [UPDATED]

[andzalot55]

I'm guessing the drama CD didn't get approved on Steam, hence the reason why I am unable to search for the page to purchase it?

[wyldstrykr]

finished reading aokana. its good not the best but its close to.

On 10/5/2019 at 2:14 PM, adamstan said:

Another quick impression - this VN does "anime episode format" thing pretty well - there's no annoying OP replaying, but there are nice previews at the end of each chapter, and I absolutely love those "eyecatches" (they are animated):

i think chiru chiru michiru does a better job at making it "anime episode format" intro->op->reading portion->transition (commercial) ->reading portion->ending transition.
so is princess evangile but without the OP and ED song. aokana has too many transitions that you wouldnt know if your halfway there. the chibi transition was good tho

so this is another VN where

Spoiler

the epilogue (true route?) is focused in a no girl ending since MC prioritiZes on all of the four girls akin from the byakko vn.

too bad im reading this despite of my lack of sleep so i keep switching baldr sky and aokana in order for me to stay awake.
misaki's route was the best IMO because they focus on trauma part. others are not bad either. characters are cute and too bad theres no minamo route... or maybe satoin route too.

i went into asuka first because the choice is "accept her" or "refuse her". rika will be my first route if her choice comes first but that happened and i dont see myself refusing to those 2.

question:

Spoiler

asukas route mentions that asuka became cheerful because a long hair person cheer her up in the past. does the game mention who the person is.. or it is revealed somewhere else??
also i wonder when asuka fall in love in mashiro route since she cried when the two of them are dating.
the same with misaki route when asuka thinks MC abanddon them

good read

[adamstan]

As for the question

Spoiler

From context it's pretty obvious, that it was the MC, but, unlike in Misaki's case, it isn't explicitly mentioned/revealed.

 

7 minutes ago, wyldstrykr said:

i think chiru chiru michiru does a better job at making it "anime episode format" intro->op->reading portion->transition (commercial) ->reading portion->ending transition.

I have it in my backlog. Question is - do I need to read Grisaia before to enjoy it? (It also sits in a queue, but it's huge trilogy, so it will take some time)

[wyldstrykr]

2 hours ago, adamstan said:

As for the question

  Reveal hidden contents

From context it's pretty obvious, that it was the MC, but, unlike in Misaki's case, it isn't explicitly mentioned/revealed.

 

I have it in my backlog. Question is - do I need to read Grisaia before to enjoy it? (It also sits in a queue, but it's huge trilogy, so it will take some time)

i think you dont need to read grisaia. you will only miss some references

[Seraphim]

6 hours ago, adamstan said:

I have it in my backlog. Question is - do I need to read Grisaia before to enjoy it? (It also sits in a queue, but it's huge trilogy, so it will take some time)

Since this is a spin-off, it's fine to read it without any prior knowledge, but you might not appreciate the characters as much, and, as wyldstrykr said, some references will go over your head.
I still think you should read the original trilogy first though, simply because it's awesome (or at least it was to me). Grisaia no Kajitsu is by far the best out of the three, but the sequels are still worthwhile reads, although they're not nearly as good as the first one.

[ArgentstR]

4 hours ago, wyldstrykr said:

question:

  Hide contents

also i wonder when asuka fall in love in mashiro route since she cried when the two of them are dating.
the same with misaki route when asuka thinks MC abanddon them

good read

Somewhere in the common route I'm pretty sure. She just didn't see it coming at all in Mashiro's route.

[Stormwolf]

Wait what? True route is a no girl route?

[ArgentstR]

15 minutes ago, Stormwolf said:

Wait what? True route is a no girl route?

It really isn't a route, It's like a minute long scene you get when you've completed all routes.

[Stormwolf]

1 minute ago, ArgentstR said:

It really isn't a route, It's like a minute long scene you get when you've completed all routes.

So a final punch in the face as a thank you for playing? 

[ArgentstR]

1 minute ago, Stormwolf said:

So a final punch in the face as a thank you for playing? 

Punch in the face?

[Stormwolf]

6 minutes ago, ArgentstR said:

Punch in the face?

Well, it sounds like it kind of invalidates every route.

[ArgentstR]

1 minute ago, Stormwolf said:

Well, it sounds like it kind of invalidates every route.

Well, I mean if you think like that every route you play after another would invalidate the one before.

I think it might have been made as a lead-in to Zwei?

[Stormwolf]

16 minutes ago, ArgentstR said:

Well, I mean if you think like that every route you play after another would invalidate the one before.

I think it might have been made as a lead-in to Zwei?

How did you come to such a conclusion? Routes can be seen as true, all of them. Yet the game chooses to tell you that he didnt go with any of them with its short ending snippet, making every route at least 50% bullshit.

[onorub]

8 minutes ago, Stormwolf said:

How did you come to such a conclusion? Routes can be seen as true, all of them. Yet the game chooses to tell you that he didnt go with any of them with its short ending snippet, making every route at least 50% bullshit.

You're getting confused here. The "true end" is just an unlockable epilogue that could've come after any route. If you played Tsukihime, it's the same principle as the Eclipse ending.

[Stormwolf]

Well i hope im wrong. Any vn with an ending lile this becomes just terrible. Havent read tsukihime though, but that one has less focus on romance i bet, which makes it different and more acceptable if so.

[Seraphim]

There's really no cause for concern here; it's not like it invalidates any of the stuff that happens in the routes. It's just an epilogue to the core story and fits into the grand scheme of things no matter which route you went down.

[GXOALMD]

While this thread is active again, has there been any update on the physical kickstarter rewards?  Last I heard shipment had been delayed until January and I suspect that January is no longer the plan.

[bakauchuujin]

19 minutes ago, GXOALMD said:

While this thread is active again, has there been any update on the physical kickstarter rewards?  Last I heard shipment had been delayed until January and I suspect that January is no longer the plan.

This is what they said 18 days ago.

"Production should be starting very soon, so hopefully within a couple months"

Think that is the most recent info we have.

[ChaosRaven]

So, I've finally finished this VN. Though, I've only finished Misaki's and Asuka's routes, Rika didn't interest me and Mashiro, despite being adorable, was a bit too loli for me for a romance route.

Overall, this was certainly a well made VN, where a lot of effort was put into it by the creators. Not only in terms of art, but also the whole flying circus scenario was well-developed. Regarding the art, the VN doesn't only convince with its detailed backgounds that even include background characters, but also with its massive CG count. There are well over hundred of them and the flight scenes aren't even included in those. The flying circus scenario also lifts this above your average school life moege. Although some descriptions and diagrams didn't really make sense, the sport itself was well-thought out with specific rules, equipment, tactics and the whole media spectacle around it.

The quality of the side characters also deserves praise. Aoi was a convincing mentor, Saki an impressive opponent that really had a special aura around her, Madoka was just hilarious and Satouin not being a main heroine was almost a crime. But not only the female side characters did impress, Shirase was a pretty cool dude I could really imagine to hang around with and Shindou... honestly, he should have been the protagonist.

Which brings us to some of the not so glowing aspects of the VN. First and foremost, the protagonist. While he wasn't bad personality-wise, the VN clearly set itself a goal to bring Masaya back to flying, and to be frank, the VN completly failed in that regard, at least in the routes I played. The whole thing wouldn't have been so bad if they wouldn't rub it in your face the whole time. Everyone is literally worshipping him for his apparent greatness in the past, Irina even considering 'him' the only true opponent worthy to face Saki and everyone else being pretty much just small fry. You also see Shindou being a real team with Satouin and Rika and not just the lazy coward on the ground. I think I was still fine with it in the common route, but in the heroine routes it started to get really on my nerves.

Spoiler

Especially in Misaki's route after they find out they are pretty much 'the same' and Masaya going like "Yes, we can do that! Together we'll overcome all our struggles... just that you'll do all the work and I'll stay on the ground with a beer and work you to the bone! Muhahahahhah.......". 
And speaking of this whole trauma of Masaya that lead him to quit. So the so-called Lionel Messi of Flying Circus (who was just 10 years old?!?) who faced the best of the best the scene had to offer, got traumatized for years because he met a slightly talented noob!?! 
It would have been a lot more convincing if he would have met the younger Saki and got pretty much destroyed by her. And what made the thing even worse is that Misaki, despite being gifted, isn't even considered particular good. The only thing that made this nonesense at least somewhat bearable was the VN indicating that Masaya was close to a burn-out at that time. They should have focused more on that aspect and keep the final incident an unimportant detail.

Another negative aspect were some of the main heroines. I think Misaki and Mashiro were fine overall, and I really liked their funny interactions. But I have no clue why Rika was a main heroine. She's a rather bland character, not part of Masaya's team and doesn't even have a lot of screen time in the common route.
And there's Asuka, the supposedly main heroine. But even if she grows on you after a while, there are some aspects about her that just didn't add up. On the one hand she's introduced as being super-clumsy and on the other hand she's supposed to be the next super-genius. As a result you get some akward display of clumsiness with a Deus Ex Machina thrown in every now and then, like 'accidentally' making a back-flip out of full sprint. And it got even worse in her route when the duels with Saki develop more and more into over-the-top chuuni battles with glowing halos, teleporting and what not. And Asuka never really looked like the sporty type anyway. Her true and most admirable strength was her positive attitude and never-give-up mentality. They should have focused more on that and let her win against the odds instead of coming up with that whole Deus Ex Machina bogus. Misaki was a lot more convincing as genius girl hold back by lazy attitude.

Heroine ranking: Satouin > Misaki > Mashiro = Madoka > Saki >> Asuka > Rika

Overall rating: 7/10

During the common route I had the VN still mostly rated at a 7.5, but the routes itself were a bit underwhelming, mainly because of the protagonist and the VN's obsession to make Asuka someone she really isn't. Nevertheless, this is certainly a good moege well-worth checking out, even if it doesn't reach 'very good' level in my book.

Edited January 26, 2020 by ChaosRaven

[GXOALMD]

32 minutes ago, ChaosRaven said:

But I have no clue why Rika was a main heroine, she's a rather bland character

I completely agree with the first half of this statement and completely disagree with the second half.

33 minutes ago, ChaosRaven said:

And there's Asuka, the supposedly main heroine. But even if she grows on you after a while, there are some aspects about her that just didn't add up. On the one hand she's introduced as being super-clumsy and on the other hand she's supposed to be the next super-genius.

Asuka's a battle shounen protagonist.  (Not that I'm advocating for the archetype, merely pointing it out.)

[ChaosRaven]

1 hour ago, GXOALMD said:

I completely agree with the first half of this statement and completely disagree with the second half.

You might actually have a point with that. Rika really surprised me at the start, when she criticised Masaya regarding the bad timing of their practice event. That takes courage and I didn't expect that much bite from her. I also think that her flying style did fit her personality, which is something I definitely can't say about Asuka.
Truth to be told, I didn't really like her character design and voice and I'm not a big friend of dere heroines anyway. And that makes it pretty hard to warm up for a romance route. I'd lie if I'd say that appearance wouldn't matter for me. 

1 hour ago, GXOALMD said:

Asuka's a battle shounen protagonist.  (Not that I'm advocating for the archetype, merely pointing it out.)

Asuka's an ultra pacifist dere-dere. She's certainly the last heroine I'd call a battle shounen type. lol

Edited January 25, 2020 by ChaosRaven

[Shaun]

8 hours ago, ChaosRaven said:

So, I've finally finished this VN. Though, I've only finished Misaki's and Asuka's routes, Rika didn't interest me and Mashiro, despite being adorable, was a bit too loli for me for a romance route.

Overall, this was certainly a well made VN, where a lot of effort was put into it by the creators. Not only in terms of art, but also the whole flying circus scenario was well-developed. Regarding the art, the VN doesn't only convince with its detailed backgrounds that even include background characters, but also with its massive CG count. There are well over hundred of them and the flight scenes aren't even included in those. The flying circus scenario also lifts this above your average school life moege. Although some descriptions and diagrams didn't really make sense, the sport itself was well-thought out with specific rules, equipment, tactics and the whole media spectacle around it.

The quality of the side characters also deserves praise. Aoi was a convincing mentor, Saki an impressive opponent that really had a special aura around her, Madoka was just hilarious and Satouin not being a main heroine was almost a crime. But not only the female side characters did impress, Shirase was a pretty cool dude I could really imagine to hang around with and Shindou... honestly, he should have been the protagonist.

Which brings us to some of the not glowing aspects of the VN. First and foremost, the protagonist. While he wasn't bad personality-wise, the VN clearly set itself a goal to bring Masaya back to flying, and to be frank, the VN completely failed in that regard, at least in the routes I played. The whole thing wouldn't have been so bad if they wouldn't rub it in your face the whole time. Everyone is literally worshipping him for his apparent greatness in the past, Irina even considering 'him' the only true opponent worthy to face Saki and everyone else being pretty much just small fry. You also see Shindou being a real team with Satouin and Rika and not just the lazy coward on the ground. I think I was still fine with it in the common route, but in the heroine routes it started to get really on my nerves.

  Reveal hidden contents

Especially in Misaki's route after they find out they are pretty much 'the same' and Masaya going like "Yes, we can do that! Together we'll overcome all our struggles... just that you'll do all the work and I'll stay on the ground with a beer and work you to the bone! Muhahahahhah.......". 
And speaking of this whole trauma of Masaya that lead him to quit. So the so-called Lionel Messi of Flying Circus (who was just 10 years old?!?) who faced the best of the best the scene had to offer, got traumatized for years because he met a slightly talented noob!?! 
It would have been a lot more convincing if he would have met the younger Saki and got pretty much destroyed by her. And what made the thing even worse is that Misaki, despite being gifted, isn't isn't even considered particular good. The only thing that made this nonesense at least somewhat bearable was the VN indicating that Masaya was close to a burn-out at that time. They should have focused more on that aspect and keep the final incident an unimportant detail.

Another negative aspect were some of the main heroines. I think Misaki and Mashiro were fine overall, and I really liked their funny interactions. But I have no clue why Rika was a main heroine, she's a rather bland character, not part of Masaya's team and doesn't even have a lot of screen time in the common route.
And there's Asuka, the supposedly main heroine. But even if she grows on you after a while, there are some aspects about her that just didn't add up. On the one hand she's introduced as being super-clumsy and on the other hand she's supposed to be the next super-genius. As a result you get some awkward display of clumsiness with a Deus Ex Machina thrown in every now and then, like 'accidentally' making a backflip out of full sprint. And it got even worse in her route when the duels with Saki develop more and more into over-the-top chuuni battles with glowing halos, teleporting and what not. And Asuka never really looked like sporty type anyway. Her true and most admirable strength was her positive attitude and never-give-up mentality. They should have focused more on that and let her win against the odds instead of coming up with that whole Deus Ex Machina bogus. Misaki was a lot more convincing as genius girl hold back by lazy attitude.

Heroine ranking: Satouin > Misaki > Mashiro = Madoka > Saki >> Asuka > Rika

Overall rating: 7/10

During the common route the I had the VN mostly rated at a 7.5, but the routes itself were a bit underwhelming, mainly because of the protagonist and the VN's obsession to make Asuka someone she really isn't. Nevertheless, this is certainly a good moege well-worth checking out, even if it doesn't reach 'very good' level in my book.

Until you read all 4 routes (your reasoning for not reading Mashiro and Rika routes is beyond stupid) I'm not taking your opinion seriously at all and will consider it invalid, there is a special ending that only unlocks after you finish all 4 routes and will no doubt change your opinion on the visual novel as a whole.

[GXOALMD]

7 hours ago, ChaosRaven said:

Asuka's an ultra pacifist dere-dere. She's certainly the last heroine I'd call a battle shounen type. lol

I meant more in the sense that she starts out completely useless but is able to overcome all obstacles through the power of friendship and plot devices.

[onorub]

2 hours ago, Shaun said:

Until you read all 4 routes (your reasoning for not reading Mashiro and Rika routes is beyond stupid) I'm not taking your opinion seriously at all and will consider it invalid, there is a special ending that only unlocks after you finish all 4 routes and will no doubt change your opinion on the visual novel as a whole.

Can you explain why? That ending didn't seem like much outside what Asuka and Misaki routes covered. That being said, i actually thought Rika and Mashiro routes offered pretty unique takes from a sports perspective.

[ChaosRaven]

1 hour ago, GXOALMD said:

I meant more in the sense that she starts out completely useless but is able to overcome all obstacles through the power of friendship and plot devices.

Ah okay, that's certainly true. I just misunderstood what you were trying to say.