Sharin no Kuni discussion

[Roach]

Sharin no Kuni

Fuwa Page | Vndb

 

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I just completed all of the endings today, so I think I might as well post some thought about it here.

 

First of all, some BGM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS0Lro9iW8Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_TYlHvJezs

Now for the thought itself. I think it was good, but not that good in my opinion. Like, 'it was good, but I've seen better' kind of thing. The one thing that really bother me is the translation quality. Every hour or so, I would find a line that either sounds a bit off or just out-of character. Of course I'm not that experienced in Japanese yet, but I'm pretty sure I heard TNA (the translator) and moogy (the editor) said something about it being bad and didn't do the game justice so I guess it really was the case. Don't worry though, it's not like I think it is really bad or something.
I think one of the great points of Sharin no Kuni is its character development.

I really, really like the process of how Natsume turned from a bright cheerful girl to a gloomy one and back to a cheerful girl. Sachi's development was really good too.

And have I said that 'watch out!' theme is totally awesome? It kind of feels like 'Complications' from G-senjou no Maou. I think I've played it for about 30 minutes now.
 
Overall, I think I will rate it 8/10.
It's good. But I think it's not for my taste. Some things are just so predictable (like chapter 3, for example) and sometime it feels like nothing will ever happen. But chapter 4 and 5 make up for it in my opinion, especially chapter 5, since that's where

Ririko appears and makes everything 100% more awesome.

 
Anyway, a little question:

In this scene:

It says that there is actually two people with the Maximum Penalty in that town. So, just who is that other one? Will it get answered in the FD?
Oh, and Ririko is best girl.

[Roach]

I don't think the second Maximum Penalty bearer was ever revealed, in the original VN or the fandisc, but I can't be sure, since I only read Houzuki's route (the others are fanservice dreck, and the translator just machine TL'd them...they're pretty painful...).  If it was mentioned in the fandisc, not many people know who it is, since almost everyone that read the fandisc here skipped through the other routes, like me, since they were so bad.

 

And yes, Troll Queen Ririko is amazing.  You might want to consider putting her name is spoilers, since it might reveal a major plot point to people that haven't finished the VN yet  :3  That CG and scene was one of my favorite moments.  Before I thought Ken was an unreliable narrator, and his "drugs" were making him think that Touka was saying "I'll murder you!", buuuuuuut Ririko.  Goddamn Ririko, I love her.

That's too bad. I thought it might be Saburou at first, but then they never mention it again after that

 

Looks like the discussion got moved, so I think it is unnecessary now. I especially love the way she said it. I never skip that scene when I replayed the game and it still makes me laugh anyway. I really like the way Ririko talks. I cant really explain why, it's different with Kazuki's (Grisaia) cool and collected way of talking but it's still awesome anyway.

[Down]

Fuwanovel must be crazy because apparently we didn't have any dedicated topic to Sharin no Kuni up until now. So you guys will have the honor of the opening posts. Split!

Anyway, I guess I might as well put in my own opinion about it, as I really liked the game.
The whole concept of that society with high-class individuals and the way people are punished for their sins is really enthralling, and probably the most interesting part, I think. It's an outlet for the author's own thoughts but he develops some fairly good stuff here.
Otherwise SnK is the usual classic "boy saves girl" story, but it's just being very good at it. I think that whether you like the characters or not it's well executed. And when shit gets real in the last chapter, once again it's not so original but boy it's damn satisfying.
I often compare it with G-senjou no Maou, obviously, and that's how I find some griefs against it: notably, G-senjou makes me realize how the author became more polished in his later works, whereas SnK feels a bit rough around the edges. There's also the route system, which is a bit annoying as you have to skim through loads of read text to get just some bits here and there and a new epilogue. Even when ctrl-ing through it, it's a bit of a pain.

But yeah, good game definitely.

[Ariurotl]

I often compare it with G-senjou no Maou, obviously, and that's how I find some griefs against it: notably, G-senjou makes me realize how the author became more polished in his later works, whereas SnK feels a bit rough around the edges.

I had an opposite impression. SnK was amazing, G-sen felt really rather stale.

 

Although my opinion is skewed against G-sen primarily because of the utterly hapless way the Maou identity thing was handled. It's hard to believe the same person was behind THAT TWIST in SnK. Really made me upset, that.

[Roach]

I often compare it with G-senjou no Maou, obviously, and that's how I find some griefs against it: notably, G-senjou makes me realize how the author became more polished in his later works, whereas SnK feels a bit rough around the edges. There's also the route system, which is a bit annoying as you have to skim through loads of read text to get just some bits here and there and a new epilogue. Even when ctrl-ing through it, it's a bit of a pain.

I agree. I have a feeling I might enjoyed SnK more if I played it before G-senjou no Maou. It feels like most of the things is just so predictable after I read G-senjou. I also agree that the route system is annoying. I was replaying the game to get Touka's ending and then when I was going to save, I accidentally pressed F4 (load) instead of F3 (save)

 

So, no one knows about the other person with the Maximum Penalty?

[babiker]

This is actually the first Sharin discussion...? Well, isn't that weird

 

My opinion is more or less the same as everyone else here, it's good, but it has some issues. Although tbh, I seriously found Natsume's route to be the most boring by far. The progress was very slow... But it was at least cool when she 

STOPPED CRYING LIKE A 6 YEAR OLD OVER EVERYTHING

 

Also, for those interested, me and ma buds a podcast review of sharin, u can check it out:-

[Down]

This is actually the first Sharin discussion...? Well, isn't that weird

More like the first dedicated topic. I'm pretty sure the game has been discussed to death in the general threads.

 

I had an opposite impression. SnK was amazing, G-sen felt really rather stale.

I wasn't really saying that about my overall impression of the two games (although I do prefer G-senjou, for various reasons).

I think some of my impression also comes from the gap there is between the quality of the translation of the two games. But even trying to ignore this bias, I think G-senjou has a better flow, it's also less blunt than SnK - which might also come from the fact that it's a less engaged work than SnK.

[OriginalRen]

Finally. My goodness, finally, I have been waiting for this post. Wow you read my mind.

 

I'll comment later.

[bluethunder91]

Sharin no Kuni is actually one of my favorites VNs ever. Definitely Top 10, and maybe even Top 5. It helps that I really liked all of the characters and their development. At first I thought it was good, funny and interesting because there was obviously something going on behind the scenes. The end of Chapter 2 is where it crossed into 'great' territory.

No easy way out. No sir.

Manaaaa ;_;

And finally the appearance of 

Ririko

where the game got amazing. Everything, every single bit of foreshadowing fell into place, and the story itself kept me awake 4 hours straight to get the ending.

Best scene is when 

They're trying to free Natsumi. That teamwork and Ririko's awesome speech made it for me.

Overall, 9.5/10

 

Anyway, a little question:

In this scene:

It says that there is actually two people with the Maximum Penalty in that town. So, just who is that other one? Will it get answered in the FD?

 

 

I'm surprised no one caught that. It's supposed to be slight foreshadowing for when, later in that scene, Touka tricks Houzuki by wearing the Maximum Penalty clothes and tattoo on herself.

That's why the guards thought there were two people with MP.

 

Remember to play the fandisc. The after stories may be subpar at best, but it's worth it for the Houzuki story.

[Roach]

I'm surprised no one caught that. It's supposed to be slight foreshadowing for when, later in that scene, Touka tricks Houzuki by wearing the Maximum Penalty clothes and tattoo on herself.

That's why the guards thought there were two people with MP.

 

Remember to play the fandisc. The after stories may be subpar at best, but it's worth it for the Houzuki story.

But that doesn't really make sense. When Touka was wearing Ririko's clothes, Ririko was wearing Touka's uniform (at least, the CG says so). And since Touka's uniform hides the tattoo on Ririko's shoulder, no one is able to know that Ririko is actually bearing the Maximum Penalty.

 

Anyway, edited the first post so it makes sense and looks prettier. Because I like pretty things.

[bluethunder91]

But that doesn't really make sense. When Touka was wearing Ririko's clothes, Ririko was wearing Touka's uniform (at least, the CG says so). And since Touka's uniform hides the tattoo on Ririko's shoulder, no one is able to know that Ririko is actually bearing the Maximum Penalty.

 

Anyway, edited the first post so it makes sense and looks prettier. Because I like pretty things.

 

That's true, but they already know about Ririko. She passed in front of them multiple times before, so despite pretending not to notice, they know who she is.

Then they see Touka and they're like:"Wait, there's another girl with the Maximum Penalty?"

[Deep Blue]

Ririko was always that "fairy" that sepai is always talking about

they even left food for her from time to time in touka's house

[bluethunder91]

Ririko was always that "fairy" that sepai is always talking about they even left food for head from time to time in touka's house

 

Heck, look at this:

 

This is literally at the beginning of Chapter 3, as soon as Ken moves into Touka's house:

 

One guess who that "invisible assistant" is. Yeah, Ririko actually talks. They just threw it in the middle of a comedic scene and no one brings any attention to it.

It's not even like you can't recognize her voice, so people who noticed on their first playthrough mus have been like "what the hell?"

As for me, I found it when replaying the game a second time. AS2 are such trolls.

[Sieg]

Oh yeahhhh...forgot about that.  It's been a while since I read it  :/

 

Have to admit that I largely saw most of the later plot points coming, aside from Ririko showing up and Houzuki faking his leg injury.  After thinking of every way that Ken could get out of the prison, I knew that he was faking his drug habit.  None of the others would be able to get out themselves, so I knew Ken had to come through in the end, or they'd die in that prison, and we all know how horrible of an ending that would have been.  Even though I pretty much knew what was going to happen, it didn't really make it any less epic, so I didn't have that much of a problem with it.  Seriously, the ending of Sharin was incredibly epic.

 

That was awesome. Though I personally prefer the way Houzuki escaped (on the fandisc) over Ken's.

[Kimanor]

Wait, we didn't have a Sharin no Kuni thread? Wow.

I can only applaud your wisdom.

 

 

I have no clue why I didn't see

ririririko

coming. I probably should have, but I didn't.

[Deep Blue]

Heck, look at this:

 

This is literally at the beginning of Chapter 3, as soon as Ken moves into Touka's house:

 

One guess who that "invisible assistant" is. Yeah, Ririko actually talks. They just threw it in the middle of a comedic scene and no one brings any attention to it.

It's not even like you can't recognize her voice, so people who noticed on their first playthrough mus have been like "what the hell?"

As for me, I found it when replaying the game a second time. AS2 are such trolls.

lol that whole dialog was amazing xD , and yeah everytime he is talking to us the player or so it seems...he is talking to her sister in a way, like in the start of the game when he is introducing all the characters and describing them, it looks  like he is breaking the so called "the fourth wall" and he is talking to us when the truth is he is just talking to her, not that she can answer back or anything but you got my point

[Roach]

That's true, but they already know about Ririko. She passed in front of them multiple times before, so despite pretending not to notice, they know who she is.

Then they see Touka and they're like:"Wait, there's another girl with the Maximum Penalty?"

That... makes sense, I guess.

 

Heck, look at this:

 

This is literally at the beginning of Chapter 3, as soon as Ken moves into Touka's house:

 

One guess who that "invisible assistant" is. Yeah, Ririko actually talks. They just threw it in the middle of a comedic scene and no one brings any attention to it.

It's not even like you can't recognize her voice, so people who noticed on their first playthrough mus have been like "what the hell?"

As for me, I found it when replaying the game a second time. AS2 are such trolls.

I didn't realize that. But that dialog really is hilarious. If I have to say what I like the most about Kenichi, it's his soliloquies and his "delusion". That dream about Touka's "I'll Murder you!" being his imagination was really great.

[hellish]

I just want to comment that:

The Houzuki route in the fan disc is a must read. In fact it's arguably better than the main story.

[sirjabberwock]

Seeing as how SnK is just about the same no matter what route you choose, I haven't been able to make myself play the remaining routes after Sachi's. Whenever I get back to it, I'll want to view all the changed scenes which could become a bother tbh. If only there was a guide for specific changed scenes >.>

[Roach]

Seeing as how SnK is just about the same no matter what route you choose, I haven't been able to make myself play the remaining routes after Sachi's. Whenever I get back to it, I'll want to view all the changed scenes which could become a bother tbh. If only there was a guide for specific changed scenes >.>

Use the skip button? It always stops at a new scene if you set it to 'Skip only read text' in the config menu.

[sirjabberwock]

Use the skip button? It always stops at a new scene if you set it to 'Skip only read text' in the config menu.

I seem to recall it not always stopping on new text for SnK, though. They're have been a couple VNs I've read that the "skip only read text" option hasn't worked perfectly tbh

[Roach]

I seem to recall it not always stopping on new text for SnK, though. They're have been a couple VNs I've read that the "skip only read text" option hasn't worked perfectly tbh

I don't know about that. Seems working perfectly for me, though.

[Deep Blue]

I just want to comment that:

The Houzuki route in the fan disc is a must read. In fact it's arguably better than the main story.

I don't know if you can say it's better but it's really on par, it is more depressing for sure

[XReaper]

houzukis route in the fd was definitly a good xtra to the whole plot, felt little more sympathy towards him after that, but rest of the routes.... dunno. it took me great efforts to overcome myself to finish especially toukas route in the fd where 90% was all about what to to cook today and who ate my chocolate

[XReaper]

yep like you said, it should be only fanservice and fluff, but everything there except houzuki is just a big meh.