Am I the only person that likes super long common routes?

[NucleaerBlender]

I've been browsing and I see people talking about how long Grisaia and such is, how it was a real downer and it seemed to go on too long.

 

I've read through grisaia 3 times and when I think back on it, it doesn't seem long. The longest novel I remember reading was Hoshimemo, but that was my first novel so my memory is probably really biased (as its also my favorite novel). Majikoi seemed longer than grisaia, so does G-senjou.

 

I'm terrible at keeping record, they are probably all wrong. To me, the longer a common route is, the more time I have to connect with the characters making the character routes much better. Then again, I have infinite time on my hands and can read 5 days straight without having to worry about doing anything. Maybe its just that you guys are time restricted? :/

[Silvz]

Yes. I really dislike common routes that don't add anything for my life. I prefer when the branches come quickly :B

[Decay]

G-Senjou's route structure isn't one of common route + branches. It uses a different structure and you can't really call the main trunk a common route. From the start to the Chapter 5 branch point may be longer than Grisaia's common route, but it's full of story and plot twists and all that, so it goes by quickly. Majikoi's common route... not even close to as long.

 

I'm mostly with you, though. I loved Grisaia's and Rewrite's common routes. I'm okay with long meandering common routes full of nothing but slice of life stuff, as long as it's written well. 

[Zalor]

Yes you are... In all serious of course you're not. All the VNs you mentioned sold really well and have relatively large fan bases. In fact, I feel like the minority for not liking super long common routes. In my view long common routes are often like filler in manga. Often they allow you to get to know the characters better, but they are distractions from the plot. Obviously scenes that allow you to get to know characters are important to establish those characters, but a good writer usually doesn't need to spend that much time establishing their characters. In my view the sooner the characters are put into action and the plot progresses the better. 

[Deep Blue]

I usually dislike common routes, they are very generic and nothing happens at all most of the time.

[Zantax]

I would say not length itself it the problem, but waiting for something you are expecting to get.

For example in Grisaia if you started reading it after listening some recommendations you would probably expect something plot-heavy. But common route (and beginnings of heroine routes as well it seems) is nothing like that. Mostly you get cleanly cut comedy bits. It's not that bad but it's not what you came for.

Another example - Rewrite. When I started reading this I expected standard Key style - comedy heavy long beginning followed by some nakige. That's why when I read this I didn't felt that common route is too long or tiring. However now when I know heroine's routes aren't that way I DO feel that common route is too long and a bit pointless.

Also long common route is bad when there's really no point in it, for exemple after all character's introductions there is no personality development or plot, just showing mindless everyday life. Common routes of Hoshimemo and Iroseka are quite long, but they don't feel pointless because it's not like there is no plot in them, so I can't say I disliked them.

But hey, it's just my opinion on that topic. Maybe others just want to get to selected girl's pants ASAP, so they don't like long common routes. Or have other reasons... ;p

[Fred the Barber]

I like long common routes, generally - I really enjoyed the Little Busters! and Rewrite common routes, for example, and in contrast Katawa Shoujo always felt kind of rushed to me because the common route in it is so short. One of my favorite parts of any story is watching how all the characters interact with each other, letting you see different aspects to their personality, so I really enjoy it when a common route mixes everybody up and has them play off each other. Rewrite did this well with the club meetings, and Little Busters! just had random interactions happening all the time as well as a scene just for this purpose, with the test of courage near the end of the common route letting you pick any pair of characters and watch them be hilarious.

 

Watching all the heroines interact with each other (and also with any of the other characters who tend to be prominent in common routes but fall by the way-side in heroine routes, like comic relief characters) helps build character depth, particularly because a typical VN designs all its heroines to have fairly different personalities; when this is leveraged well, it results in seeing the heroines put into more social situations they otherwise wouldn't run into, even with a focused character route. If people are mostly just talking to the PoV character, or the PoV character and a cast specific to a heroine route, then they are more likely to end up pretty flat. I'll pick on Katawa Shoujo for an example - the characters there generally felt really one-note, to me.

 

Character depth isn't everything, of course, and many VNs focus more on plot or "plot" than characters, which is fine, but for the subset of VNs that aim for you to bond with the characters so they can better manipulate your emotions, a well-written (and, yes, long) common route is pretty crucial to success.

[Funyarinpa]

I really liked GnK's common route because it was enjoyable and hilarious SoL.

 

Just don't make me play through it a second time and I will be fine

[Clephas]

1.  As long as the heroine/individual routes aren't neglected, a long common route isn't a problem.

2.  If the routes are neglected, the common route becomes the primary source of character development... at the cost of overall quality.

3.  Many of my favorite VNs - Dies Irae, for instance - have long common routes and long heroine/individual routes. 

4.  In the case of a pure charage, it is better to have a short or middling length common route and reasonably long heroine routes.  The reason is because the purpose of a common route in a charage is to establish the basic character dynamic and engender attachment to the heroines, so you will want to choose one... and thus get a more 'dense' look into that heroine and her circumstances.

5.  In the case of a story-focused VN, above all, if you choose to have multiple routes, you have to produce a similar level of scenario quality in each case and the overall length should be roughly equal.  The worst of this type are those whose common route is most of the VN, in most cases.  This is because the irrelevance of the path splits inevitably comes to the fore (11eyes is an example of this).

[Mugi]

I suppose, as long as there is some kind of development is going on. And as long as they didn't make the common route the main focus of the VN, whereas the other routes are lacking. 

[LinovaA]

I can't say a particularly like them or dislike them. You see, I don't actually mind filler that much. Hell, back when I watched Bleach one of my favorite arcs was filler.

 

Zanpakuto Rebellion

[hydro]

It depends. Grisaia's I could have read forever. I was sad when it was coming to an end, and definitely would have loved it being even longer. On the other hand, I couldn’t even finish Hoshimemo's. And smack bag in the middle is Rewrite's. I have it on hold now, like it better than Hoshimemo's but definately not as much as Grisaia's.

[Scars Unseen]

I think I would usually dislike long common routes, but Grisaia is definitely an exception due to great writing and a solid translation.  It probably also helped that the protagonist was a very entertaining narrator.  But imagine Muv-Luv Extra Takeru or Hisao from KS in a similarly lengthy common route...  *shudder* 

[Satsuki]

I don't mind if it's interesting and funny enough.

But if it's just "my diary of every normal day at school", then nope.