“As a genre, "visual novel" is not defined by a mechanic or an aesthetic, but rather a distinctive presentation: VNs focus on presenting a text-based story using click-through text boxes, accompanied with static character graphics, and usually feature little to no actual gameplay.”– TVTropes.com
What is a visual novel? I guess the best way to describe a visual novel is like a virtual book that you read and occasionally make choices in that effect the story. But, then things get a little more specific. For example, many fighting games have “story modes”, which have larger plots connected to each character through a series of fights. Also, many role-playing games have story elements.
The main difference is that a visual novel is told mostly through text like a book instead of graphics. There can be graphics, but the story isn't told through the graphics, necessarily. But, then it gets even more complicated when you mix genres like fighting game-visual novels. The story is mostly text, and player decisions effect the plot, with an added fighting game mechanic.
This difference between “story mode” in most fighting games vs. fighting game-visual novels is mostly about how player decisions effect the plot. For example, if you lose fights in a traditional fighting game, you can't progress. The fights are the main game. In fighting game visual novels, losing a fight would effect the outcome, but the story text would continue. The text is the main mechanic, not the fight.
Then, you have kinetic novels, where there is no game at all. No choices are made by the player. It's a book in videogame format. You read it. There are no multiple endings, and there are no side mechanics. I don't really play visual novels that don't have gameplay. I like to make choices.
I just wanted to make this post because I've been posting about visual novels. And I realize that not everyone knows what they are. My favorites are Katawa Shoujo and short comedies like Leave Mr. Bear Alone. But, even some games like Blazblue, a story-heavy fighting game, have visual novel modes that are pretty fun. Like books, they can be any genre, not just dating games. If you have time today, look for a visual novel on Steam. You'll find something you like!
“It's been a year since Seymon returned from "Sovyonok" and met the girls from the camp in the real world. But it's New Year at hand! And it needs to be celebrated!”
Well, I reviewed a non-canon sequel to Katawa Shoujo, so I might as well do the same for Everlasting Summer. I can't really recommend it, but here I go. Seymon returns from the magic bus that found him back in the USSR. The same girls are there, except for one. Miku the Japanese girl has been replaced by Masha the Russian. I don't know why. Maybe Miku only existed on the magic bus.
Most of the girls retain their original personalities. Slavya has short hair. Ulyana is still the wild child. I guess that makes her my favorite. This novel involves him starting a romance with one (and only one.) of them. Which one is up to the player. Playtime is reportedly very short. Only about an hour for a full play-through.
Unlike the first game, this non-canon sequel was made by 2Chance Projects, not the aptly named Soviet Games. It's a very short game designed specifically for New Year's 2015. That said, it's okay for what it is, but doesn't bother developing the characters. Frosty Kiss assumes you played Everlasting Summer, plops you in modern Russia, and gets right to the romance...it's very Russian that way.
Speaking of Russian, a final word of warning. When you download this game from Steam, you have to manually set the language from Russian to English, rather than downloading a separate English release, as with Everlasting Summer. I had to re-install it, while searching for an English version, because I thought I downloaded the wrong language version. But, after Googling the problem, I discovered the language settings are in the game's main menu.
Like Katawa's side-story, I can only recommend it if you liked the original game. Except unlike Summer's Clover, Frosty Kiss doesn't add much, and is mostly characters commenting on the last game and the new year. Give it a look, if you're interested. Make sure you play Everlasting Summer first. I can't really recommend it on its own. Otherwise, you'll have no idea what's going on.
“The non-canon scenario of Miura Miki starting shortly before she meets the new transfer student Nakai Hisao.”
Summer's Clover is a non-canon side-story to Katawa Shoujo. You play as Miki. Miki is adjusting to life after an accident took her hand. She's a side character in the original game, alongside Emi and the track team. Here, she has two suitors to choose from: Hisao and Suzu.
Hisao is the main character from the original Katawa Shoujo. He bumps into Miki, and in this version, they can hit it off and become boyfriend and girlfriend, or just stay friends. I focused on Suzu's branch, because, well, that's my preference. Even if you choose Suzu, Hisao tags along for the story. He's still a main character.
Suzu has narcolepsy. A condition which brings on extreme drowsiness and loss of muscle tone during sudden extreme emotions. Suzu also likes women, it is revealed. So, that opens up her path as well. Essentially you have Hisao or Suzu as paths to choose from, with multiple endings for either character.
Since I only played Suzu's path, I know it's about Miki discovering her interest in women, and also getting Suzu's family to accept their relationship. Suzu also is an introvert who reads manga. (Comics.) As Miki helps her come out of her shell, they spend a lot of time together on the beach and in bedrooms for summer vacation. (Hey! Summer's Clover!) But, everyone but Suzu's cool older sister hates Miki and Suzu as a couple.
Honestly, this isn't a bad game. Only a few things give away that it's non-canon, but it was worked on by an Australian member of Four Leaf Studios. One thing is the characters constantly use Australian slang like “crikey!” and “blimey!” Another thing is some of the new characters look odd in shape and size, because they aren't re-used art from the original game, which is a little jarring, but fine.
Overall, it's a good side-story, with original art in addition to the original game. But, I can understand why it wasn't a fully polished game. It's one Australian guy from Four Leaf Studios working off notes and anime sketches. With Four Leaf Studios now basically gone, it may never get an official release. This might be all there is. But, it should be enough if you're a Katawa Shoujo fan, and want more Katawa Shoujo. Check it out.
“Everlasting Summer is a visual novel that tells the
story of a man living in modern Russia who finds himself mysteriously
transported to a summer camp somewhere in the Soviet Union.”
A lonely modern
Russian kid named Seymon goes to the bus station one day. When he wakes up, he
finds himself mysteriously transported to the Soviet Union in a pioneer camp.
Think Soviet Scouts! Within the pioneer camp, there's a number of different
girls you can pursue, including Alisa, Lena, Ulyana (the party animal.), Miku,
(A Japanese girl.) and Slavya. Each girl has 2 endings good and bad. There are
also “secret endings” I've heard about where you can discover a nuclear shelter
in the camp, or discover evil clones.
There's even an ending where you make a
robot cat girl, who will be available to pursue next game. I've never gotten
that far. As far as I know, each girl has 2 endings. One where you stay in the
USSR and lead a good life. Or one where you find your way back, but something
bad happens! (Lena's version has Seymon kill himself.) It's a unique game. Heavy
on sci-fi, and alternate realities. I'd say give it a try, if you can stomach
the sappy USSR nostalgia! The game was originally released in Russia only in
2006. The 2013 version is the English release.
"After a certain incident that left him traumatized, Erik Wilhelm transfers to Privatgymnasium St. Dymphna, a special Viennese school for teenagers living with psychological disorders, where he meets a colorful cast of characters that will turn his formerly uneventful life upside down."
It feels a bit unfair to review Missing Stars after reviewing Katawa Shoujo, but I'm going to do it anyway. It confuses quantity with quality, but is still heartfelt and inspired by Katawa Shoujo, despite being a complete mess. I think there's something like 6 girls to interact with. But, it feels like a lot more. Act One is very long. (Although, after looking it up, the whole game does have about the same playtime as Katawa...10-30 hours, depending on the paths, reading speed, etc. But, man, does it feel bloated.) It is openly promoted as a “mental health Katawa Shoujo”. It takes place in Austria, and basically tries to copy Katawa's plot, except for mental health instead of physical disabilities. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but the game is just too big and too unfocused in its message, with every character feeling very disjointed in writing style, disability, and message.
"Hi, Monika here! Welcome to the Literature
Club! It's always been a dream of mine to make something special out of the
things I love. Now that you're a club member, you can help me make that dream
come true in this cute game! Every day is full of chit-chat and fun activities
with all of my adorable and unique club members: Sayori, the youthful bundle of
sunshine who values happiness the most; Natsuki, the deceivingly cute girl who
packs an assertive punch; Yuri, the timid and mysterious one who finds comfort
in the world of books; ...And, of course, Monika, the leader of the club! That's
me! I'm super excited for you to make friends with everyone and help the
Literature Club become a more intimate place for all my members. But I can tell
already that you're a sweetheart—will you promise to spend the most time with
me? ♥"
So, this is actually a creepy anime that pretends to be a high school
romance game until its horror elements are slowly revealed. There's a girl that
commits suicide, a girl who slowly wastes away, a girl who's totally into stabbing,
and a girl who takes over your game until you delete her character file. Once
you know it's actually a horror game, (Spoiler alert.) the joke wears off really
quickly, and you just click through all the forgettable dialogue to get to the
next girl. Can't recommend.
“Love is both poison and cure, both knife and remedy.“
"Rosa's best friend,
Catherine, is dead and she is sure Catherine’s betrothed, Marquis Guilleme
is to blame. Mother says so. Mother says he has to pay with his life.
Although, she knows by now Guilleme is no ordinary man. He is tainted. A
monster. He cannot be killed by usual means. To seek the best revenge, she
must find out all his secrets and destroy him. But will her own dark desires
consume her or liberate her? No matter. Mother will tell her what to do."
Cupid (2015):
I liked this game. But, I only had the patience to get one ending. The plot is
basically about a poor girl and her abusive relationship with her mother and suitor in
18th century France. She is mocked by the court until she's taken in by a
nobleman (the suitor.) who actually is Cupid. I found the story unique, but a bit long.
Well, I killed Cupid in the one ending I got, and I have no desire to replay.
A bit too melodramatic, and a long read, for what it is.
"Hikaru was just a normal young man with a crush on two girls at school,
that is until his whole world changed as he literally had to walk in the
shoes of his dream girls... Only to find his school idols were not so
perfect after all."
Generally, I think bodyswapping is a dumb premise except in Freaky Friday
where it teaches teens responsibility and adults to loosen up. But, I actually
enjoyed this game. The main character magically swaps bodies with a girl he
likes while he's in a coma. Then, he discovers she's being bullied. He tries
to help her. How much you help depends on the ending you get. There are a few
scenes where you can discover abuse or explore your body more. I just like
that the main character helps his crush. I thought that was nice. Check it out
on Steam.
Katawa Shoujo is the visual novel which began my love of visual novels. Hisao (The main character.) transfers to a high school for disabled people, Yamaku Academy. There's a blind girl, a burnt girl, a girl with no legs, a deaf girl, and a girl with no arms. The path you take depends on the girl you pick, and each girl has 3 possible endings. As a disabled person, I liked it, and there's a lot of replay value to get every ending.
“Hibiki plummets into the sea but is saved by a girl with mysterious powers.”
Hibiki belongs to a parkour team in post-apocalyptic Tokyo after Tokyo becomes filled with bubbles and cut off from the rest of the world. His team is called the Blue Blazes, or BB. They battle other teams like the Under Takers, or The Mad Lobsters in this Capture The Flag parkour sport. One day, Hibiki falls into the ocean water while playing, and swears he sees a mermaid.
This mermaid is actually a feral girl who he names Uta, with a strange secret. She acts like a cat, and has a strange attraction to vortex patterns and The Little Mermaid fairytale. Stranger still, when she hums a tune, the bubbles react to her harmony. Later, she joins the parkour team and helps them defeat a technologically advanced team, The Under Takers, by using the bubbles as stepping stones.
The Under Takers want revenge, and so kidnap Makoto, one of the team members, and challenge BB to a death match. Just then, Uta starts to come apart literally. She's made of bubbles! The team and the morticians have to come find her as the world around them is ripped apart by a vortex of angry bubbles. And soon, Hibiki discovers Uta dissolving into seafoam, just like the mermaid in the story.
Bubble is a very peculiar anime. On one hand, it's a sports drama in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. On the other it's a romantic fairytale bursting at the seams with poetry about the transitory nature of existence, and how all things return back to their source: stars, water, plants, bodies, seashells. The vortex pattern is everywhere.
In particular, I liked that Bubble had good disability representation. Hibiki is shown as having some form of audio sensitivity. But, despite this, he can hear the song of the bubbles. In addition, his friend and mentor Shin has a prosthetic leg, which plays further into the theme of the body as transitory. But, does it add up to anything? Well, I suppose it depends if you like romance. If you do, I recommend this one. For me, personally, I say give it a watch on Netflix. If not for romance, then sci-fi sports action!
“When a regular guy dumps a superhero for her neediness, she uses her powers to make his life a living hell.”
Everyone in this movie is crazy. Even the superhero. Matt Saunders works in a design firm, and has bad luck with the ladies. His pervert friend Vaughn says the answer is just a quick hookup. Unfortunately, the woman he hooks up with is a superhero. Things start hot and heavy, as Jenny Johnson (a.k.a. G-Girl, whose hero moniker is never explained. What's the G stand for? Great? Gamma? Genetically-enhanced?) is just looking for reprieve from her job. But then, she gets psychotically possessive.
G-Girl routinely controls who Matt can see and won't let him go to work, breaks his stuff during making out, and is paranoid to a fault. When Matt tries to break up, she breaks his apartment, ruins his meetings (by stripping him with super speed in public.) and throws his car into space. At one point, she even throws a shark into his apartment. That was funny, because it was so unexpected!
One day, after a date, Matt is kidnapped by the goons of G-Girl's archnemesis Professor Bedlam. He reveals that he and G-Girl used to be in love. (After Professor Bedlam hangs Matt from the Statue of Liberty.) But, after she gained her powers from a meteor, she ignored him. Luckily, he has a piece of the meteor that gives her her power. If she gets too close, it will de-power her. Matt, tried of having his life screwed up, agrees.
Meanwhile, back at Matt's office, a girl named Hannah is always getting Matt to ogle her. I told you everyone is crazy in this film. G-Girl has been jealous of her since the beginning, so when she shows up as he's luring G-Girl towards the meteor, a huge fight erupts. But then, Hannah is exposed to the meteor, and can suddenly give G-Girl a fair fight. Then, “Berry” Bedlam realizes he should've gone out with G-Girl, and Hannah and Matt take it steady afterward.
Honestly, everyone in this movie is just a huge relationship red flag. I thought it would end with G-Girl realizing she's a villain, but I guess since it's a comedy, it's all played for laughs. But, the only one who kind of made sense was Bedlam. He shouldn't want to de-power her, but it absolutely makes sense in this case. Overall, this is a movie best enjoyed with snacks, and a huge grain of salt! It's free on Hulu, anyway.
“While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.”
So, La La Land is a musical about two artists wanting to pursue their dreams. Mia is an actress and script writer working on a play and TV treatment. Sebastian is a jazz musician who dreams of opening his own club, and playing free jazz. Instead, they are met with an uncaring L.A. They're stuck in side gigs they don't want. But, in spite of this, the two connect by holding onto their dreams.
When Seb and Mia first meet, they are rude to each other, and resent each other. Each is embarrassed by their ambition, feeling that maybe their time is up. But, when they share their passions with each other, the world becomes full of color and music, and excitement. For example, there's no dialogue in the planetarium scene. The music is telling you how the characters feel.
Seb and Mia eventually decide to meet somewhere in-between. They pursue their dreams even though it might drive them apart. Seb can't stay where he is and be a jazz musician. Mia has to stay in L.A. with her boring business fiancee Greg if she wants to be an actress. In one scene, we see how life might have played out had the characters had a life together in their heads. When you see Greg at the piano in the jazz club (having switched places in their heads with Seb and Mia.), you realize how silly it all would've been.
But, at least the characters got to live their romance together for a little while. La La Land is a movie about dreams, romance, and music. So, the music shows you that world, and those feelings. It's all set against the backdrop of Mia working at a coffee shop or Seb half-heartedly playing Jingle Bells on a piano at a Christmas party. If you have time to experience it, give it a watch on Hulu.
"A compilation of the TV series, Eden of The East."
In this short, 11-episode anime, Akida Takizawa (If that’s his name.) awakes from a daze on the White House lawn naked and holding a gun. What would you do? If you said, “Uncover a plot by a billionaire to rule Japan while going on a semi-romantic adventure with a girl.” you’d be right! Also, if you said that, you probably watch too much anime. (Good job!) This one was oddly fascinating due to the terrorist angle.
You see, in this universe, Japan was the victim of a terrorist attack called “Careless Monday” when 10 missiles were accidentally fired on Japanese soil, and 20,000 people showed up missing. That’s the interesting part to me. Evidence points to him as the terrorist. But, this girl Saki keeps showing this naïve interest in him, that ultimately changes the tone to more mushy romantic comedy.
More to the point, after uncovering this plot to fire the missiles, (Again!) Akida again frames himself and gives himself a new identity rather than arrest the group behind it. Each player in this political game has a cell phone equipped with a 10 billion yen account. Akida discovers he’s one of the players in a game orchestrated by a billionaire to see how individuals, if given power, would save or change the country.
One of the contestants, in fact, is a prostitute who cuts off male members if they displease her. It’s a little unsettling…and it’s all there to make some point about love that’s developing between him and Saki. I have no idea what “cutting off Johnnies” would do to improve the country, but sometimes anime is wacky. Also, love or something.
Anyway, I was more interested in the political plot. The team that keeps track of Akida’s political funds is called “Eden of The East”. His computerized cell phone accountant Juiz will do anything he asks with the 10 billion yen. I just don’t get why he blows it by framing himself again, and evacuating 20,000 people! Again! It’s like he’ll have to do it all over again, including meeting Saki!
Yes, I know how it ends. I’m not gonna get into that. I just think repeating the same thing you did to get framed as a terrorist has to be one of the most baffling decisions ever. But, it’s oddly fascinating because at it’s heart you have an anime that wants to be romantic. So, it’s just this guy who just wants to live life, and full in love, and avoid responsibility. Also, just as a whimsical joke…he commits a terrorist act against Tokyo.
He’d probably be in jail, and lose his girlfriend. But, dang if he didn’t have 10 billion yen and a magic robot in a cell phone! Look, I know it’s fantasy, and love, and he can clear his name with a phone call. But, am I supposed to believe accepting responsibility means framing yourself as an international criminal? All I’m saying is, the minute I saw Akida had machine guns in his closet, and planned to commit terrorist acts because he can’t bring down his psychopathic buddies… if I were Saki, I’d leave. I would fear for my life.
I know it’s technically like a romantic comedy/political satire, but it had real potential up to the point where he takes responsibility rather than arrest the contestants. Is the rest of Japan still getting played like a game show? What happened to the other contestants? It could’ve been a really interesting espionage thriller, but went the romantic comedy route. By the way, none of this explains why he was naked at the White House.
But, the odd mixture of romantic comedy/espionage thriller works, because the suspense lasts about right up until the second-to-last episode. Then, it’s purely and unabashedly mushy. I’d give this series a firm “skip it”. I liked the concepts, and certain parts! But, it just seems like a lot of wasted ideas. And I just don’t think terrorism is a joke. It could’ve been so much more than what it aims for, but the message seems to be take the 10 billion yen and don’t ask questions. The terrorism angle drew me in, but it deals with it far too whimsically!
“A malfunction in a sleeping pod on a spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet wakes one passenger 90 years early.”
Jim (Chris Pratt) is on a luxury colony spaceship when it wakes him up 90 years too early. At first, he has fun, lives off the ship's supplies and plays basketball, but after a while, his loneliness becomes too much. After discussion with a robotic bartender, he decides to wake up one passenger.
Considering others, he ultimately selects Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence). He lies to her and tells her that the malfunction woke them both up. They begin a romance, but Aurora eventually finds out the truth. And that the malfunction is sending them hurtling towards the sun!
From here, it becomes an ordinary space thriller. I do appreciate the movie investigating old school sci-fi ideas like isolation, but that's all it addresses. Aurora's character development is cut short in favor of a big action-packed climax. There was some controversy about this, so whether or not you enjoy the movie will depend on whether you want an old school sci-fi adventure, or need closure on ethical problems presented in the film.
For my part, I was just glad to see a good space adventure. You just have to accept that it's more about what isolation does to people in space than if Jim should've told Aurora the truth. Their romance is almost incidental: a consequence of isolation.
I will grant though, that the disaster plot seems out of left field. Perhaps if Jim's big lie were really taken to task, we could almost have a different, more interesting movie. But, as it is, I still liked it as a space thriller. Watch it if you can.
"A meeting and romance starts between two people with communication issues - a boy who wears headphones and uses haiku poems, and a shy girl who wears a mask and only does online videos."
This movie is about Cherry, a haiku poet with social anxiety, and his social influencer love interest Smile. Smile has buck teeth (“yamazakura”) and is shy. Cherry is a good poet, but is shy because of his voice. He prefers to write. They're brought together by an old man, who wants to hear a long lost record one last time.
Overall, it's just a cute romance anime about teens with bright animation. The word cute (kawaii) is thrown around a lot. It's pretty good for a Netflix anime, if you want something light-hearted. They overcome their challenges to help an old friend. There's only one part I didn't like, but I won't nitpick. It's on Netflix, if you have time.
"When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories."
After a breakup, Joel and Clementine have a medical procedure that erases them from each other's memory. They soon find that the memories keep popping up, and regret their decision. They try to hide their happy memories in repressed childhood experiences, and soon find that their meeting is inevitable.
Surreal visuals, and heartfelt drama. Definitely a strange film. It raises questions about fate, love, the purpose of pain, and heartbreak. And also proved Jim Carrey can do more than comedy! Directed by Michel Gondry. Watch it if you can.
Love, Chuuniyibo and Other Delusions The Movie: Take on Me (2018):
Chuuniybo is a condition described as “middle school 2nd year syndrome”; a youngster who believes they have magic powers. Yuta used to be a chuuniyibo, but has become a realist as high school is ending. His girlfriend is a full-blown chuunyibo who runs a magical girl club at their school, and goes by the name “Dark Lord Shingen”. Her name is Rikka. Yuta is “Dark Flame Master”.
When it’s announced that Rikka must join her guardian Tokka in Italy, Rikka and Yuta make plans to elope together. Yuta learns that Rikka has a mother in Hokkaido, so they plan to live with her. But Tokka and some of her magical girl classmates Dekimori and her assistant, are pursuing her, blackmailed by Tokka. This convinces Rikka of even further betrayal, and she pretend battles her friends with magic. Although she believes she is like a high-level RPG mage.
There’s a nice contrast here between magic and realism. Yuta doesn’t want to force Rikka to accept realism, because he thinks she’ll lose part of herself; she needs to see the world on her own terms. It’s really about how people are willing to make sacrifices for love. That love makes the world exciting. But there’s also a theme of growing and slowly accepting reality. Watch it if you get a chance.
