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Finished the first episode of Umineko. Crazy that they didn't even introduce Beatrice in person until after the first episode was completed. The emotional beats hit hard and the inhabitants of Rokkenjima turning on each other as the night went on was harrowing to watch. I don't think I was meant to question the narration straight from the start, but the descriptions of Battler disproving the existence of witches and the Steamed Hams parody primed me for something completely different than what I was expecting. Edit: Forgot to mention that the music at the end of the first tea party is a banger. Supersonic Shine fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 22, 2020 02:55
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i don't think literally anything can prime you for what umineko is
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Jul 22, 2020 03:17
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The Colonel posted:i don't think literally anything can prime you for what umineko is My only prep was Higurashi was bonkers. This is gonna be nuts too. 
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Jul 28, 2020 01:05
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RevolverDivider posted:Rewrite is really close to being good and the Akane route is amazing but Moon and Terra utterly shits itself so completely at the end and aggressively dumps all the things I liked. TBH I really liked the terra route. I thought it was a fitting end. It felt more like a type moon game than a KEY game. Nate RFB posted:I somehow didn't even realize that Summer Pockets got a translated release. I don't think I know a single thing about it and have not heard anyone actually express a sentiment on it, positive or negative or otherwise. I'm ~2.5 routes into it so far. Feels good, though more of a classic key game. Kinda getting more of a Kanon vibe from it then Rewrite so far. garter_snake fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Jul 28, 2020 |
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Jul 28, 2020 01:12
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garter_snake posted:TBH I really liked the terra route. I thought it was a fitting end. The problems with Terra are that 1) it throws away essentially all of the characters from the rest of Rewrite (including Kotarou, in a way), 2) it's more of an outline than a fleshed-out story (and it could hardly be otherwise, because Rewrite as a whole is too long already), and 3) it makes the Kotori route retroactively creepy. I guess you could see 1) and 3) as at least partly intentional, reflecting Tanaka getting sick of VN character archetypes on some level, but that doesn't mean it works in the context of Rewrite as a whole.
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Jul 28, 2020 20:44
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Yeah pretty much all of that is exactly why I dislike Terra. Kotarou’s shift in terra I also dislike as I actually find him a really good lead outside of terra.
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Jul 28, 2020 22:12
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I loved Kotori, Moon, and Terra routes in Rewrite. I was so unprepared for Moon/Terra.
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Jul 29, 2020 19:00
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Silver2195 posted:The problems with Terra are that 1) it throws away essentially all of the characters from the rest of Rewrite (including Kotarou, in a way), 2) it's more of an outline than a fleshed-out story (and it could hardly be otherwise, because Rewrite as a whole is too long already), and 3) it makes the Kotori route retroactively creepy. I guess you could see 1) and 3) as at least partly intentional, reflecting Tanaka getting sick of VN character archetypes on some level, but that doesn't mean it works in the context of Rewrite as a whole. Terra is a direct extension of the Moon route, it doesn't make sense to consider it its own thing because it isn't. Moon represents the emotional climax for all the characters as we've known them by bringing Kotarou and the five girls back for one last hurrah to defend Kagari and secure her efforts, Terra follows up on this by representing the narrative climax for the big picture conflict of the entire story, ie 'the world is going to hell, how do we stop it?' Obviously opinions may vary on how enjoyable the final journey is depending on what elements of Rewrite you enjoyed the most, and I certainly wouldn't argue too hard against the idea that it also retroactively makes Kotori's route kinda creepy because it totally does, but I completely dispute the idea that it doesn't "work" in the context of Rewrite as a whole. I mean, the themes of Rewrite are certainly not subtle by a long shot (hint: it's in the name) and the defiant yet inevitable nature of Terra fits right into it. What's unfortunate is that Terra as a conceptual piece works absolutely brilliantly in VN form but suffers from just not being written all that well. Being more of an "outline" than a fleshed-out story is absolutely correct, which is why I almost feel like you're better off experiencing Moon and Terra through its anime adaptation.
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Jul 29, 2020 21:48
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Super Jay Mann posted:I mean, the themes of Rewrite are certainly not subtle by a long shot (hint: it's in the name) and the defiant yet inevitable nature of Terra fits right into it. It's been long enough since I've played Rewrite that I've probably forgotten some thematically crucial details, but I think Rewrite's overall themes are sort of confused, honestly. That's probably inevitable for such a long work with three different writers, but I think there's also tensions between the narrative structure Key's fans presumably demand (comedy followed by dark romantic melodrama, focused on the heroines rather than the larger setting), the various Serious Issues that Tanaka apparently had on his mind (environmentalism, "Jihad vs. McWorld" conflict, the nature of moral responsibility and its implications for controversies regarding NRMs and capital punishment, the supposed tension between "changing the world" and "changing oneself"), the rather conventional action-adventure story that Tonokawa intermittently turns the story into despite his real sympathies seemingly lying with Key's fandom, and the apparent attempts to comment on other VNs (especially F/SN). I'm not sure what "not subtle" thematic statements, all suggested by the one-word name, connect all those dots. Silver2195 fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Jul 30, 2020 |
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Jul 30, 2020 00:07
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I am too many years removed from when I played Rewrite but I basically remember it as: both the writing quality and cohesiveness of the various routes was all over the place (a problem I think most Key works share) so nothing felt like it flowed or connected together that well, and then most of the characters were unimportant or lacked agency in Terra and made it kind of feel like most game had wasted some of their character arcs and development on the way to get there.
Nate RFB fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Jul 30, 2020 |
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Jul 30, 2020 00:28
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Yeah that's about how I feel but I also read it several years ago. I remember liking Lucia's route the most but it was also completely disconnected from everything and blatantly written in a completely different manner.
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Jul 30, 2020 02:15
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lucia's was written by ryukishi so that's probly why it sticks out lol
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Jul 30, 2020 02:18
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the japanese government is not taking strong enough measures to ensue the production of ciconia 2 is uninterrupted
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Jul 30, 2020 03:21
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Jul 30, 2020 04:40
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I forget exactly what happens in Terra. I remember that the general jist is that you want to show Kagari you resolving the conflict between Guardian and the Summoners, and the early parts show Kotarou going off to fight in Generic Middle East with Guardian but I forget how the actual conflict is resolved.
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Jul 30, 2020 05:19
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Super Jay Mann posted:What's unfortunate is that Terra as a conceptual piece works absolutely brilliantly in VN form but suffers from just not being written all that well. Being more of an "outline" than a fleshed-out story is absolutely correct, which is why I almost feel like you're better off experiencing Moon and Terra through its anime adaptation. I can't agree there... the anime adaptation rushed through plot points so quickly that all the tension, intrigue, and catharsis completely disappeared IMO. If you don't want a hurried outline version of Terra, the anime is definitely not the way to go. I guess my only major complaint with Terra is that it could've really used some more art assets.
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Jul 30, 2020 18:13
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esselfortium posted:I guess my only major complaint with Terra is that it could've really used some more art assets. Rewrite is really weird when it comes to which characters get sprites, which events get background CGs, and so forth. IIRC, Shizuru shooting the Key at the end of the Kotori route is completely un-illustrated, for example, while the video opening for Moon has a fight between Shizuru and Krivoy Rog...which never happens in the actual Moon route. One of the main characters in the Akane route doesn't even have a sprite, while a fairly minor character in the same route gets a sprite with several different facial expressions (though I liked the minor character's smug expression, at least). I'm not sure if Key misbudgeted their time and/or money, or if they just have different ideas from me about what's supposed to be important.
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Jul 30, 2020 20:08
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esselfortium posted:I can't agree there... the anime adaptation rushed through plot points so quickly that all the tension, intrigue, and catharsis completely disappeared IMO. If you don't want a hurried outline version of Terra, the anime is definitely not the way to go. That's why I said "almost", on one hand the anime rushes through the story and plot beats and doesn't look particularly good in the process, but on the other hand I feel like you're not really missing a whole lot despite the sloppy nature of the adaptation, and in case I think it does make some legitimate improvements to the way the story is told when taken as a whole. I greatly enjoyed both despite their issues. Obviously it's not worth me arguing too hard for this. Frankly I'm just glad the anime version of Terra ended up being way better done than the garbage the common route adaptation was.
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Jul 30, 2020 20:44
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I wrapped the two Utawarerumono Mask of Deception/Truth VNs after a fairly long hiatus towards the end and my overall feelings haven't changed: I think the story drags and ultimately relies on some very forced and dumb plot developments in order to justify the need for the final few battles, ultimately making me care less and less about how it'd would all get resolved. I like the characters and when it tries to be funny or heartwarming it usually succeeds, but pretty much all of the serous plot threads did not work for me at all.
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Jul 30, 2020 21:46
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Nate RFB posted:I wrapped the two Utawarerumono Mask of Deception/Truth VNs after a fairly long hiatus towards the end and my overall feelings haven't changed: I think the story drags and ultimately relies on some very forced and dumb plot developments in order to justify the need for the final few battles, ultimately making me care less and less about how it'd would all get resolved. I like the characters and when it tries to be funny or heartwarming it usually succeeds, but pretty much all of the serous plot threads did not work for me at all.  Sepaking of which: I just got to the third ending...wat
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Jul 30, 2020 22:48
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the protag in this first story in muv-luv photon melodies is a huge dork i hope someone noogies his rear end
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Jul 31, 2020 01:24
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Oh poo poo is that out. Where are my backer keys
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Jul 31, 2020 01:35
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Nate RFB posted:I am too many years removed from when I played Rewrite but I basically remember it as: both the writing quality and cohesiveness of the various routes was all over the place (a problem I think most Key works share) so nothing felt like it flowed or connected together that well, and then most of the characters were unimportant or lacked agency in Terra and made it kind of feel like most game had wasted some of their character arcs and development on the way to get there. I dunno, it may be rose coloured glasses but I thought the routes were all really good quality. They definitely each had a very different ones, but there were themes that were consistent to the story, like how much effort Kotarou put in usually directly correlated to how 'good' the route ending was. Super Jay Mann posted:
I only skimmed the rewrite anime, but you have to leave out so much stuff turning a vn as long as rewrite to an anime... Terra felt ok to me. I'm feeling there's a consensus in this thread that it was skeletal, but I dunno what I would have added to it. More Kagiri scenes, maybe, but honestly every other characters' background had been explored or touched on in previous routes, so what was left was 'filling in the character sheet after killing the boss' garter_snake fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Aug 3, 2020 |
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Aug 2, 2020 13:36
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lol the second story on muv luv photonmelodies is the ultimate bait and switch a complete inverse of the main trilogy e: 
Stairmaster fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Aug 4, 2020 |
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Aug 4, 2020 01:32
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Stairmaster posted:the protag in this first story in muv-luv photon melodies is a huge dork i hope someone noogies his rear end Oh poo poo, I had no idea this was a thing. Completely ignoring games media pays off again! I keep finding out about big long-awaited games after they've already come out.
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Aug 4, 2020 05:05
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There is a new trailer for the upcoming Higurashi anime. It appears that the Onikakushi and Watanagashi will have 13 chapters based on its scheduling, which would be a big improvement over the original anime's 8.
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Aug 21, 2020 19:50
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they've confirmed it's two cours but i haven't seen any confirmation about how much it will cover
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Aug 21, 2020 19:56
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Oh yeah I had been looking for this thread. A while back I had started a whole bunch of VNs but then I cut the ones I was reading down so that I could actually finish some of them. Right now I’m reading Chaos;Child and Dangan Ronpa (I’ve already read Orenronen’s LP though) while occasionally going back to F/SN Heaven’s Feel. Even though it’s technically a reread I’m enjoying Dangan Ronpa’s last part and am about to do the final trial. I can appreciate what C;C is trying to do with its story and it’s a lot more thematically coherent than ;head but to be honest I don’t find the characters as endearing as S;G’s cast and it can feel pretty bleak. The 2nd half of the story also feels like it has a lot less going on than the first even though plot is happening. Not sure if I’ll get robotics;notes since it sounds kind of boring for the most part.
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Aug 21, 2020 23:32
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idk if this is the best thread to talk about umineko spoilers but erika's story about her bad breakup left me with a totally different impression of what had been happening than she believes. Now, I could just say what my conclusion was, but I figured that writing it out as a mystery for people to solve would be much more in theme!
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Sep 2, 2020 21:16
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noether posted:idk if this is the best thread to talk about umineko spoilers but erika's story about her bad breakup left me with a totally different impression of what had been happening than she believes. Now, I could just say what my conclusion was, but I figured that writing it out as a mystery for people to solve would be much more in theme! I forget the exact details of that situation, but I remember thinking that Erika may have essentially driven her partner to behave in ways she perceived as being suspicious/a betrayal. You see this sort of thing pretty often in real life, where someone acts in ways that drive away their partner, but they perceive it as their partner betraying them in some way. That being said, I forget the specifics. I can't remember if Erika ever found any conclusive evidence.
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Sep 3, 2020 00:28
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Erika presented a large number of pieces of circumstantial evidence, presumably because she had already arrived at a conclusion (that her boyfriend didn't love her anymore) and was looking for evidence to support it. This distrust ruined her relationship, therefore guaranteeing that she was correct. Such is the power of the Witch of Truth.
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Sep 3, 2020 01:15
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I'm close to half way through Making Lovers. It's a cute romance sim. The ability to choose where you go for dates is underused but kinda fun. The only bad thing is the MC is basically a horny dumbass or kind\caring person depending on what's going on. I've laughed at a few of the situations but I tend to enjoy romance sims so it's not a high bar to pass.
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Sep 4, 2020 15:07
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https://twitter.com/patrickklepek/status/1302001933029343235?s=21
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Sep 4, 2020 23:53
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higanbana's an interesting vn, glad i've read like 2 1/8 07th expansion vns already so i came into it knowing that i should take it as its own thing rather than expecting it to be like everything else ryukishi's written. constantly swings from being insanely loving rough to having pretty neat character bits i've also been finishing up kagetsu tohya, the 10 nights of dream are cool but i will say i just don't feel like a lot of the comedy in it can stack up to shiki walking into kohaku's room, seeing her playing a fighting game and saying "Kohaku... is a gamer." and then immediately getting bodied
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Sep 8, 2020 03:58
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Im going to read Steins;Gate and Date A Live (since theyre the only 2 Steam VNs I own). How many hours am I looking at?
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Sep 8, 2020 06:10
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S;G is about 30-35ish hours for all endings I guess, the Steam Date A Live is actually three full VNs so it depends wether you do them all or not lol
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Sep 8, 2020 06:54
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Sakurazuka posted:S;G is about 30-35ish hours for all endings I guess, the Steam Date A Live is actually three full VNs so it depends wether you do them all or not lol Since Date-a-live VNs are part of the entire series, skipping around is a bad idea. The order goes Rinne->Ars->Rio. You'll get a quick catch up of what occurs before it as it technically takes place after seasons 1 (Rinne) and 2 (Ars\Rio).
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Sep 8, 2020 14:24
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So wait now Im confused. Should I watch season 1+2 of the anime before starting Date a Live? Or is that covered in Rinne Utopia? I honestly dont even know what its about so I dont want to jump in at the mid point and miss out on important details.
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Sep 9, 2020 01:52
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I've been finishing up Hollow Ataraxia myself and uh      I was not prepared for this sudden shift.
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Sep 9, 2020 03:13
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that fha scene is one of the best scenes i've ever seen in a vn
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Sep 9, 2020 03:24
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