Should I read White Album 2
>>142Yea I want to read that too, I hear it's really good.
Has anybody played Subarashiki Hibiki here? I love that VN, definitely my second or third favorite.
I'm a total VN noob, so I decided to play through he Science Adventure series first. I started Higurashi, but I don't want to read two VN at the same time, so that's paused.
Is there a sort of absolute essentials I should read when I'm done with these?
I loved the Clannad animes, but I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to go through that emotional ordeal again.
I bought Monobeno Happy End on Steam and downloaded the Simplified Chinese uncensor patch. Currently playing it while using universal game translator for the Chinese text. All in all, a pretty good approximation to an English-translated version with Japanese audio.
>>145I mean FSN is great, and I think its an essential.Or maybe MuvLuv, but I haven't played it yet.
>>146Is it translating it in real time?
>>148Yes! Universal Game Translator. You configure it with a Google API key, and you can establish an area of the screen that you can translate with a hotkey (just the text box, don’t want to send a fullscreen screenshot of your eroge to Google, no sir). The translation appears almost instantly. And since the API is designed for much more intensive tasks, you can never even get close to surpassing the free tier, so it’s free.
In the one hand it’s a treasure trove of new content to have. On the other, it gives me an excuse to not study Japanese so hard anymore. But realizing how messed up anime localization can sometimes be is also nice, so…
>>145Check out vndb if you're really new to visual novels (set to rate by rating if it's not the default setting). It's an international visual novel database with all the info you might want.
https://vndb.org/v
>I decided to play through he Science Adventure series firstAside from Steins;Gate and (questionably) Chaos;Head/Child), none of them are particularly good.
If you're looking for the crème de la crème, I'd recommend to follow a beginner's guide like picrel.
Essentials to read would be:
Clannad
Little Busters
Tsukihime
Fate/Stay Night
Steins;Gate
Higurashi
Umineko
Muvluv
Subarashiki Hibi
Muramasa
>>151Chaos;Head is indeed a slow start, wading through all the exposition pays off (:
Any of you read Muramasa
>>833I'm on the last two routes.
I really enjoy the story, but there are a few things that make it hard to finish.
It's EXTREMELY exposition heavy. But the story, as depressing as it can be, is fantastic
Should I read Chaos;Head or Fate/HA next?
Genuine question.
What would you say is the best VN you've ever read.
Curious to see if there is a consensus here or not.
I need to read the other routes of KimiNozo, I have only done Akane so far. Then? I don't know, maybe Tsui no Sora? Or maybe Yosuga no Sora, that has been translated too.
I wanted to learn chinese because of work reasons, maybe I should look for chinese ADV games or something…
>>145Katawa Shoujo is good, it’s also on the shorter side compared to something like F/SN, it’s a western made VN but has quality
>>3448It'd be a head to head race between Soukou Akki Muramasa, Subarashiki Hibi and Umineko no Naku Koro ni.
Declaring any one VN "the best" is bound to be a personal and subjective choice, but those would be the ones I consider superior when it comes to overall narrative structure, implementation and resolution of its themes and my enjoyment of the story they wish to tell.
>>3449>fan tlDid you even read the fan tl? It's terrible. You'd be better off using MTL to convey the meaning over that fanfiction.
The team behind the Tsui no Sora Remake did a way better job.
read muvluv!!
people say its good for a reason
Finishing AIR(the last true route), then I'm propably gonna wait till november to start Mahotsoukai no Yoru
>>3457How long did it take to read the whole thing? I recently picked up a copy but haven't gotten around to it yet because it took me a good long while to clear all of the routes in Summer Pockets Reflection Blue despite playing it every day.
>>3448Subahibi, no question.
>>3449OG Tsui no Sora is genuine dogshit and has nothing going for it aside from the visuals and some loose concepts. I was excited to read it since I enjoyed Subahibi a fair bit, but I have no clue what people see in this aside from the Takuji chapter and the ending being mildly interesting. Yukito is unlikable and boring. Kotomi's chapter is a literal waste of time for anyone who's not into scat porn. Most of Zakuro's chapter is a single rape scene. I've got no clue what people see in this story, it's so underbaked.
>>150I've learned they don't have all the visual novels. There are some a Japanese friend recommended that isn't on there and didn't have a translation.
I liked harmonia and lunaria. Finished summer pockets, Little busters, those were very wholesome, I cried for my own sake and theirs. SP because I don't think I'll ever have a family like that and LB because I will never have that teenage romance and any friends like that.
Planning on playing Air, kanon, and Clannad. Narssisca is in the bucket list. If you haven't noticed I'm a big fan of key.
What's y'all's opinion on Ideology in friction and trample on schatten? Both of those hit hard. I suggest the pure route, and the main route or the twins route.
>>3448Little Busters!
It's a very personal story and it hits very close to home, so it's just a personal optinion.
However, I also believe it's a VN that anyone who's into the medium should read even if you're not into nakige.
>>3448tsukihime, a genuine classc
>>3454Why do you think it's terrible? what's wrong with the translation?
>>145I recommend Little Busters!
>>145Planetarian is short and engaging. It's a really good starting point in general.
Honestly just read whatever looks good for you, there are some "essentials" (top 50 in vndb), but if you're reading them just to get caught up with the general community I don't think anyone would enjoy them that much.
Do you guys read your vinnies in Japanese? If so, how long does it usually take you on average to finish one?
>>3514It depends on length but around 1-2 months of reading daily for a long vn. My speed is around 15-17k chars/hour.
I started reading grisaia no kajitsu 3 months ago and I still have 2 routes left before I'm completely done with it. So far this is the longest vn I've read and I keep getting distracted with other things I want to read/watch.
Do you like to take vrraks between routes or do you power through?
Summer Pockets Reflection Blue took me a long time because it was my first VN in Japanese and in the beginning I had to look up basically every word, but by the end I was easily pulling 10k an hour. I tried playing a few others after that but never really finished any except for a single route of Chrono Clock (would love to read more of that).
I want to do more VN's but these days I'm mostly just reading novels because it's easier to jump into them andd they're much shorter so it's a lot more bearable. Like if I have a bad day and can only do 10k characters, that's still 1/10 of the book usually. In a VN that's basically nothing
>>3517I will just jump right into the next route usually.
There are some days where I don't really feel like reading a vn, so I'll have a book on the side to read for that. Right now that's the haruhi series. Books are shorter but I also think they're generally harder, so around 75% of my nihongo reading has been with vns.
>>3445I have not read Chaos;Child yet but F/HA is solid, if you enjoyed F/SN I'm sure you'd also like F/HA. It's mostly SoLslop but a lot of people adore that aspect and even if you don't, the main story is still on par with SN's routes, maybe even better.
i'm new to visual novels. i finished reading planetarian and i really loved it. i was reading on my psp, but since the english patch is bugged, i had to swap to pc, but i still finished it in the end.
i think i'm going to read katawa shoujo next, because i hear about it so much.
I'm new to VNs. Started Higurashi recently, kind of a slow start, but I'm enjoying it so far.
>>3554>english patchYuck!
>>3556Favorite character so far?
Just finished rereading Kono Oozora ni, Tsubasa o Hirogete, still hits me in the heart even after all these years. I'm going to reread OVERDRIVE titles next.
>>146monobeno is incredible text heavy and relies on knowledge of japanese folk lore, i'm not sure using an mtl is a good idea since you'll only really be able to grasp the surface level of the vn
>what you're reading
imported umineko catbox for my switch
>what you're planning to read
gonna get back to subahibi
>recs for those new to visual novels
something short like planetarian or narcissu to get a taste
>favorite works
higurashi when they meaty claws
>favorite characters
amane suou, the big titted onee-san we all need in our lives
>fanart
prefer to discover and be surprised. saw some umineko posters yesterday at a con
>NVL vs ADV
por que no los dos?
>what you're reading
House of Fata Moragana on PSVita, Baldr Sky.
>what you're planning to read
Muv Luv Unlimited, S;G, Eden*, a lot lol
>recs for those new to visual novels
Chaos;ead Noah if youre weird, Planetarian if youre not
>favorite works
Chaos;Head Noah, Umineko, Subahibi, Clannad
>favorite characters
Battler
>fanart
Anything with those vampires or gothic anime girls from VNs are pretty cool
>NVL vs ADV
Ok with either but prefer ADV
First time poster but neat little place
>what you're reading
hundred line, black lily's tale (both in japanese)
>what you're planning to read
nothing atm
>recs for those new to visual novels
higurashi, umineko, ciconia in that order
>favorite works
higurashi
>favorite characters
ryuuguu rena! koshka!
>NVL vs ADV
NVL in theory but realistically whatever is default
>>3725oh i also really like saber fsn and otonashi ayana
>>143I wish there was a way to play that with original graphics. New ones don't have the same charm to me.
>what are you reading?
Higurashi after dear friend reccomended it. On Meakashi
>White Album and ToHeart TL when finished.
>reccs for those new to visual novels
Anything by KEY
>Favorite works
Same as above
>Favorite characters
Ayu Tsukimiya, Rika Furude and Futaba Ryouko
>what you're reading
Just started Full Metal Daemon Muramasa. Liking it alot so far!
>what you're planning to read
I plan on reading Little Busters next, since I already bought it a while ago.
>recs for those new to visual novels
Katawa Shoujo, since its fairly short and I'd say is pretty beginner friendly.
>favorite characters
Nakatsu Shizuru, Sasaki Koujirou, Ikezawa Hanako
>NVL vs ADV
NVL
>favorite works
Rewrite+. Cried way too much for a grown man.
>what you're reading
Grisaia no Kaijitsu. 3 routes completed, doing Makina's and then Amane's.
>what you're planning to read
Umineko, Hatsuyuki Sakura, White Album, Subahibi, basically Key's VNs after Clannad, and then the Fate series.
>recs for those new to visual novels
Definitely LITTLE BUSTERS!. It was my third VN after Kana Imouto and Planetarian. Maeda's best work after Clannad in my opinion. Easy to digest, but nonetheless an absolute read for every VN reader, beginners and seasoned alike.
>favorite works
Little Busters!, Higurashi When They Cry, Steins;Gate (and Steins;Gate 0), and Clannad.
>favorite characters
Natsume Rin (Little Busters!), Suou Amane (Grisaia no Kaijitsu), Hideki Hinata (Angel Beats! 1st Beat)
>fanart
Higurashi and Little Busters! mostly.
>NVL vs ADV
NVL for exposition, ADV for dialogues and light monologues.
Finished Higurashi not long ago, and I really didn't like it. But I think the point that is most interesting to think about is its position as an 'otaku' product, self aware and decidedly so in the same manner as Haruhi.
For the people that actually like the series, I'd be interested to know what aspects of its design as a self-aware otaku product (predominantly demonstrated via the SoL stuff) enhance its storytelling and enjoyment. I can only call it confounding the way the SoL stuff engages with sexuality, pretty much all of it being moments that can be summarised as "maid fetish = funny", and then sexuality as a real theme just has no engagement or relevance to the story itself as a whole.
This extends to Takano, who would fit perfectly into a Freudian/sexual reading. Her behaviour is instigated by feelings towards her late father figure, and she could use her position, to act as a seductive figure towards Keiichi or Irie, and to act as a mother figure towards the others, whom either lack that parental presence or resent it entirely. The items are all there for them to do this, which would correspond and interconnect with the casual sex jokes the rest of the time, but instead they just do nothing with it.
>>3950I finished Higurashi Ch1, didn't really care about the mystery at all and wondered if it would pay off to read the rest but reading your comment made me decide otherwise. Thank you for saving my time…
Pretty new to the whole VN despite having 50 of them on Steam but I have read a few of them, eroge and sfw ones and I'm always looking forward to expand my horizons. Big baby that I am
>what you're readingAQUARIUM and Go!Go!Nippon! (VTuber idiot that I am)
>what you're planning to readeden*, TroubleDays
>recs for those new to visual novelsVA-11 Hall-A, A Kiss For The Petals if you like yuri and Katawa Shoujo for heart wrenching stories
>favorite worksAQUARIUM, Katawa Shoujo, narcissu, Clannad and DDLC which was my gateway drug
>favorite charactersPossibily Rin Tezuka and Nagisa
>fanartHistoric boxing fight desu~
>NVL vs ADVADV for now
I love VNs that touches on mental health, illnesses and stories like that, hence why I liked Clannad, narcissu and KW so much! I really want to get to know more titles so I'm open to suggestions!
>>3496DIES IRAE is pure chuuni, unfiltered adrenaline inserted straight into the veins of your nervous system.
Combining the slice of life of Fate/Stay Night, the innate draw of Nazism and the SS, the political side of Full Metal Daemon Muramasa, the teachings of Nietzsche and the charisma of Reinhard Heydrich, Masada Takashi has managed to create a new staple in the genre of chuuni visual novels.
If you enjoyed Muramasa's battle choreographies and the shenanigans involving the Generals of Rokuhara, I say you shouldn't miss out on this masterpiece of modern make.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYZBkGy1tP0
>>4127>I love VNs that touch on mental health, illnesses and stories like thatIn that case I'd recommend Subarashiki Hibi, the quintessential denpa VN, and its corresponding title: the Tsui no Sora Remake.
https://vndb.org/v3144https://vndb.org/v28806If you want mental illness and raw human emotion, these are as good as it gets.
>>4132Thanks a lot anon, I'll check them out, I recall a friend of mine vaguely namedropping Tsui No Sora so I'll definitely grab it whenever I can and I'll have to explore the Denpa genre a bit more cause for me it refers only to the music sub-genre. Thanks a lot!
I've been reading Dies Irae and Fate/Stay Night on-and-off over the past months, never quite getting into either of them, but my innate desire for chuuni chants, magical worlds, pompous characters and flashy fights brought me back each time I was about to set them down indefinitely.
More than once did I think that maybe chuunige just aren't for me after all, despite my inclinations.
I was wrong.
My mistake was simply to believe that Dies Irae and Fate/Stay Night where, as the poster children of the genre, GOOD chuunige.
I hereby declare Mahoyo the killer of these misconceptions and am brought to my knees in awe of Nasu-chan's untapped potential as the true mother of chuuni.
The most recent 'Night of Witches' chapters I've read, including Aoko's and Soujyuro's desperate, defensive battle against the magic puppet, Alice's intervention and the following epos that was the Flat Snark fight within the fairytale amusement park, taught me what it means to read an actual chuuni kamige for the first time in my life.
From the loving worldbuilding to the tight character writing, the broad yet concise cast that feels neither too big nor too small and the incredible technical elements of this visual novel, it's clear to me that this is Nasu-chan's Magnum Opus - her child, if you will - the work she poured all of her creative inspiration into. I could endlessly go on and on about how much I adore the insanely well-timed CG placement and sprite movement during fight scenes as well as moments of mundane slice of life. How well visual effects are used to create shadows and mirrored images, the illusion of movement in a scene composed of still drawings.
I've spent the last 15 hours reading Mahoyo like a madman obsessed with a holy scripture and curse myself for requiring a break as of now. This masterpiece rekindled the flame of an avid reader within me and, if I could, I would love to finish it in one go.
Aoko, I'll see you tomorrow.
I finished Clannad, I really liked the main game, I think I would have liked AS more if I hadn't already seen the anime. Lots to think about, I think it was done pretty well though, and I liked the ending even after seeing all of them.
This girl that Fuuko finds at the end is also the girl from the world of white, who is also Ushio right? The robot she loses is the same one, and it's effectively Tomoya, it kind of feels like they were going to do something else with the world in white and kind of didn't, the end of the message of those scenes is that they're both glad to be born into that world but the VN ends with them being shifted back into the real world. It can't really be an afterlife since there isn't anyone else there, it's some kind of weird liminal space or something. Either way it's interesting, but it really feels like they had a lot of solid ideas that are stuck together into something that's good but flimsily held together. Great game though, it's super long without a guide though.
>>4291I messed up the spoiler tags and I can't delete my post, amazing, time to go to sleep
>>4291>it's super long without a guide though. Reading CLANNAD without a guide borders on insanity. You probably missed out on a shitton of content if you didn't look it up.
I did it for the first 1-2 routes but quickly realized how incredibly vast and varied the common route is. Which isn't a bad thing, mind you.
This kind of design where the common route evolves with your choices and branches off into different directions before you're even starting any route is much more to my liking than the modern sort where you're just prompted to pick your heroine of choice at the end of the stagnant common route.
Who is best girl and whose route is best route?
>>4300>You probably missed out on a shitton of content if you didn't look it up.I definitely missed stuff, the CG gallery is only at 98% and I know there are lots of easter eggs, although I do think I got a decent number of them just by brute forcing it. I liked playing through it slowly, I don't think it was terrible but it probably took me a little more than two years to finish it playing it sporadically. I prefer not to use things like "skip previously read text" since I think it can really mess with the pacing, but I used it for after story since it's pretty linear and requires multiple playthroughs. Having extra stuff to see in the common route makes playing it this way much more enjoyable, I think I would have burned out on it if I'd tried finish it playing two or three hours a day for three months or so.
I 100%ed Kagetsu Tohya without a guide which was probably harder, but more enjoyable since it's built more like a mystery, some of the choices you need to pick in Clannad don't make that much sense to me, I basically did the monkey and typewriter approach for a lot of it.
Tomoyo is best girl and Tomoyo's route is the best, by far. Kotomi is probably second, I like Kyou but her route is pretty bad.
>>4305I wanted to reread a scene from Tomoyo's route a while ago, arbitrarily picked choices that led me onto her route, and somehow got a new, never before seen with Nagisa in the school hallways that unlocked because *I promised to help her but discarded the theater club partway through*. I'd already read Tomoyo's route twice at that point. It's really amazing how much missable content there is in CLANNAD. I'm not sure that I've seen all of the available gym storehouse events either.
>TomoyoFair enough. It will always be Kyou for me, thoughever.
Tomoyo has an afterstory FD set right after her route by the way.
https://vndb.org/v12
>>4306I thought about playing Tomoyo After, but I haven't heard anyone say it was exceptional and I didn't think her route needed anything more. I might play it in a few years.
It's hard to like Subahibi, it's a bit too conceited at some point about concepts from "tractus logico-philosophicus" the VN tries to be based on, which quite ruins some scenes. I first read it in 2018 when an english translation came out, I was perplexed but I really liked the atmosphere (it made me buy the damn book) I finished a second read a few days ago, it's still a bit too pretentious to me.
Anyway, I'm halfway through Seabed, a yuri mystery VN. I'm liking it quite a lot.
Just finished the first Muv Luv.
Pretty good! I enjoyed Extra (even if it was a bit of a drag) but I really really loved Unlimited–it's such an improvement over Extra in every single way, and it really feels like the main cast comes into their own here. They just feel more cohesive as a group, and I think Unlimited actually made me laugh more than Extra ever did.
Well, that's done. On to Alternative, hope it lives up to the hype.
>>4381Just about to move on to Unlimited myself. Ended up doing all the different routes in Extra so it's taken me a while
>>4382I think I only did Sumika, Meiya, and Ayamine's routes in Extra and Meiya's route in Unlimited. I'm not really a completionist and I really wanted to see what happens next heh
Alternative is pretty good but it's already making me a bit sad and I haven't even gotten to the first fight scene yet. Something tells me this is gonna be a rough one to get through
>>4381I really need to start unlimited. I finished extra over a year ago at this point and got distracted by Baldr Sky and some other works. Forgot to go back to MuvLuv lol