Topic: Visual Novels

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I can't believe I didn't bother to search for this thread during my stay here for the past few weeks, considering how much we talked about VNs and JRPGs in other threads.

I did play visual novels for many years, almost a decade now probably. This is my VNDB profile. Feel free to check it out if you're interested in the kinds of VNs I play, or you could create an account and share the kinds of VNs you play in your profile as well. It's like Facebook/MyAnimeList for visual novel lovers. lol

My first visual novel was probably something I couldn't remember, which is usual for me when it comes to remembering my firsts. I think it might be this really obscure flash game called Thousand Dollar Soul, which I wasn't even aware was a visual novel at the time. It's about this insecure kid trying to get a girl to like him... but ended up being kinda a misogynist creep in hindsight, because you're literally capable of making some immoral choices to get her to sleep with you. I don't know if it's supposed to be a deconstruction of dating sim visual novels in Japan the way School Days tried to be, showing how creepy the male protagonist can be in these games. But honestly, compared to many Japanese "dating games," this is pretty tame by comparison, even in terms of the protagonist's morality. Not that I would know anything about Japanese dating games... _{^{You will never know...}}

It's not until a few years (maybe even half a decade) after I got into anime that I finally pushed myself to read some visual novels, even though I abhor reading (mostly because I get bored easily, not because I consider it a lower form of entertainment or something ridiculous like that ). My first few titles were rather beginner-friendly ones made by Key, the Pixar of visual novels behind VNs that became anime like Clannad, Kanon, Air, Little Busters, Rewrite, and of course, many people's favorite Key VN of all time, planetarian - Dream of Little Star - (it's about time they made an anime out of that). I never did play planetarian though since it's a kinetic novel, and I prefer visual novels and their multiple-route structure. I think it was also around this time that I got into Mass Effect games, which also made player choices consequential to the story, but in a very different way. My love for games like those might explain why I got into VNs, because I could see where my choices would lead me to... even though most VNs have a recommended reading order and you kinda have to read all the routes anyway, making your player agency irrelevant... oh well. lol

Aside from Key, during my early years as a VN fan, I also got into other VNs that weren't really as well-known in scope as Key games back then, like Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream and Katawa Shoujo. The latter is usually people's recommendation for beginner VN readers, so it's pretty well-known nowadays, but back in the day, Key VNs dominated the market. Their titles were legendarily good despite being about romance and making you cry as hard as possible (basically like Pixar, minus the romance), and it really helped that they had solid anime adaptations like Clannad and Kanon (the 2006 remake, not the horrifying 2002 one with the misshaped faces). Key would dominate even more with their first original anime, Angel Beats. God, all we heard about among the anime community during the 2000s was Angel Beats and its opening. lmao But what was I talking about? Oh, right, the game where you date disabled girls, Katawa Shoujo. It was an alright game. Not really the most memorable title in my mind, but still. The production is impressive though as I think it's supposed to be an indie production or something.

YMK though is kinda an underrated title. I remember it being darker than what you might expect from a dating story, full of drug trips and bullying. It wasn't DDLC dark, but what it doesn't show, what it implies happens to the heroines when you don't pick their route feels much darker than just the obvious blood and gore. It was a decent title. Too bad not a lot of people know it as well as Katawa.

But to address the OP's question, my favorite VN. It took me a long time before I finally got to my favorite visual novel today, which is still Higurashi: When They Cry, no question. I didn't even read Higurashi back then (I got bored reading the first one fifteen minutes in). I first experienced Higurashi through the anime only, and it was easily one of my favorite anime series too, especially its second season, Higurashi: Kai. The anime was something else, the way it attracts you with these cutesy characters, only to lead them to some of the most gruesome fates you'll ever lay your eyes on in a late 2000s anime. But it was also crap compared to the VN, as I later found out when I finally read the VNs last year. So much character development was butchered and cut out, so much nuance was removed. The Higurashi anime came off like a hollow horror anime without the subtlety of the VN, whereas the VN felt more like a Shakespearean Greek tragedy, full of what ifs and could've beens. God, I'm tearing up just thinking about the VN. Roll the music!

But yeah, Higurashi has some amazing music, especially in the console remake. Bless the console remake with the updated sprites and CG art. Higurashi has never looked or sounded this good.

Higurashi is probably also the only story about the power of friendship that I genuinely like. lol I know the word gets thrown around a lot, but Higurashi really is a darn masterpiece with its eight novels (yes, eight, with the last one lasting about 20-30 hours, probably; Kai, the compilation of the latter four chapters, lasts 60-90 hours for some people). I think Takano is such a fantastic villain though, much as it's easy to hate that character. I cried when the villain apologized in Higurashi's 2020 anime remake, Higurashi Gou, but only because I've sat through dozens of hours with the character in the VN. I don't think I would've found that character as sympathetic if I had only saw the anime. The old Studio DEEN anime really messed things up IMO by ruining the pacing and atmosphere of the story.

But of course, Higurashi wasn't the only VN that DEEN ruined. Aside from Higurashi's spiritual sequel, Umineko: When They Cry, there's also the infamous... sigh, Fate/Stay Night. At least DEEN is no J.C. Staff... Remember the Tsukihime anime that still doesn't exist in many people's minds? lol That was a good meme...

Fate did come at a good time in my life reading VNs though. I was already getting acquainted with how VNs work in terms of plot structure because of Key titles, so I finally got comfortable enough to finally read one of the most acclaimed VNs of all time, even more than Steins;Gate depending on which social circle you ask. I didn't like Fate the first time though. Like Higurashi, I got bored about fifteen minutes in, so I dropped it. I got bored reading Tsukihime too and similarly dropped it. Unlike Tsukihime though, I had the privilege of being in the right mood when I finally pushed myself to read Fate all the way through. It's probably my third favorite VN, but it's interchangeable with my second favorite, Steins;Gate. I'm not a fan of the fantasy/medieval setting, so that might have affected my ranking a bit, but I do love the lore and the Fate universe, summoning historical/mythological figures as modern heroes. It's such a brilliant story that I'm surprised they haven't made a movie yet with such a plot (probably for the best, considering Hollywood adaptations of Japanese media). Naturally, I'm a sucker for Saber, and I was kinda annoyed how her route is considered the weakest route of the three, despite starring such a tragic and brilliant character, a female King Arthur who's forced to make the tough calls and kill Lancelot.

I might play Tsukihime someday too if the remaster ever gets localized/translated... in 10-20 years... Sigh.

Sorry for the very lengthy post. I have a lot to talk about when it comes to visual novels. I haven't even touched on School Days, how its insane amount of routes and endings made it a guilty pleasure for me, how I like its deconstruction of Japanese dating sims. Maybe next time.

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@Solaine
Hey, thanks! Really appreciate the compliments. I think it helped that how I get into a hobby like anime or visual novels is by seeking out all the highest rated ones out there, which was how I got into titles like Steins;Gate and Higurashi.

Swan Song is definitely not for everyone. It's like, visual novels already demand quite a lot of patience from you, but Swan Song's slow pace means even more patience is needed. But I think that's why I like it quite a lot though because it stands out from other VNs, being a rather bleak meditation on human nature in a post-apocalypse world. It's like if Lars von Trier made a visual novel, but with less offensive content. I don't think there are that many VNs with people trying to survive the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster (not counting the recent Digimon Survive). Usually, if there's a post-apocalypse world, it's set years after the disaster, not immediately after. But I think the fact that we got to witness how these characters react during the happening of the disaster and then after, when society gradually crumbles, the character growth (or rather, moral decay) feels more natural down the story. It's a pretty graphic VN though with some rather violent scenes, but I feel like that's suitable for the kind of depressing world the story is set in. I can see why people didn't score it very high. It's a pretty nihilistic and depressing story that just leaves you emotionally drained... but it's also why I love it, because I'm a sucker for depressing tales for some reason. lol

Muv Luv: Alternative is not perfect, has its problems with some rather weird cringeworthy plot developments, and takes a rather long time to get to the good part. But I didn't regret reading it. I'd definitely recommend forcing yourself through Muv-Luv: Extra first, the first entry in the trilogy, as I believe many other Muv-Luv fans might have told you. lol But that's why it's a tricky title to recommend because it's designed in a way that would only feel more satisfying if you force yourself through some generic romcom story with some of the most cliched anime stereotypes, kinda like the way Steins;Gate forces you through rather mundane comedy routines that didn't seem to go anywhere meaningful (except that SG's setup isn't one visual novel long, and the payoff didn't arrive only in the third entry).

Even though it sounds like I hate the game for its tedious setup though, I do think it does deserve its prestige reputation as one of the greats. I don't think it did anything that the Gundam anime didn't try to show (how war is cruel and inhumane), but it's very ambitious for what it did as a visual novel before the whole "seemingly innocent setting turns dark" cliché became a cliché in anime. I just can't imagine what the players must have thought of when they first entered the Muv-Luv Unlimited part of the story, after spending 30-50 hours on a dating sim. lmao But I would say it's close to being as emotionally satisfying as Higurashi, but that's an unfair comparison since Higurashi is probably much longer in length.

Subarishiki Hibi is another tricky one to recommend. A lot of highly praised VN titles seem to be, actually. lol It's because Subarishiki, or "Wonderful Everyday" in English, does feel like a literal drug trip so often. It's like if David Lynch made a visual novel. There's a lot of complicated philosophical jargon I still haven't understood fully despite having finished the thing. But don't let that scare you though, because about 70% of the story plays out like a straightforward dark highschool story with bullying. It gets far more violent and graphic than Swan Song, so that tells you how graphic the content is. Definitely NSFW. But I think unlike your typical nukige (or "naughty visual novels"), I think the graphic scenes were intentionally off-putting as a form of subversion. I'm still not quite sure what the specific point of it all is, and I can't really theorize anyway without giving spoilers away, so I'll just say... go in with an open mind. I think whatever bad feelings or hatred the game makes you feel, it's intentional in order to make that point about the compassionate side of human nature later on. And that's all the light spoilers I'll say.

I did read Umineko later, but I guess the reason I didn't connect with it as much is because I'm not a big mystery buff, so all the mystery and deduction scenes just didn't resonate with me as powerfully as the tragedy of Higurashi. lol I like to cry more to my stories, not solve mysteries.

@Ralizah
I'm so glad you made the thread though, because I haven't had a solid visual novel discussion in a long time.

There's not much to spoil, yes. Mostly, it's just about how they pace the scenes. The anime did manage to squeeze most of the plot information in, save certain details that might have made you care more about the conspiracy and the villain's motivation. I think that exclusion is one reason why the villain didn't feel as sympathetic for me in the anime. Plus, I think 50 episodes were still not enough for the insane amount of plot in the VN. It needed a bit more room to breathe, like maybe 55 episodes.

I do think it's a good idea, separating each individual games out. That's kinda how I did it too, except I would also read the console arcs alongside the mainline story (first game of mainline alongside first game of console arc, for example). The separation does improve the experience, since you're starting the journey anew, just like the characters at the beginning of each game.

Umineko is worth reading IMO, despite my above remark. It's a great mystery story about different kinds of love (familial, romantic, etc.), and while I still consider Higurashi a more emotional story, I do agree that Umineko is better written in some ways. The plot is a lot more complex, and many of the soundtracks are better too:

My first encounter with School Days was through the anime, and despite the anime's bad rep, I kinda liked it as a dark romance anime. lol But when I read the VN, I was surprised how likable Makoto was. Almost every bad behavior from Makoto was due to the player's choice to make him that way, and the anime basically took the worst traits from the characters and the darkest routes from the VN and adapted it, thus giving us that over-the-top anime. lol But if you didn't go out of your way to pick the obviously wrong choices, you could actually get a pretty decent and wholesome ending. In fact, as I recall, the notorious "violent scenes" you would often see in School Days memes, those only occur in THREE of the 21 endings of the game, so it's kinda hard to get those in the first place. I like its subversive approach though to dating sims, showing just how terrible a protagonist can become if he's in a harem anime/game.

I know it's not a popular opinion, but I like Sekai a lot more than Kotonoha. I know Sekai made some terrible choices... but I found it hard to blame a confused teenager like her who's not true to her heart. I've been in denial before, so I know what it's like. The whole thing could've been resolved if she acted like a rational adult and confessed her feelings... but kids aren't rational. lol I don't know why, but I tend to side with the flawed female characters in an anime, like Sayaka Miki in Madoka Magica.

I gave Steins;Gate Elite a shot, but I found it hard to reread Steins;Gate in anime form because 1) I'm not the biggest SG fan to begin with that I would go through the story a third time (first in anime form, second in the original VN), and 2) I don't like rereading or rewatching things because I prefer the new and original, not rehashed products. lol It was a cool gimmick, but I sadly refunded it after playing for less than two hours on Steam.