this is my first vn of this length and genre, and i am absolutely hooked!!

i will say that, while the story is told from the perspective of a 14ish year old boy, the first half of the story is wildly mired in the male gaze, some unexpected sexualization, and other such things that made me rather uncomfortable in a not so great way. if i wasn't deeply intrigued by the hype around the story, i might've abandoned the game. but! strangely! i am glad i experienced the rest of it.

i genuinely love the slow burn slice of life vibe and how it lightly builds tension by increasingly teasing with death flags... leading nowhere. additionally, they were good lil reminders of how much i cared for everyone's safety.

i also! love!! how the everyday scenes familiarize you with the cast, their relationships and personalities, and their lives so much that, when you're suddenly plunged into a far darker story, it feels just as impossible to the protagonist (keiichi) as it is to the reader. any change in character was immediately noticeable, putting me on edge. i found the voice acting felt pretty central to the story's delivery - a nice surprise - and it shone as characters changed over time. although i caught myself with breath held a few times when certain music would kick in, too.

also just... i felt for keiichi so hard, disagreeing with him often yet just wanting to get that boy a hot chocolate and a safe place to breathe. i didn't expect that either!!

overall, well done. but you have to be patient. the horror and tension in this simply wouldn't be that effective without the reader feeling integrated into mundane village life first.

anyway, not a lot of horror actually freaks me out, but this was uneasy in a way i loved, ya know? and i have so many questions now... i can already see why this is a classic! (and gotta love old man mion)

an absolutely scathing and likely incredibly accurate portrayal of the industry of western visual novels, the demand for output over quality within capitalism, and the homophobia and transphobia that can be behind the scenes. five stars as i think it set out to do exactly what it intended

how many queer games are actually made by queers for queers? not enough!!

the game also comments on the racism within the industry. the lack of understanding within the industry in regards to visual novels is also a key point. a rather questionable quote from a vox article about the not-that-queer game 'dream daddy' comes to mind:

"Dream Daddy is an English-language version of a Japanese gaming trope known as the visual novel — a kind of choose-your-own-adventure game centered on dating and choosing various characters in the game as romantic partners. Visual novels are often interchangeably referred to as “dating sims,” which are a very similar form of Japanese game that emphasizes your dating skills and allows you to rack up points and social clout as you move through the dating adventure."

ouch. lmao fuck. ouch

it took me a bit to adjust to the abrupt writing style and i ran into a few issues where text kept skipping too far ahead, but there is something really special about this one!! a v specific, gay summery vibe simultaneously handling some heavy topics with compassion and understanding (self harm, suicidal ideation, abuse, etc).

i am always down for some solid polyamorous rep (: there is also sexual content which i found to be rather lovely. the art is beautiful, too - a little reminiscent of ai yazawa (though i later learned the actual influences). it all made my heart very happy. i'm stoked for part three! <3