Fureraba ~Friend to Lover~ Rina's Story

 

Rina's storyline is in my opinion one of the better storylines that I have played through at this time, (at the time of this post I have only completed two of the four story arcs). Rina at the beginning is portrayed as a very athletic, intelligent, extremely motivated girl that is a role model to the other girls in her class.

Rina is extremely good at basketball and it mentions several times how she has been asked to join the school ball team as well as traveling teams but has refused them all. She also works two part-time jobs as well as attending high school. She also lives alone in a small apartment. 

The Protag and her have been friends for a few years now and while the protag isn't as good as she is it is apparent that they share a common interest in athletics and basketball which helped them kindle their friendship. If you decide to take to Rina and decide to speak to her to earn her affection you will learn quite a few interesting quirks of Rina as well as the casual relationship the protag and Rina have.

Prior to completing the path to get Rina as your girlfriend, there is a 'date' you go on with Rina sat up by her close friend as a means to get you two alone together, in which you find out that Rina has a secret, she can't swim. Due to an incident early in her life, she has had a phobia of sorts when it comes to large bodies of water. 

During this date, the protag assists her in learning the basics of swimming and they have a nice time at the waterpark after which they return home. This particular date will lead you down the path to eventually confessing to Rina and the protag and her dating.

Rina, you later find out lives on her own while obtaining some money from her parents. You later learn her parents are wealthy business owners who live in another nation to run their business and that Rina has since a child been pushed to the side for their business. While her parents do come to visit and spend time with her and show her a lot of love when they are around they don't spend that much time with her and they forget things like her birthday on a regular basis.

Due to how she's been pushed aside by her parents it has made Rina hide her true feelings for the most part and she tries extremely hard to be good at everything because she wants to be noticed and people to some extent take notice of her. During a study session with the protag, Rina, and a few others (Himari's Jealous route) Rina gets jealous of the interaction between Himari and the protag. 

The protag reassures Rina that she is the only girl that he wants to be with and that he wouldn't leave her for any other girl. This scene plays in the story later when she finally confesses that the reason why she acts the way she does is because of her feelings of not having value to anyone. The longer the two are together the less she feels the weight of this feeling but it is still there and the protag does everything he can to help her through these times.

I won't spoil the end, but personally, I think the ending of this path was a little lackluster to my liking but it wasn't as bad as I have seen others so while I think they could have added a bit more to the end or added an after story but either way the ending isn't all that bad either. I did enjoy the deep character development in this story and the fact the protag was actually portrayed as someone with some sense.

Fureraba Friend to Lover

 

Fureraba Friend to Lover is a Visual Novel developed by Smee and produced by NykoNyan. It can be purchased off several websites or off Steam. If you purchase the steam version you will get the 'General' Version which has had the adult content removed. However, you can go to the NykoNyan website and download the 18+ Content for free to upgrade your content.

Fureraba Friend to Lover takes place in modern Japan where you as the MC are a 2nd Year Student in Highschool. You want nothing more than to finally have a girlfriend and to spend time with that girlfriend enjoying your last years in school. 

So who is in the mix? The usual girls you would think there was, that said the story is still pretty fun and refreshing. There is Himari the childhood friend that you went a couple of years without seeing and now she's back in your class and you want to catch back up with her.

There is Rina the girl you got close to and friends with after you and Himari were separated. At first, you really only saw her as a friend that hung out with you and your other friends. But sometimes the best girl is the one that you never thought it would be.

There is Yuzuyu, she's a girl you met in a park one day and you found out despite her beautiful exterior...she's a firebrand and firecracker and has little in the way of friends. But you see through her antic and realize that deep down she's actually a wonderful girl.

Last, there is Misaki, the mystery girl that is older than you and is famous in a way. At the time of this post I haven't played through her storyline yet but I will do a more in-depth review on her at a later time.

The VN starts like most at the beginning of the school year and it is up to you to talk to each of the girls or to focus on one and build up a relationship with them by a certain date. The game has a calendar that marks the days you have till you confess to the girl of your choice. During that time you can interact with multiple girls at a time and this can actually unlock other 'jealous paths where a girl will feel jealous over another girl. 

I have at this time played through Rina's route and I am glad I did that one first actually. I will give a more in-depth review of her route at a later time but I can say I really enjoyed her route. Currently, I am playing through Himari and Yuzuyu's routes and again will give more in-depth reviews later.

While the game itself doesn't innovate anything nor does it really add on to any particular area of a VN it does have a pretty decent storyline. The characters are well crafted and done and each has its own unique quirks that make them relatable to some extent. 

Not going through all the stories I am not sure which one is my fav yet but overall the little I have played I don't have anything bad to say. I have noticed a few typo errors in the game but they are minor and not many so it isn't that bad.

I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a down to earth and nice easy going storyline.

Berserk of Gluttony

 

Berserk of Gluttony is a Light Novel turned Manga that is currently in production. The Manga has 2 volumes out with a 3rd volume due to being out this month. The Light Novel has from what I have seen around 4 to 5 volumes out at this time with more on the way. 

Now, this is the first Manga that I have really decided to make a post about and that is because up until recently I really haven't been a huge fan of Manga. But lately, I have decided that Manga's may be the way to go for certain series because many good series are only getting one maybe two seasons in Anime, and then they are being cut for no real good reason. There are many examples of this sadly. 

I will not say that I expect or would like to see this become an anime at this time, but that is only because I haven't gotten that far into it obviously. I did order the second Manga and pre-order the third Manga today so when they come in I will have a better thought on if this is something I think would make a good anime or not. 

Berserk of Gluttony is a mixture of 'gaming tropes' in a dark fantasy setting. The premise is that society is broken into two different tiers, some are born with special talents called 'skills'. If those skills are good they are elevated to a more noble-like class and are part of the 'Holy Knights'. If you are born with no skill or a skill that isn't seen as good, then you are pushed into the poor class and forced to pretty much work for the nobles doing whatever they ask of you, or to do other jobs.

Enter Fate (the main character of this story) a young man who is employed by a noble house of Holy Knights that treats him poorly and pays him barely enough to live on. He is normally seen acting as a Gate Guard on their behalf. 

Fate has a skill called, "Gluttony" and it is seen as a 'sin' skill and so he was told he could not be elevated or become a Holy Knight. He doesn't fully understand this power he has either, but he knows just like it says no matter how much he eats, he is never full, but he barely eats anyway due to low wages.

Through an incident in which he kills a thief that broke into the castle, he realizes that his gluttony skill increases his base stats after the kill.

Later he obtains a sword that has its own soul that calls itself the 'Sword of Greed' and as it is a 'sin' skilled-based sword they can communicate to one another. The sword begins to explain his skill to him, its perks...and its setbacks.

Now I won't spoil the Manga, but the first volume ends with you starting to fully understand that the skill 'Gluttony' is a double-edged sword that can cause more harm than good, but it also has its advantages well. 

I will do more reviews on the others when they come in. Also if there are any new Manga's out there that you might want to read yourself let me know I will start collecting Manga's