My Fair Princess

 

My Fair Princess sounds like something that someone like I would play as far as visual novels go. However, I had seen a few good reviews on this one and after thinking about adding more to my growing collection...don't judge me...I decided to go ahead and add this to my ever growing list of Visual Novels, with quiet a few still not played through. I also saw where Denpasoft had the 18+ DLC patch and went to get it, however, I was disappointed as that even though it showed it they showed out of stock. I still don't understand how a digital copy of something can be out of stock, but whatever. Eventually I found another site to get the DLC and I am glad I did.

My only real gripe this early on is the ratios. Sadly in fullscreen mode it causes some distortions on my other monitor it was not designed for the larger and more powerful monitors. But you can make it work, at least I did. I was surprised that there wasn't that many errors in spelling or missing or misplaced text either, that tells me the translation team did a good job. Musically, it wasn't bad, though anymore I just turn the music off and listen to my own radio on Spotify or Youtube Music...I find you can put your own music to these things and make it better, at least I feel like it does.

My Fair Princess takes place at the world-renowned Ryokufuuin Academy where only the famous and wealth kids can go...or at least that was until Satoshi (our MC in this story) begins to attend. Satoshi isn't rich or famous, he's just a normal low income high school teen that goes to school and works to help support his mother, four sisters, and a sheep...yeah I said what you think I said, I said sheep.

So how does a guy that lives off bargains, recycling, and doing odd jobs for food or other things other than money? Satoshi is extremely intelligent and was able to get into the Academy on an academic scholarship which pays for all of his tuition. Because of this he's able to attend the best school on the island and doesn't have to worry about paying for it, which is good because there is no way they could.

Satoshi has a dream of becoming a doctor like his father was and to reopen his fathers clinic, not only that but he's also hoping to use his knowledge in medicine to one day create a cure for the disease that has plagued his mother for years. Satoshi is very family focused and oriented and places his family above all others including himself. 

Satoshi is quick to realize that he's the black sheep of the school though thanks to a minor misunderstanding in which his last name is the same as one of the wealthiest families in Japan people assume that he's the heir to their Conglomerate. As such the other students treat him as though he's one of them and he does everything he can to hid the fact they are wrong. That said, there is one guy that became his best friend almost instantly when they met and he knows the truth.

The first girl you meet is at a party held at the school, she calls you out to dance with her at the party after seeing you in the corner of the room. While Satoshi knows the basics of dancing he's not the best at it, and he only goes to the formals at school because its required to at least attend for a while.

Maiki Hoshikawa is the daughter of two world renown actors that travel the world. As such she has been raised to be a prim and proper lady and taught how to act in high society. Because of her upbringing however she can be a bit naïve and can come off as being full of herself. However over time Satoshi and her become friends and he begins to realize that behind the glitz, clamor, and refined exterior, she is actually a lonely girl that seeks affection from her parents.

While attempting to leave the party he hears a voice in a room in the hall that he's leaving through and decides to investigate. He runs into Kana Takamine while she is running through versus in a play. She realizes that he's there and calls him out to finish the last verses of the play and he does without hesitation.

Kana Takamine is for better or worst the one that stands at the top of the hierarchy due to her being the wealthiest person in school. Being the daughter of the CEO of the Takamine Conglomerate which is the worlds leading financial group, has allowed her to also take the top spot in school as the schools student body representative.

Kana has a cool demeanor, couple that with her grown up attitude she is seen as the embodiment of prestige and wealth. However all that glitz and glamor has taken its toll, the rumor is that no one has ever seen her smile...not once.

After the party the next day Satoshi upon arriving at school is reunited with the one girl that has taken him under her wing and treated like a friend and brother since he started. 

Ayame Enatsu is the daughter of a world renowned manga author and is interested in drawing manga as well. She is Satoshi's upperclassmen and is extremely kind. She also holds Satoshi very close to her heart. I ended up actually doing her route first, but that is another post.

Ayame is also the student body's second hand woman to Kana and spends her free time helping Kana take care of the duties of the school. While there are others that are above her in the social standings she has earned the respect and friendship of Kana and so Kana trusts her completely.

Satoshi then decides to check in on a friend of his that he met not long after coming to the school. She's a bit of an odd ball but that is only because she's true genius scientist, the kind that comes around maybe once a century. 

Hitomi Miyazono is an underclassman of Satoshi and has her own lab at the school where she spends the greater majority of her time at. She is a robotics engineer as well as studies and develops AI systems. She has created the worlds first complete functional maid-robot Chole. 

Satoshi and Hitomi have a routine where they will meet at his classroom before homeroom and talk, if she doesn't show up by a certain time he's to go to the lab and get her which he does often. Hitomi looks up to and admires Satoshi greatly and dedicates time to helping him should he need it, honestly she would do just about anything for him.

At the behest of Satoshi she created what she calls the 'Mage Club' which is a school club dedicated to the occult such as fortune telling and the like. Satoshi did it to help Hitomi to get friends, as a genius she's treated pretty different from everyone else, though Satoshi treats her normally. 

Lastly we are later introduced to Rin. Rin Washio has two sides, the one she shows at school and the one that she shows on stage as a pop idol. Rin is in the same class as Satoshi and is under the care of Satoshi's friend who happens to be the son of the agency that holds Rin's contract, so technically he's her manager unofficially. 

Rin while at school is viewed by the other students as a pain and a handful. Due to her family circumstances Rin has developed an attitude which makes her impulsive, blunt, and a bit hot blooded. This also makes her keep her distance from the rest of her classmates. Usually she is always by herself and seen alone.

All that said, when Rin is on stage though that's when the other side of her shines. She can woo crowds with her charming smile, cute outfits and charm, and make people sway with an angelic voice. It is this complete transformation that confuses Satoshi the most but its not like he's going to say anything about it.

The story of these girls who end up becoming friends with Satoshi becomes complicated later when they find out the truth about his circumstances. In an event in which the girls knowing he's hiding something decides to follow him. As such they find him living in the low income section of the island and living pretty much just above poverty. 

When they find this out Satoshi believes that they will ditch him and his stay at the academy is over, however he's surprised when they all agree that they don't care about his living arrangements, his caring attitude and kindness overrides everything else.

I won't go into great detail on other things that happen, but pending on the girl you choose your story will follow a pretty normal path until you get the girl you want. Then the VN focuses mostly on that relationship. 

I hope you will consider checking this one out, its a bit dated but even so I can say it was a good find and one that I am glad I decided to get.

Preview: Aoi Tori

 

Aoi Tori is currently in production by Neko Nyan and Purple Software. Currently this is no word on a release date but according to their Project Progress page currently Aoi Tori is listed as still undergoing Translation and Translation Check are both showing 90% done, with Edit Progress at 70%. So I would think based on this that it would be close to being completed by the second to third quarter of this year.

So why am I writing this Preview? Honestly after reading the story plot and about the characters and seeing the video (which I will attach towards the end) I an say that like Clover Days I am greatly anticipating this Visual Novel. So what do we know at this point?

The story revolves around the protagonist named Shiratori Ritsu the sole male inhabitant of the Kirihara Academy for Girls. The academy is a missionary boarding school located in a remote area of the Japanese Mountain areas. So why is the only male there and why is it allowed? 

Shiratori Ritsu is not only a student but also the schools Priest. But that is only because of his special talent, he has a power bestowed to him that can bring bliss to those that he touches. Not only that but it is said that the ability is enhanced if the contact is sexual in nature. Because of this he has never once sat foot outside the academy grounds, which protect him from demons that lust after him.

The girls of the academy come to him and believe that he is their guardian angel and with his conscience burdened by the death of a girl it strengthen his will to make other happy, so he obliges the girls as he can.

All of this however has a price to be paid, the constant mix of the holy and the sinful has him barely holding onto his sanity. However, there is a sudden arrival of a new girl, Mary Harker who isn't normal. Mary is a one hundred year old vampire and she has infiltrated the school to bring Ritsu a surprise. She brings him a phone that receives calls from the devil. 

The question ultimately is, can the powers that he has truly bring joy to peoples hearts? And for what purpose and reason was he born?

After seeing the video and reading up on the story I am actually pretty psyched to see what this new Visual Novel has to offer. The artwork looks good, the music sounds like it will be good, and last of all it sounds like this one will be released with adults in mind. Though honestly I will most likely not get this from Steam and instead seek to get it from Neko Nyan directly. When it does come out I will do a full review of it as soon as I go through it. I hope to see you then.

If my Heart had Wings

 

If My heart had Wings is a romcom style story that takes place in a small area of Japan that has seen both economic and scientific growth and prosperity. Part of this is due to its multitude of futuristic Solar Collectors and Wind Turbines. It is also the site of the nations top technical school which provides academic learning alongside specific technical training in multiple different fields.

The protag is a young man by the name Aoi which had actually lived in the town before its transformation. However, he has been gone for five years due to him going to an athletic based school. Aoi was a rising and up and coming racing cyclist and had taken third place in nationals. The year after that finish he was slated to win first, but an accident ended not only his chances at becoming first, but medically it ended his ability to compete in cycling again.

Due to these events he decided to head back home and move back in with his mom. Aoi had up to that point been living with his dad, as it is implied that his parents had split up. Moving back he was able to enroll into the technical school without problem. When he first arrives back he is taking in the sites when a chance encounter starts his new life. During this he meets the first love interest of the story, Kotori.

Kotori at first is a very stand offish girl after they first meet. They actually meet because her wheel chair has a flat tire. Aoi who was an avid cyclist carries standard tools with him for bikes. He was able to fix Kotori's tire for her and help out of a jam.

Aoi and Kotori then meet again at Flying Fish Manor, the off campus housing manor for students that Aoi has now become the "Dorm Mother" for. Aoi's mother got him the job to help him get money for school, as well as it comes with a room for the Dorm Mother to live in. Of course the one downfall to this arrangement was the lack of his mother telling him that he was a "dorm mother" and the fact that the entire dorm was full of girls.

Kotori is a bit of a mystery at first for Aoi, but as they continue to live with one another and talk with one another Aoi begins to put the pieces together about Kotori and her past. Kotori is impulsive, headstrong, and a bit of an airhead. But her will and determination is matched by none.

The first day of school Aoi is reunited with his childhood friend Aghea. The two grew up in the same neighborhood and along with a few others played with one another as children. Five years ago though Aoi left to live with his father and after a couple of years they hadn't really contacted each other much.

Aghea is a member of the Robotics Club and is extremely smart when it comes to things, she is also a quick learner and study. Aghea was a bit of a tomboy growing up and pretty strong compared to other girls, but over the few years Aoi hasn't seen her she has become a pretty girl that Aoi of course can go after.

Aghea like Kotori however has a past filled with some dark times, for her though it hits closer to home because a great deal of it stems from the past that they shared with one another. Aoi had prior to him leaving confessed to Aghea that he had feelings for her, she at the time turned him down. Not long after that he left and a line of events that followed broke her spirit and mental state. 

Despite that period in her life she finally got out of it and was able to move forward. Aghea is out going, friendly, quirky, and as time passes she becomes best friends with Kotori.

During an excursion at school, Aoi finds his way to an old looking hanger and inside he meets Amane. Amane is older than Aoi and based on the rumors should have graduated a few years ago, but because of her brilliance and genius she has remained a student longer than she should have. 

Amane is beyond her years with knowledge, though that comes with the penalty of having little in the way of commonsense and ability to interact with others. It is here that the main story starts. Amane is working on a glider and the one in the hanger is the same one that Aoi and Kotori saw on the day they met. Amane was piloting it at that point and upon returning she began to upgrade the designs of it.

Like pretty much every character you meet in this Visual Novel she also has had a traumatic event in her past that left her scared and unable to move on a whole lot. During her years in school she befriended a girl that was one of the first ones to bring back the 'Soaring Club' and their goal was to build a glider that could fly over a unique and special set of clouds that only showed up during an event called 'Morning Glory'. 

After a failed flight that ended up hurting her friend, the friend suddenly disappeared never to be seen or heard from again. No matter who she spoke with or how she tried to find any information on her friend she was never able to. Because of that she spends her time now keeping the Soaring Club alive and keeps working on the glider to get it ready for the special event. 

Aoi along with several others end up helping Amane and eventually she graduates and leaves, but she does return to help them and it is there that Aoi and her can start to enter into a relationship.

 The twins, Asa and Yoru are the grand daughters of the chairman of the school that Aoi and the others attend. Aoi meets these two at different times and it isn't until later in the story do they come into play. Aoi first meets Asa at the market where they both are buying things to cook. Later he meets Yoru by mistaking her as Asa at first. It isn't until later that the twins end up moving into the Flying Fish Manor that they begin to interact with one another.

The twins may look alike and hard to tell apart, but their personalities are leagues apart. Not only that but the twins come from a very traditional, distinguished, and each member of the family is extremely smart and talented, at least all but Asa. 

Asa, is a bit of an airhead, she's clumsy, average in school, and average in other areas as well. Because of this she has always been mocked and made fun of by her family, even her parents. The sad part is that because of her rich and talented family she is also looked down upon by normal people as well. She is an extremely emotional person and overreacts to things easily. She is also Empathic and can sense feelings of others easily. Asa because of her more submissive behavior falls into depression easily when she thinks she has messed something up or has done something to hurt another person. 

Yoru, on the other hand is talented in everything she does. Of the entire family she is the golden child that is expected to do great things. Because of this however she lacks tact and tends to be a bit nihilistic, she can be a bit overbearing and shows little to no emotions to anyone but her sister Asa. Where as Asa has always been belittled because of her lack of talent, Yoru has been placed on a pedestal and expected to be the model example of the family. Because of this she priorities things differently than others, she places less value on feelings and things that don't have a defined goal or things that don't contribute to anything.

Both of the twins are of course able to be part of the romance, and there is a gym here too but I won't let that secret go here.

Overall, I enjoyed this Visual Novel. It is extremely long and even one playthrough will take some time but I can say it was worth it for the story. That said, my only down vote comes from the fact there is no 18+ DLC Content available, or at least not that I have been able to get. The community states that the adult version of the game never got fully translated and turned over into the US Release. There have been some to attempt to do a 'Restoration' Project and I have heard that it is for the most part pretty good.

My only other complaint really is some grammatical errors and sometimes putting the wrong names with the wrong sprite and or talking about the wrong person. The music was good and the few CG video's added were a nice touch. The story was the big selling point on this one and I can say that I did enjoy the story immensely. 

Happy Sugar Life

 

Recently I have decided to read the Manga series 'Happy Sugar Life'. I have heard about this series for a while now but I just never really had a chance to really get into it. I have heard and seen where there is an Anime version out now and that it is on Amazon Prime Video, but I also noticed that it is currently only Subbed, and as a person that likes Dubbed I haven't heard if or when they will be releasing it on Dub. So it may be something that won't happen so my only option was to read the Manga at this time. 

Currently at the time of this post I have read 4 of the 5 volumes I have. I have the other 5 volumes on order and they should be here next week. In total there is only 10 Volumes to the series. There have been rumors of a continuation of the story but at this time it is only rumor. I will share what I can without actually spoiling all of it so I'll cover the basics of what I've read so far and give some impressions on the overall story.

For those that have either read it already or have seen the anime, you already know that his story is dark, filled with twists and turns and can be a bit sordid. Despite the name and the great looking characters this story is actually not as happy or go lucky as you may think. I kind of knew this going in, but I can say I didn't realize how dark it could get until reading through the first few volumes.

The story revolves around two central characters, however the main character would be the girl named Satou. She is a high school student that at an early age lost both of her parents in a tragic accident. Since then she has lived with her aunt in an apartment. Satou growing up with her aunt was greatly influenced by her aunts unusual and unique mental stances. Because of this Sato would gain a reputation as being 'easy'. 

Satou is a girl that views life and love differently than most, she expresses this by finding herself going out with different boys and usually ends up sleeping with them before she moves on. Sometimes they won't even be dating but she'll make her move on them and most won't turn her down. She has the looks to back up her unique lifestyle and in fact she even has a best friend that does the same thing but not as much as Sato does. 

This lifestyle changes however when Satou meets Shio, an elementary school student who apparently has ran away from home. Satou takes her back to her place and soon she becomes emotionally attached to Shio and a unique and sadistic love forms between the two.

Shio is an elementary school girl that has ran away from home and was living on the streets of sorts. At least she was when Satou found her. Shio instantly got attached to Satou and the two share a unique relationship.

Shio isn't world wise, though this is due to her young age. She is on the outside a very happy girl who adores Satou and expresses this often through their interactions. She doesn't talk about her previous home or what her parents are like. In some cases it is as if she has blocked out those interactions all together.

However, Shio has some unique circumstances of her own, while I won't go into great detail, we'll say that the home situation is and was less than idea, due to witnessing several horrific events and years of coping with other issues Shio has formed a schizophrenic mental state in which in extreme cases of distress she will see shadow figures and hear voices. 

After Shio meets and moves in with Satou, Satou deciding that she doesn't want Shio to be around her aunt decides to take up some part time jobs and with the money she earns she gets her own place that her and Shio can live in. It isn't easy going to school and working only to return late to take care of Shio, but Satou doesn't mind and enjoys every second of it. 

It is during this time that Satou in her own twisted way finds love for the first time even though she knows deep down that it is sordid and morally questionable at best. But despite that she's the happiest she has ever been. She tells her friends she has a boyfriend and that she's settling down and won't be going out with other men anymore. This catches her friend off guard, but her friend is happy at least she found someone.

However, this love is not just sordid...its deadly. Satou while working stumbles into a situation between her and her boss, a woman who feels she's having her beauty and position threatened by Satou. Sato is then taken advantage of by the boss, but only for a short time before Satou retaliates. Satou makes herself a promise, she will anything and everything she has to, to keep her life with Shio intact and happy. 

There have been a few other characters that have appeared, a teacher that even though he's married is an adrenaline junky and enjoys putting himself into positions that he can get his fix. This even includes have sex with students or random women. He finds a target with Satou, but in doing so he soon realizes he's playing with fire and eventually backs off. 

Enter a coworker who has a thing for Satou and she turned him down. However, after an incident with their boss that led him to leave their workplace he's also obtained a bit of complex. After seeing a missing person poster of Shio he see's her as an angel sent to bring him out of the darkness of his life, though that means he also wants her for himself which puts him at odds with Satou.

Other characters come into the picture...some of them don't make it out alive. While I am not done with the manga yet I can see where all of it is going. With Sato protecting her growing happiness and relationship with Shio, she's willing to use any tricks she knows to keep that from ending. 

The Manga is full of suspense, horror, intrigue, murder, and darkness, it is a good read and one that I recommend to anyone that is into the more...dark side of humanity. There are quiet a few people in the manga that have different types of disorder...honestly I feel like there are less people that are "normal" than those with some sort of mental complex.

That said, I will do an updated review once I have gone through all of the manga's. And I will keep my eye out to see if the anime gets dubbed or not.

Amatarasu Riddle Star - Extra Route Melody

 

The final of the three short alternative route added by the 18+ DLC patch is the route of Melody. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about this route but in retrospect I actually think I kind of wondered why she wasn't given a main route. So when I saw they added her route even though it was short, I can say I was pretty glad they did. 

Melody is the twin sister to Takaya's 'rival' Adam. While Adam is actually more of a friend to Takaya than they both admit at times he tends to always try to get Takaya riled up and tries to make contests for them to compete in. Melody in her own right based on the limited information given is actually not very smart but is about average when it comes to grades and athletics. Melody also has a little bit of a brother complex and is usually always with her brother and tries to help him no matter what.

This however changes suddenly right after the Culture Festival Event. If you choose not to really dance with anyone but instead to just sit idly by and you have met the precursors to that even itself, you will activate the Melody extra route. After the event Takaya heads back to school the next day only to be confronted by Adam again...which happens often.

However, this time Melody seems nervous and slightly reserved which is odd for her especially when she's with Adam. Adam approaches Takaya and says he heard a rumor that Takaya had his eye on Melody during the festival and that Takaya had wanted to get into a relationship with her. Though this information was of course false and Takaya attempted to deny it Adam didn't pay him much attention.

Adam proposed they settle the matter the old fashion way and they were to go outside and fight for his sister's honor. If Takaya won, Adam would let him date Melody. If Adam won he would not be able to date her at all, which Takaya wasn't exactly setting his sights on her in the first place, but he knew he wasn't going to get out of it.

So the two went outside and even though Takaya didn't really lay a hand on Adam, he ended up KO'ing himself and admitted defeat. So in a sense it was a 'shotgun' relationship. That said, Takaya wasn't upset about it, Melody was cute, dedicated, and strong willed, which made up for her lack of smarts or athletic abilities. To keep they story short they push the story as though they end up dating for several months before they have their first sexual experience with one another.

After that firs time though, they become more intimate with one another and their relationship continues to grow and even though at first they were both hesitant bout the relationship they end up falling in love with one another. The story ends with them admitting that they love one another and they want to spend the rest of their lives with one another.

Melody's character isn't given much in the way of time or presence in the main story so to see this side route was actually really nice. Melody was in my mind kind of the 'hidden gem' so to speak and to see what a relationship Takaya and her could have with one another was refreshing. I find that in most stories even though we know who the main contenders are and what routes are going to be taken, we all still find that one character that we think, "what if they were part of the main route?" of "why can't they get together?". 

I find that Visual Novels that either add content via DLC such as the side stories, or after stories, are actually quite better than ones that just leave it done. I also think that finding a character outside the normal circle of characters is refreshing, it always seems like you have the same arch's played out so to add something new and different can be quiet refreshing.

The H-scenes for Melody are also quiet well done and the story overall despite being short is well written and well versed. I actually kind of wanted to see maybe an after story of these or see more added to them, though I know that won't happen it is nice to dream.

Melody Free Money Shot

Amatarasu Riddle Star - Extra Route Hire

 

As stated in the previous blog post the three additional routes are added via the 18+ DLC content patch which you can get off Steam as well as the distributor's website. The previous blog I spoke about the route for Rina which was Yua's older sister.

In this route selection I decided to go with Hire. Hire was portrayed as an android like character that took care of Kokoro. She was the right hand person and personal maid servant to Queen Kokoro and in some way was head of the Card Soldiers. She is very strict and seems to have a small grudge against Takaya due to the circumstances between his past with Kokoro and their current situation.

This particular path seems to start after Takaya is accepted as an aide to the Queen and to help her in her day to day duties both inside the school and outside the school. This starts out however as a trial period and Hire is to show him the ropes and train him to become a helpful aide. This of course leads to some incidents between Takaya and Kokoro which could be seen as intimate or at least leading to intimacy of sorts. 

Of course those feelings aren't actually there to say that he doesn't have feelings like that for Kokoro but Hire sees it and decides to take matters into her own hands. Through a series of events Hire ends up teasing and forcing Takaya to be a bit more submissive to her and Takaya finds a side of himself doesn't quite hate being that way with Hire, but in a turn of events he finally does turn the table on Hire.

Eventually after he flips the tables on Hire she admits that over the few weeks and month or so they have been together she has found herself having feelings for him. Takaya has realized that he has feelings for Hire as well and so they decide to make it official.

The story arch ends prior to them really telling anyone about their sexual relationship that ends up with them being in a more romantic and stable relationship so don't expect any filler here. The story was short and direct to the point which is pretty much like all three of them but this one seemed to be a bit more direct and short than the other two. Personally I didn't mind Hire's character and thought that this route was pretty interesting and well planned out.

All in all I can say that this route was well done and one that I was happy to go through. The H-scenes aren't bad either, while I did feel that they kind of kicked the main character down a little, I think the point was to play to Hire's strengths then to focus on her weakness towards the end.

Hire's Free Money Shot

 

Amatarasu Riddle Star - Extra Route Rina

 

Part of the 18+ DLC content package other than adding the much desired H-Scenes for the primary routes, is the inclusion of three mini routes that you can also decide to do. The routes are not as long as the main routes obviously and they focus more on the Sexual relations of the relationship between Takaya  and the other characters but they do end on good notes so it works out in the end.

The first route I decided to start with was Rina's Route. Rina is the older sister of Yua and is also an author of multiple books primarily dealing with fantasy and fairy tails. She is several years older than the Takaya and had helped Yua and Takaya throughout the years. However, she had a secret that she kept from both of them, that as they got older she had a crush on Takaya but she never acted upon it because of knowing that her sister Yua also had a crush on him. She also felt bad that she was several years older and Yua was the same age so she had hidden her feelings for him for many years.

On a particular day Rina invites Takaya over to read a manuscript she had wrote for a new book wanting his thoughts on it. When Rina left her room to get them some tea Takaya accidently knocked over a small box from the top of her shelf and the contents spilled out. As he was putting the contents back in the box he saw that the papers had his name on them. It was after reading the first letter that he realized that Rina had feelings for him for quiet some time. 

Upon returning to her room Rina was surprised to see Yua sitting there reading the letters she had wrote to him but never actually gave him. She was embarrassed and nervous about the whole thing and they played it off for a short time.

Eventually however, as you would expect, the two finally confessed to one another and they started dating. Yua despite seeing her sister ending up with the guy she loved, knew for a long time that Rina also had feelings for Takaya as well, so she supported their relationship. 

The story is extremely short and there is a lot left to the imagination and normally that wouldn't be cool, but I can say that I was ok with this ending. It was meant to be a short story after all so I think ending it the way they did was actually pretty smart. I think the story also adds a new dimension to the scenario and story as a whole. It was a simple story of long unrequited love that finally got noticed, though the down side of this story is that Yua who's ben Takaya's best friend for years and one that loved him for so long, now she is left watching her older sister being with the guy she loves. 

When you think of it that way, even this happy story kind of has a dark spot in it. I will also say that the H-scenes are pretty well done and there were several of them so I was impressed with that. I think the DLC content should be gotten regardless but the added stories make it even more worth it.

Rina Free Money Shot

 

 

So I have been placed in a bit of a position where I am having to consider where exactly I am getting my Adult Contented games. I try really hard to support Steam and its Indie Content creators because for years it has been a very well constructed gaming platform that allows a lot of indie game developers to put their games out there for people to get them and for the Indie groups to earn some money and get noticed.

Sadly recently over the past couple of years STEAM has decided to do a lot of content blocking and even dictate a great deal of the content that games can use. The most recent case of this was the delayed and possibly the complete removal and release of Evenicle 2.  Developed and Published by Alicesoft, they released the 'Clinical Trial Edition' for supporters of Steam to try the game out and to help them do some quality control.

After months of the team at Alicesoft working on the game to get it ready for release on Steam and in the US Market, a post by a lead developer from Alicesoft stated they would not be releasing the game on Steam. Their reason was because that STEAM had changed its ToS and what it would allow on their marketplace. They wanted Alicesoft to create a 'watered down version' of the game removing the more adult oriented content and then have that content available as a patch like many do, or offered on a different site. 

Alicesoft stated they would not do this and instead they would seek out a third party storefront to sell the game. However, after that was said there has been back and fourth between supporters and the dev team due to the fact that Alicesoft has still yet to state what storefront will have the game and when the US Version will be released. Many thought it would have been last year...but it still has not been released.

Steam has taken an unusual stance on games recently by allowing some games to make it through with adult oriented content intact while others are treated as a plague. Because of this there is growing concern that eventually Steam will not allow any form of adult oriented content forcing those that do have it in their games to seek out third party storefronts to sell their games. While this in most peoples minds would be a form of capital suicide, we can not say that it's still something they may do simply because of the current political and social climate.

So I recently have been looking and finding several third party sites that are dedicated to the selling of adult oriented content games and many offer free or paid DLC content for games you can obtain off STEAM. Most times though if you get the game through the third party storefront you don't have to get any DLC content due to the fact that the game will already have the adult oriented content supplied with the game. This means that you will get the game without the need of worrying about if you get the H-Scenes or get to see those tig ole bitties. 

The problem however is though that there are many indie groups that will not use these third party storefronts because they do have a higher rate they charge to sell through their storefront. I don't know the exact numbers but I was put under the impression that STEAM's take on games old through their storefront isn't as much as these third party storefronts are.

I have bought a few games from Denpasoft which is a third party storefront that sells all kinds of different Adult oriented Visual Novels. I have also obtained more than my fair share of DLC content from Denpasoft for games that I have gotten from STEAM. If I had to hedge my bets on which storefront would have the game your looking for it would Denpasoft. 

Cherry Kiss Games technically isn't a third party storefront, but it is an example of another option to obtain games with adult oriented content. CKG is a developer that takes Hentai based Visual Novels and games from Japan, localizes it in English for US based fans and then sells them directly to the consumer via this website. Now CKG also has games that it sells through STEAM, but they also have their own storefront that sells only their games. 

All three of these are some examples of different ways to obtain Hentai or Adult oriented Visual Novels and games and while I still would prefer to get games from Steam I am debating if it is still technically worth it or if I should go direct to the company and order from their storefront like CKG or if I should spend my time looking at third party storefronts and get what I want from them instead. 

Usually the third party storefronts are a little more expensive and they don't tend to have as many sales on games like STEAM would have but the chance of you getting the game in full content without the need for any dlc's is greater. 

I want to think that STEAM will eventually grow up a bit and tell people to just grow up and allow all types of games to be posted on their site and not take the stance against indie content like others have done. I will continue to consider all my options while I wait for my new computer to come in and then we'll decide to go from there.

Amatarasu Riddle Star - Madori's Route

 

Of the five primary routes of Amatarasu, I truly feel that Madori's route got kind of shafted in a few ways. I feel the route took a great deal away from the MC and her interactions and I feel that compared to a couple of the others it wasn't as long. The only one that I think was shorter in play time to Madori's was Ai's. 

While I do think that they took a way from the story slightly with Madori's route they did at least explain a few things that you witness during the standard route. I am not saying that her route is bad story wise, I just think they could have done a little better with the overall feel and length of the story.

Madori is based off the Mad Hatter of Alice in Wonderland. This is actually a really good comparison. Those of you that know the story of the Mad Hatter will agree that Madori's personality does match his quiet well. The reason for this is based on her history and how it developed her mental state as well as how she views people in general.

She seems very friendly and kind and tends to pick on the MC quiet often, however the reality of her state is that she is simply putting on a mask. While she seems nice and kind she is actually doing what she can to keep people at arm length away from her while living the lie of being something she isn't.

As the MC's and he relationship continues to evolve he begins to pick up on these subtle differences between her true feelings and those that she creates to be seen the way she wants to be seen. It is also during this time that the MC begins to realize that something is different about Madori on a different level.

As their relationship changes from one of physical passion to one where Madori begins to see her walls crumble things start to fall apart around the two, and I do mean literally. It is during this time you meet a omnipresent being that takes the form a small hat that Madori keeps on her at all times. 

Boshi is an agent of a realm that keeps the balance between all worlds and attempts to maintain such balance from going out of control. While it doesn't happen often it can happen and it is up to Boshi to ensure that should it come down to it he is required to separate the two worlds by force before both worlds are destroyed.

Boshi however can not do this on his own so he relies on others to help investigate disturbances around the area to ensure that the two worlds do not become unbalanced. It is later that you find out that Boshi has visited this same town and place at an earlier time and that Boshi was forced to separate the worlds to prevent a collapse of both worlds.

As the relationship with Madori and the MC reaches a climax it becomes apparent that the worlds are attempting to collapse and it is up to Boshi who's been with Madori for a long time now to make a choice to either use his powers to converge the worlds or to separate them, either way there is a price to pay for it and Boshi pays the price.

Despite the sacrifice made by Boshi he does end up being allowed to return to their world and once again becomes part of Madori's life. However this time so is the MC. The MC explains that as their relationship grew, the walls around her heart would slowly crumble and eventually the once false face she showed others would eventually go away.

Madori has several more H-Scenes I feel than the others but that isn't a bad thing considering her story is shorter than most of the others. While I did enjoy her story I do think they tried overly hard to create her character to be a bit off kilter than the rest of them. I also found that there was a lot of back and fourth between them that could have been reduced...then again that would have just made the playthrough shorter.

All in all I still enjoyed this route and enjoyed seeing the big mountains she had as well...yes despite her short stature she had some big ol titties that a Man of Culture like myself can really enjoy.

Madori's Free Money Shot

Amatarasu Riddle Star - Ai's Route

Much like Miu's route I felt that Ai's route was a total rollercoaster ride of emotions. The one thing that I didn't like about her route however was that compared to the other girls route, hers seemed to be very short so I felt she got kind of ripped off in that aspect. That said I am not going to say that her story was bad and in fact quiet the opposite. 

Ai's character is based off the Cheshire Cath of Alice in Wonderland. She is usually heard before seen due to her cat bell that she wears at her waist. She is also very cat like with her whims, desire to nap most of the time, and her inhuman like agility and reflexes. She claims to be Takaya's 'Older Sister' though he doesn't understand why she says that.

It is of course hinted at and later confirmed that they do in fact have a past together and that past is the bases for her story and the plot that ultimately will pull at your heartstrings when it comes to Ai.

Ai at first doesn't see herself as a girl that Takaya would find interesting or attracted too, but after the Culture Festival he eventually comes clean about how he feels for her and that leads them entering into a unique relationship. The moment he confesses she practically does what she can to satisfy him sexually. 

Ai tries to get Takaya to have more fun and to expand his horizon and to spend time with her when possible. Of course these leads to a lot of sexual encounters and also led me to realize that apparently 'tit jobs' are a big thing in Japan...not sure why but I don't judge.

The rollercoaster ride however happens sooner rather than later, eventually Ai begins to fade but only slightly and then goes back to normal, people then also start to forget about her and then remember her suddenly. It isn't until Takaya forgets about her for a moment that he realizes something is wrong and begins trying to get her to tell him what it is. Of course she refuses at first.

The up's and down's continue, but they all come ahead after Takaya forgets about her completely as well as everyone else. It isn't until he goes through his computer drawer and finds a couples rings with the inner band of one having 'Ai' engraved in it that his memories of her come rushing back.

Upon remembering everything he finds Ai at Starfall Hill and it is here she begins to finally fade away completely. Ai believes that she is nothing more than a 'shooting star' that comes in for a short time and then leaves just as fast. Because of this belief she is fading, however she isn't a shooting star. In reality she is the embodiment and reincarnation of Aisha. 

Aisha was a cat that belonged to Takaya and his family for many years and spent most of its time with Takaya due to his frail body and weak immune system. She stayed by his side and was always around when he would tell stories about the stars and many other fantasies and fairy tails. One day Aisha would leave the family home and pass away. She believed that she would be reborn in the stars and so she was.

At the end with the assistance of a Divine Being that had watched over all that had happened, Ai was returned back to the world and allowed to stay with Takaya. The ending of this route has the two leaving Takaya's home as they go to reintroduce her to Takaya's friends. Despite Takaya remember her and everything that happened prior to her fading, the others did not remember anything about her.

Ai's route was shorter than the others, with maybe the exception of Madori's. Despite that and the rollercoaster ride of emotions, I can say that her story was pretty good. I do wish that they could have done her story a bit more like Miu's and push things a little more forward to bring some more closure to their story but at the same time I guess I can see why they didn't.

I also enjoyed how this one does talk more about Takaya's past and things that happened to him to make him lose heart in fairy tails and so on. It also touches more as to what it is that caused the worlds to merge slightly and why things are happening the way they are.

All in all Ai's route was good but short, and full of sexual H-scenes which we all enjoy!

Ai's Free Money Shot