Not Spoiler Free!
What makes Slow Damage such an emotionally compelling and rewarding experience? To answer this question, we first need to look outwards at ourselves and the social conditions of the society we live in. It doesn’t take much insight to understand that capitalism is in a deep and severe crisis. Inflation, poverty, political instability are just a few things that have been exacerbated in recent times. And I find that art in general rarely takes inspiration from the sickness of this system. Right away in Slow Damage, the prologue dives into the economic collapse of post-Olympic Japan. Describing basically word for word what life has become for the majority of people around the world. Shinkoumi may seem dystopic, but are the material conditions on the island really that different from our own? Its clear where the writers drew their inspiration from.
Towa is both a unique and familiar character. Compared to other Nitro Chiral protagonists, Towa certainly stands out, but why is that? I think there’s a few reasons. Towa for most of the story is really just someone trying to get by in life, and barely at that. He has few hobbies, spends a lot of time doing nothing, works a boring low wage job, wanders around. Not even mentioning his drug abuse and other destructive behaviors, its clear that Towa isn’t very interested in being alive. There are reasons for this, which are later revealed in the true route. However, Towa’s internal dialogue reveals that a lot of Shinkoumi residents feel the same way, and he’s no different. Given the staggering unemployment rate, high cost of living, and prevalence of violent crime, Shinkoumi is a suffocating place to live, especially for young people. Towa’s lifestyle may standout in comparison, but in his world--our world, he’s just the average guy. Throughout the story, Towa meets people who are just like him. People who have suffered the same exact abuse he did as a child, and who cope in the same destructive way he does. Even though Towa has familial connections to the bourgeois of Shinkoumi, his lived reality is crippling poverty. I think at times throughout the story, there seems to be not a lot going on. During the exploration component, Towa has the option of going to local shops and districts, but these movements are not necessarily plot relevant. A lot of the time, Towa just goes to places and you get to listen to his thoughts. If Towa goes to the old school candy shop, you get to hear him talk about gentrification and nostalgia (obviously in his words). Depending on what district he’s walking through, he describes the class character of the neighborhood, who probably lives in the apartments, etc. I think this is a wonderful component of the story, and Towa’s descriptions really solidify the class character of Shinkoumi. Towa’s meandering and inner dialogue are the heart of the game in my opinion.
Its not until after Fujieda’s route where Towa has regained his lost memories that he starts to find joy in everyday life. But Towa doesn’t magically heal from his trauma. In fact, when Towa is brutally confronted with his childhood, we see him breaking down and falling into the lowest point of his life. Its only through Fujieda’s compassionate intervention where Towa begins to slowly accept himself. By the end of Fujieda’s route, Towa is still suffering from daily nightmares. However, in the past when Towa would use self-harm and alcohol to cope with his trauma, instead now we see him experiencing the same distressing flashbacks, and then letting the painful feelings pass. This is not to say that he’s unaffected from the agony of his trauma. Towa still struggles from insomnia and feeling like shit in general, but at least now he wants to live.
Unfortunately, Slow Damage does not end in the revolution of Shinkoumi. I’ll admit that I was bit disappointed that nothing fundamentally changed in the resort city. Even though the two gang leaders who governed the city were removed, we are told that some other “corporation” took their place, and it was business as usual. Although anti climatic, this is the reality under capitalism. Social conditions don’t magically improve just because the scary cat lover ex-yakuza assassinates the head honchos. So basically, post story Shinkoumi is still a shitty place to live if you’re poor. But at least in each ending, we get to see Towa trying to live his best life regardless if he’s decided to confront his lost memories. Its enough that Rei, Taku, Madarame and Fujieda accept and love Towa for who he is. And this feeling is mutual too. Although perhaps more obvious in other routes, Towa openly voices his admiration and respect for each love interest. This doesn’t mean that these relationships are perfect by any means, but that these characters can be imperfect, crooked, and happy. It was really difficult putting together a review, especially since I love this game so much. I think the point overall of writing this was to somewhat clarify why this visual novel resonated with me so well. The strong point of this game is undoubtedly Towa and getting to experience Shinkoumi through his eyes. I think in general if Slow Damage had come out ten years ago, it probably wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact on its players, or at least for me. But for me, and millions of other young people, the world has turned its back on us. Conditions are rapidly deteriorating, life has become unbearable, and like the barbarism of Shinkoumi, there seems to be no way out. But at least in Slow Damage, we get to see someone like us finding a sliver of respite in a world deprived of hope.
Afterthoughts: By the way, this game also has an amazing soundtrack, art direction, voice acting and UI. There are so many other wonderful aspects of the game that I will not mention publicly on social media platforms. But if you must know, Slow Damage is an R18 game. Slow Damage has really elevated the Boys Love genre in general and I hope future titles will continue to go beyond expectations. I was also all over the place with this review, which is indicative of how badly I want to pop off on all the things I love about Slow Damage.
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