Cloé's Requiem: Andante – I waited 8 years to read this and all I got were more Bookwalker promotions
So! I've fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams recently, which was buying the second Cloé's Requiem Light Novel. This is not a post announcing that I will be doing a translation of it, because I read it using the Google Translate app, the screenshot tool, and an inordinate amount of patience. You will only find a rough summary and my untimely reactions to what I was reading – which. To this day I still can't figure out what it was that I read.
SPOILERS FOR THE LIGHT NOVEL
I guess Michél is an exorcist now??? And France is just like??? Fucking full of these weird supernatural locations???
I do think that it's neat that the Ardennés mansion wasn't an isolated incident, and I realize that the books from the game already implied this, it's just kind of funny to think about 14 year-old Michél d'Alembert going around exorcising curses from people with his violin after he does it barely once
I appreciate that this novel opens with things not being alright at the d'Alembert household. Like. How could they be. Michél killed Charlotte. I like that things weren't resolved between them right away
This freaking. Cursed school full of cursed kids I guess and then there's this obviously evil guy orchestrating everything. I know Michél was established as a genius prodigy boy but like his skill level is extremely anime
I want to say I like Colette and I kind of do, but finding out that her uncanny resemblance to Charlotte was on purpose made me go 'huh'
That was nothing to me reacting to the apparent fact that Pierre was in love with Charlotte this whole time?? Like?? When was THIS established?? Did I need to read Infinito before this after all??? The fuck???
I had to go back and watch playthroughs of the original and the remake just to make sure I wasn't being obtuse about their relationship and like – no?? When the hell was I supposed to believe that Pierre was in love with Charlotte??? But I guess we're rolling with this??
Adding onto Michél's exorcism exploits. Honestly the whole time I thought he knew that Cloé was just looming over him and that she was his stand or something
I forgot that Noire and Blanc were also supposed to be in this but the fact that Noire somehow has the ability to shapeshift into a human this whole time was nutty. And I guess they're fucking. Super-magical cats now? I don't know if that was supposed to always be the case or if this was the result of their experiences at the mansion, dear god I really need to take another look at con Amore and remember what happens in it
Charlotte's death having consequences outside of Michél is appreciated but I'm also sitting here wondering if each installment we get for this game is just gonna keep retroactively adding shit to her backstory. This time it's manifesting in Colette, who was her adoptive-sister-but-not-really kind of deal? I do like the touch of her wanting revenge for Charlotte's death though
You know what I like a little less. Her pseudoromance with Pierre. It's not anything specific about their relationship (slight projection of Charlotte onto Colette aside), I'm just not a believer in het romance
I will say that I wasn't that invested in the whole school aspect? It's just kind of serving as the backdrop for the story, which I'm not mad about, but Pierre never really has to worry about flunking out or anything like that. The most conflict you could derive from it is how it affects his self-esteem and relationship with Michel. I didn't find the students particularly compelling either
The gore is palpable even through the machine translations, I'll give it that.
The climax is everyone coming together to try and survive the building which has become filled with active curses, and Pierre trying to find Colette in the chaos. I like Michél's proactive role here and how both he and Pierre are forced to resolve things with each other, but I do wish that there was more emphasis on Michél's actions in the game rather than just like. Pierre resolving his deep-seated envy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good envy arc, but my god Pierre there's so much else going on with your brother for you to just be crashing out about his talents
Come to think of it, Michél's actions in the game are kind of a massive non-factor in this plot? I know Colette's literally trying to murder him because he killed Charlotte, but it's diminished somewhat because Pierre's our focal character for most of it
The cats are both the MVPs, by the way. Shoutout Noire specifically for risking life and limb for the twins and Blanc calling out her recklessness
Colette is put in mortal danger because of curse shenanigans and I don't blame her
Somehow playing an orchestral rendition of Cloé's Requiem solves everything. I recognize that it's because Alain Ardennes's specter somehow still looms over the narrative and he was some kind of super-musician and the novel's big bad idolized him completely, but also like huh
I would KILL to hear this cover though.
Yeah so it turns out Michél didn't know that Cloé was with him the entire time, and I do think it was sweet that they had that last moment together. Those two have been through so fucking much
he day is saved, Colette miraculously doesn't die! They all visit Charlotte's grave which is somehow close to the school. Colette and Pierre are not dating
The end of the novel has Michél and Pierre traveling all around France to exorcise more curses from places and help people out I guess. I don't hate this ending, I'm actually really glad that they chose to end it with a closing note on the brothers' relationship.
Now was it worth waiting 10 years for all of this. Honestly yeah I'm just glad to be free of the suspense and now I know what goes on. I can finally be at peace. Yes I will still be thinking about Cloe's Requiem after the fact
