I document my playtime in various visual novels and hopefully get some half-decent reviews written. I also watch some animes and read some manga so expect occasional posts about those too. DISCLAIMER: Not all the games actually have sex...
I finished up the last heroine route in Rewrite, and oh MAN was it a good one. Rewrite Akane finally gives the reader some insight into the inner workings of Gaia and sets up the story very nicely for the transition into the true routes. Spoilers ahead for all routes (incl. Moon!)
Akane’s route is an interesting one, not just because of its story (which, by the way, was pretty good!), but also because it finally gives us a little bit of backstory regarding Kotarou (which we had only barely glimpsed in previous routes) and because it lays the groundwork for the story that’s told in Moon. We finally meet face-to-face with the main antagonist of the game, Kashima Sakura; though she passes away within Akane’s route we can still pick up a little on a) the fact that she is an important character and b) that she is scary as hell.
The big problem with Akane’s route is that it fully expects to be the last route which is read, and so it drops hints about Kotarou’s past and the nature of the Key (seriously, Kotarou has some spooky flashbacks about a younger Akane and a gang of doctors but after we glimpse it, it just isn’t talked about at all for the rest of the route!). While it’s fine to have a route which sets the stage for the true route, the game makes the assumption that Akane will be the fifth route played, while in reality it can be the second route if you take the wrong ordering! This would leave the reader wondering for a whole three more routes who the hell Akane is and why Kotarou knew her when he was younger... Because, again, none of this is explained until at least Moon (and even then it’s hardly even mentioned, and we don’t get the full story until Terra, yet another route further along).
Aside from that, though, Akane was a pleasure to read. Kotarou had more than his fair share of cool moments in this route, but not in the over-the-top manga protagonist style we saw in Chihaya’s route; rather than being the overpowered familiar-like fighter, we saw Akane’s slightly stronger than human bodyguard, keeping her safe from superpeople and the press alike. The development of their romance was also a strong point, surprisingly; I think what made it so good was the fact that it developed naturally. Rather than having the sudden progression which was present in Chihaya’s and Shizuru’s routes, we instead get a slowly-blossoming romance which is hinted at in the early stages of the route, then develops off-camera and grows into a full, whole-hearted love from the both of them.
I also found the ending of Akane to be satisfying, particularly since it had a real resolution. Rather than being left hanging, like in Kotori’s route, we see Akane and Kotarou leaving to live together, and more importantly, we see the characters taking real responsibility for their actions. I mean, in previous routes everybody was fighting and tearing the town to pieces, but nobody seemed to be punished in any way; hell, Lucia straight up committed genocide and still walked free. However, Akane felt genuine remorse and grief and repented for her actions, and she and Kotarou both actually stood trial and were handed down punishment. This, I feel, was the strongest point of the route: the ending felt realistic and solid, unlike the flaky ending in Lucia and Kotori or the tear-jerker ending in Shizuru.
Altogether, Akane’s route is solid, complete, and more than anything, realistic. It’s weird to use that word when the end of the route involves literally the entire population being consumed by wildlife after the Key sung, but the way that the route played out really felt like it could happen - from the people protesting outside the Gaia HQ, to the banishment of Kotarou and Akane from the safety of the stone city. I enjoyed this route a lot even if it lacked the excitement or the emotional impact of the other four - and besides, even if the route wasn’t as good as it was, Akane is still the cutest main girl so it would still be quality to me.
I cannot WAIT to see how they do the Moon/Terra adaptation, Moon barely makes an ounce of sense when you read it so I can only imagine how hard it’ll be to pull it off with an animation
But I am so hyped the opening video for Moon is SO HOT and it gets me pumped up
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