Unironically,Ria's route from Kinkoi put me into deeper stage of depression. It has only been 10 days since I completed it but Ria's death was something very uncalled for. Throughout her route they were hinting about it but when that final rooftop scene appears I couldn't held back my emotions.

@@prathamduggal Don't you mean Kinkoi?

@@LucianoLee3 yeah sorry got confused

Same. I was really losing motivation at doing anything in life, because everyone around me is just good at something, while I'm mediocre at best. After finishing the VN tho, I arrived at an answer to my problem and started having a more positive outlook on myself

@@littlecat1727 what was the answer?

Personally I think Otome Domain is super underrated

Sameee

Kinkoi true route has scarred me permanently. in a good way.

So true

Watch the anime, obviously other major issues but jesus the lack of romance is felt heavily, imo it kind of helps the whole coach + player trust dynamic as well. Plus extra1 was my favourite part of the series so I'm completely bias to the romance cause of Mashiro

I think out of all of the routes, if you're looking for a deeply traditional romance Mashiro's Route and EXTRA 1 fits more that style. I think that the chemistry is formed because the sports is such a strong factor in it. Both of aspects complement each other really well, and I believe AOKANA wouldn't have as much impact if one part was missing.

@@TheAugustHail I think if you removed the romance, the sports drama for all four heroines would still be interesting. Reason being? I coach fighting games. Some of the people I've coached have gone on to become pretty exceptional at their respective games. What was interesting to me about Aokana is that I've taught someone much like every character in the supporting cast (SPOILERS AHEAD for anyone who hasn't read Aokana): - I've taught people like Asuka, who don't have the greatest technical understanding, but their intuition (usually honed further through god-knows-how-many hours of scrims) and positive attitude towards learning are so good that they almost will themselves into being a force to be reckoned with. - On the flipside, I've taught people that are like Asuka's antithesis, Rika - they are students of the game and its mechanics, and their fundamentals are solid; but, their attempt to boil the game down to "When you see the opponent do "A", respond with "B" keeps them from honing their intuitions - the very same thing that makes Asuka so fearsome. - I've taught plenty of people like Mashiro, who, whether it's just that they're genuinely not cut out to be a top player, or simply due to their own inexperience with the genre, really struggle to reach the lofty goals that they set for themselves. They are best served by being reminded that the ideal way to improve is to seek true fulfillment in perfecting your craft; that if they can do this, the improvement will happen before their eyes. I've brought several of these types of players to Master rank at their game, which, while this doesn't signify that they're national tournament material, it does put them in elite company, and it's proof positive to them that they can go farther than they had ever imagined. - And, I've taught players who were enigmatic like Misaki: Gifted with natural talent and an ability to easily break down the game and understand it, they rise to high levels very fast. But, this also affects their ego, and failure is devastating to them. It's easier for them, by default, to pretend like they don't care, rather than face the genuine fear - the real heartbreak of losing even when they tried their hardest. ...And you know what? I never once had a romantic tryst with a single one of them lmao. I'm not trying to make the argument that romance has no place in Aokana, though; just that, I think it could have been done better, and that the individual stories of these characters are interesting enough on their own without needing something unrelated to prop them up.

@@vstalbain That's an entirely fair assessment and your lived experience paints a really unique perspective. It's really a treat that AOKANA's premise and execution is solid, that even if you took out the romance, it's strong storytelling at those focused moments (EXTRA 2 is proof of that) And yes, there are definitely weak-spots in AOKANA's romance-side (Misaki and Masaya's relationship dynamic, Rika in general) However, if strictly set as a sports-drama, it loses that "appeal". I'm not a sports fan *at all*. Sure, I like them on occasion and enjoy them (Haiykuu, Chiyahafuru, even loosely Sound Euphonium), but I don't actively seek them out or vibe with them as hard as I do romance titles. I would also like believe that if I pitched AOKANA as a sports drama, I wouldn't get much positive feedback, compared to if I pitched it with romance. At least to eroge-minded individuals. Again, there isn't anything faulting AOKANA as an very good sports story on its own, but that romance element does add charm and uniqueness to it, regardless of the quality (although the romance not being terrible in complementing the sports writing-wise does save it from becoming too off-balanced (if so I would have said that the romance should have been taken out all-together))

@@TheAugustHail Yeah, I think you're right to say that it has more appeal to call it a romance than a sports drama; even as a huge sports fan, "romance" sounds more exciting to me too, lol! I also agree that the romance in Aokana is just fine. I do think there's a little too much of it in some routes, Mashiro in particular (surprise - I hated EXTRA 1 and loved EXTRA 2, lol). I just like it better when I see the romantic chemistry coming from a little farther away - Aokana just had virtually no build-up, which makes them all feel strange to me. Konno Asta's stories (If My Heart Had Wings, A Sky Full of Stars) do a good job of showing chemistry early by having the main character and the girls flirt with each other plenty along the way to the decisions where you pick the routes. I like seeing a romance either build up like that; or I like to see proof that the rapport has long been established before the story begins (e.g Sumika in Muv-Luv Extra).

If enough people want that, I'll make a video for it. I actually already have some recommendations already~

@@TheAugustHail That's actually a great idea

Doesnt it have incest? That'll turn away many people.

I just bought the game! I’m excited to play it, this channel is the reason I bought it

Atri from ATRI -My Dear Moments-!

I would check out the other titles from the same developers, like Harem Kingdom Sanoba Witch. You could try Asa Project and Marmalade titles: Sankaku Renai and Marshmallow All The Way Home

In order for the VNs listed: - Mako - Kazuko - Sylvia - Karen - Asuka I think the Grisaia series is neat. Although I have yet to properly review it

I've covered a bit already on the channel. That said, I do have my eye on a few particular ones~

@@TheAugustHail I am relatively new to reading visual novels with this realy being my first year with them and I have have read/reading Hazymind and Changeling tale that I would like to see analysis or review of. Really liked them so far with having completed Hazy mind one route and almost finished with 1 of the routes for changeling tale and would like to see some love for them being spread on KZfaq.

You've got some work to do haha 😄

Curious, what didn't you like about it?