VN of the Month November 2003 - Kurenai

Clover Heart's , Eien no Aselia -The Spirit of Eternity Sword- and Yukizakura can all be considered masterpieces from certain angles, but they can't beat a real violent story Kurenai

1. Haken Seifuku 派遣制服 [031107] BlueJelly Main character owns a bar. One day he receives a letter urging him to avenge his dead parents and defeat Kagura group that controls the underground business of the city. But he does not have to fight alone - bar is full of girls suffered from the Kagura group. The power of their cosplay will infect the other shops of the city. Some mix of board game and SIM, and that's enough information for me to forget about it.

2. Minyo! -Miko- みにょっ! －巫女－ [031107] Take Out Main character lives alone. One day before university exam, shrine maiden cousin of his childhood friend visits him in the apartment. She exclaims that boy is a powerful medium able to summon even Satan-class demons. And she also mentions he has one month to live, so she is here to prevent that and save him. Girl is very cute and easygoing, so they start to live together. But what's the deal with the evil spirits? Now SIM with card battles. And I say SIM because there are repeatable actions that must be exercises each day like morning and evening conversations, prayers etc.

3. White Princess [031107] feng The game begins at the start of the second semester of your second year of high school. You play as Keisuke Shibahara and work on your relationship with nine heroines. Gameplay is focused on conversations, with interactive selection points and a backlog that keeps track of the text in case you missed out on anything. It's a weak moege and I laugh at vndb scores. Just because it's Feng does not automatically mean it's good. Protagonist is a donkan who is not interested in girls at all till some very sudden and unrealistic choice. Characters lack emotions. Feng catch phrase for this game "It's ok if you cheat" is a total lie as there is nothing like that in the game apart of very vague triangle relations if it can be called relations at all. All routes look the same in the individual part - girl has trouble and she conveys it to main character. And our guy only cares to answer at the very last moment so that the game can finally end. First Feng game can be excused as a debut work with original motives, but this second work is a total shame.

4. Aiiro no Kyoushikyoku ~Deep Blue Rhapsody~ 藍色ノ狂詩曲～Deep Blue Rhapsody～ [031114] Noctovision Main character attends a music school to become professional pianist. However, for presentation he needs to find a partner playing another musical instrument. He gradually starts to get attracted to a mysterious transfer student who plays contrabass. His childhood friend starts to feel jealous and decides to fight for his love. Where will this three people relations come to? How will their musical careers fare? Unlike rather logical synopsis, actions and thoughts of characters are very inconsistent. Protagonist is not just a weirdo with lots of strange habits, but his behavior is totally different in various parts of the game. Is it split personality disorder or something? Insult and madness dominates the game with very few normal endings. Characters are weak to begin with and do not play any significant role in the game. The supposed jealousy hardly exists at all. It's a deeply broken game

5. Arabica [031114] Active 1 Main character encounters a woman falling off the window and getting hospitalized as a result. In order to help her he agrees to start a part time job in her coffee shop. However, it turns out to be a maid cafe with triplets as waitresses! The look and sound absolutely alike, so protagonist can never guess who he's talking to. But girls personalities are different - one likes to make fun of protagonist, the other one is a free spirit while third one shows almost motherly love.   There is an English review.

6. Kurenai 紅 [031114] light The world is breaking apart. City is full of suicides, murders and bizarre crimes. City is full of shadows, and main character hunts down such "crimson shadows" that used to be persons. His abilities are trained by a woman of a mysterious identity. Love only exists in fragmentary form in this eternal whirlpool of death. Wow, another trashy game, but with guns and moon! Damn it, I'm weak to such crazy games, I'm taking the bait.

7. Tantei Jinguuji Saburou Series No.01: Shinjuku Chuuou Kouen Satsujin Jiken 探偵 神宮寺三郎 Series No.01 新宿中央公園殺人事件 [031126] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Police inspector Kumano Sanzou has asked Jinguuji Saburou for help when the strangled body of a popular hostess was found in Shinjuku Central Park. Jinguuji accepts the case, but first he needs to find witnesses that are willing to speak out.  Game is localized and has English reviews.

8. Arishi Hi no Uta 在りし日の歌 [031128] Mercurius Tomoru Hibino lives a placid life in a placid town, and even the sudden appearance of a mysterious, self-named 'sister' in his own house doesn't change overmuch the quiet emptiness that his life has become. But maybe there is still hope... Very orthodox pure love story of boy meeting a boy in a rural landscape. Chapters are called by the lyrics of a Japanese poet of early 20th century. Protagonist is difficult to empathize with, because the cornerstone of his personality is being empty. There's no voicing, so it's inevitable that we try to read faster at the expense of atmosphere. Overall quite a poetic game.

9. Clover Heart's [031128] ALcot 1 2  "Clover Heart's" is not different stories of the same protagonist, but one story of two different protagonists, two twins, living in the same house, meeting the same people. It's not a game about learning about a girl's story, it's a game about growing up, about maturing in order to fall in love or in order to learn the difference between falling and being in love, together with the girl. And it's also a game about a family, what it means and what problems it may bring: sister-brother problem, brother-brother, parents-children, parent-parent and even no family related people living under the same house. There is an English review.

10. Doujinshi Sokubaikai o Yarou! 同人誌即売会をやろう！ [031128] Cyc 1 2 A talented artist with dreams and charisma, the protagonist has strived to lead a doujinshi circle towards success. Sadly, despite his ambition and drive, he lacks the financial resources and experience to break the barriers… until a beautiful woman offers both, expecting nothing in return except his best effort. Her future is now intertwined with his: can he prove to be the success she believes him to be? There is an English review.

11. Eien no Aselia -The Spirit of Eternity Sword- 永遠のアセリア-The Spirit of Eternity Sword- [031128] Xuse 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yuuto has been taking care of his step-sister Kaori since the passing of both of their parents. Their life is hard, but they are happy together - at least until the day they are transported to a parallel world that they will later come to call Phantasmagoria... In this world where he can't even understand a single spoken word, his sister is taken prisoner and her captors, calling him an 'Etranger', force him to fight wielding a sword that tries to control his mind instead... Although he first accepts this fate only to protect Kaori, with passing time Yuuto starts to care for the fate of the 'spirits', the girls that fight alongside him, and other inhabitants of this world as well... Game is localized and has English reviews.

12. Hello Good-bye! ~Otoko Tomodachi Onna Tomodachi~ Hello Good-bye! ～男ともだち女ともだち～ [031128] Fairytale Main character is a college student who has a lover. They finally decide to live together for a month. But one day protagonist goes to a drinking party where he meets his former girlfriend. Suddenly his college female friends start to show signs of attention. There are also encounters with new girls. So what does "real love" mean? Fairytale is famous for introducing weird systems that are difficult to grasp and that prevent game capture sometimes. This is exactly such case. There are dozens and dozens of choices, so it's easy to get some ending, but almost impossible to get all the endings. For the same reason no one bothered to make a walkthrough.

13. Karen 夏恋　～karen～ [031128] Purple Software While his parents leaves on a sudden business trip the protagonist, Yousuke, goes to stay at an acquaintance house. This "house" is actually an old Shinto shrine which he will manage together with the three sisters living there. Yousuke's struggle to revive the run-down shrine begins and so does his search for love... A very orthodox scenario. Add to that childhood friends and lost memories that stand in the center of the game and you get a game like hundred others. Among five heroines three are childhood friends. Whether such setting can shine or not depends on quality, and here it's very mediocre. Protagonist is passive, and he does not encourage self-investigation, so he's difficult to empathize with. There's only one notable event of preparation to the festival. And it's quite stupid how shrine can get bankrupt. There's nothing outstanding in this game, so it pales in comparison to such games as Kimi ga Nozomu Eien.

14. Presence プレゼンス [031128] Clock Up Main character is an ordinary young man who dreams about unrealistic adventure. But his everyday is a normal boring one. One day wakes up only to know that he needs to pass exam that he already passed last week. He gets into time distortion and has to repeat the same uneventful week over and over again which turns his life into nightmare. Can he find his way back by mending other people's lives? As developers call it, pure love shame adventure. Heroines have pure love route where accident is prevented and also an insult route. It's a shame that reasons for entering time loop remain unclear. The same conversations really wear up, it's not really a good configuration. There's a whole bunch of scenario writers for this game, so routes are quite variable. Game's hardly a masterpiece, even with insult routes avoided.

15. Yukizakura 雪桜 [031128] D.O. 1 2 3 4 5 6 My name is Tachibana Yuuji, a regular student with no particular plans for the future - until my parents left for Hawaii on a business trip last fall, leaving me in the care of my uncle in the wintry countryside of Hokkaido. Small-town life on Japan's northern island didn't have time to get dull, as from the moment I got there I was reunited with my cousin and childhood friend Saki. She's pretty demanding, but when I'm hanging out with her and her school friends I don't mind; as I get close to them I feel like I'm finding meaning in life that I didn't know I was looking for. Legend says there is a flower that blooms here in the depth of winter... as the twilight deepens and a snowflake melts in the palm of my hand, I stand with a beautiful girl by my side. Will we be able to uncover its mystery in this fleeting moment? Game is localized and has English reviews.

16. Vision [031128] Wing Main character Liam longs for becoming a writer, so he moves to city school. Soon his father dies as a result of an accident, but relatives continues to support him with money. As Liam graduates, he moves back to his family estate where nothing remains the same with master of the house absence. Did not block Inspire games, so should not probably block this one as well. Routes are short and nothing out of the expected range. Content is typical museum game. System is poor. No voicing. An average work for Inspire graphics fans no matter how you look at it.

BLOCKED

1. Princess Riesz PRINCESS RIESZ ～プリンセス リース～ [031104] CARYO There are two short stories of erotic nature: 1. Amazon girl adultery (アマゾネスの姦計) 2. Meat doll (操り肉人形) Doujin

2. Joou-sama to Koakuma 女王様と小悪魔 [031107] ilex Main character is sandwiched between cute childhood friend and appeal of a grown woman who compete over him vigorously. Nukige

3. Mind x 2 マインド×２ [031107] Tablet Main character is a devil who is expelled from school and exiled to the human world to wander in sorrow. His classmate invents a computer program that programs protagonist to forget about his extraterrestrial origin. That makes protagonist start insult spree at this school of high tech and sorcery. Nukige

4. Natsuiro ☆ Communication ♪ 夏色☆こみゅにけ～しょん♪ [031107] Terios Main character has been in distant love relations with his childhood friend Chinatsu for a year. This summer he receives a letter inviting him to spend summer vacations together on a beach side. There three weeks are supposed to be paradise till father imposes prideful tutor to take care of protagonist in the absence of parents. Then suddenly distant relative who is like sister crushes in. Finally, there is a perverse wife living next door giving her embarrassing advice. Is it even possible to have time for Chinatsu in such circumstances? Nukige

5. My Pet Priest マイペットプリースト [031108] MOON GODDESS Ragu and Roku insult game controlled via pc. Doujin Nukige

6. Onegai ☆ Teacher おねがい☆ティーチャ [031108] Pham! A collection of three animated short stories based around heroines of Onegai Teacher anime. Nukige

7. Sister Princess 2 Premium Fan Disc [031113] STACK software Fans of all things Sister Princess may find comfort in the new SisPri 2 Premium Disk which features the original Sister Princess 2 game and a bounty of material from the popular series spread out over two CDs. The game portion of SP2 takes place in two parts during the spring and the summer and features a number of new cinemas and artwork to freshen up the interaction.  The bonus material is split into an art gallery section and a BGM sound selection where gamers may view the twelve sisters in nicely rendered artwork and listen to tunes, event jingles and other sounds from the game. Fan favorite Sakuya shines in her gallery turn.  Fandisc

8. Hobo-san to Issho! ~Futago to Dekirumon!~ 保母さんといっしょっ！～双子とできるもん！～ [031114] TinkerBell 1 Reunited with a cheerished mentor and her adorable twin daughters, Yuuji hopes to repay his newest employer’s kindness with devotion and outstanding performance. Yet to successfully embrace the future, he must first settle the past. Feelings old and new, hidden and exposed, have begun to surface in Yuuji and his friends: emotions that have long been waiting to be satisfied and laid to rest. Nukige

9. Miko Shimai ~Shokushu Jusei Jigoku~ 巫女姉妹～触手受精地獄～ [031114] Black Lilith The Dark Age where darkness dominates the night. Shrine maidens family lives peacefully on an isolated island till the family is assaulted and assassinated. The two surviving girls seek a way to survive. What they don't know is that God already abandoned this land. Nukige

10. Shikon no Toki 紫紺の刻 [031114] Black Package Luxury liner Lily Marlene. It's not known to the outside world that many girls aboard are sex slaves. Main character is a gossip writer. His sister dies on board this ship under mysterious circumstances, so his investigation leads him there. Is it only revenge that drives him? Nukige

11. Feel For You [031120] Hanjuku Nora Main character is a salary man. One day he finds a strange promotional flyer in his mailbox showing off various costumes. After making a phone call, he gets to know he can order a girl in any of these costumes... Doujin nukige

12. Himitsu no Bara 秘密の薔薇 [031120] GAM School boys love adventure game "The Secret Trap" that incorporates angels and demons confrontation.  Boys Love Doujin

13. Fukuramikake 2 ~Bra Kaemashita~ ふくらみかけ2～ブラかえました～ [031121] Trabulance Main character is a student who helps out at a public bath. He looks back at his indecent relations with five girls over the last few years and dreams of a harem. But now with his sister matured, she  controls her brother's behavior relentlessly. Now there's a chance to meet former lovers if sister is handled somehow. Nukige

14. Hajiyome Osanazuma Oshioki Adventure はじよめ 幼な妻おしおきアドベンチャー [031121] Alster Main character is a university student with parents away from home for a few weeks. Knowing it,  childhood friend comes to the house claiming herself wife of onii-chan. She performs various household chores and tries to get liked by protagonist. Where will this strange cohabitation lead?  Nukige

15. Innyuu Joshikousei - Ryoujoku Shidou Youryou 淫乳女子校生・凌辱指導要領 [031121] May-Be Soft Main character is a new physical education teacher in a private girls school. He has his own education guidelines picked up from night adult DVDs.  Nukige

16. Master & Slave ~Goshujin-sama to Mesu Dorei~ Master & Slave～御主人様と雌奴隷～ [031121] EXtry In medieval world people start studying magic. In remote forests of a kingdom there is an educational facility for girls practicing magic. Main character holds a laboratory there, but he has a reputation of a sadist, so students avoid it. This year there are four girls who enroll to the laboratory. It becomes a great surprise for protagonist. Well, now time's for fun. Nukige

17. Sister Contrast! シスターコントラスト！ [031121] Acacia Soft The main character has no sister. His parents divorced when he was a boy, and he lived with his mother since then. And his mother passed away last year. One day, he receives a letter from his father, and goes to his house. On his way to the house, a flash of lightning strikes him. When he wakes up, there is a girl looking at him. It seems she is his younger sister. He doesn't know what is going on, and goes to his father's house. There isn't his father at his house, just three girls await him. He starts to find out that the world he is in now is another world, and he is supposed to live with the girls in another world. His new life with the girls starts now.... Lolicon

18. Reanu Monogatari ~Wizard of the Darkness Gaiden~ レアーヌ物語～Wizard of the Darkness外伝～ [031121] Studio Sepia Leanne is shocked about her sister princess Aria wedding with Garland Empire prince. She is so devastated that she does not notice invasion into Lucana. A magical hand extends right to Leanne princess... Doujin

19. Study Fighters [031126] Miyazawa Shinji Main character is a student who is bullied at high school. But one day he becomes disciple of a fighting school, and his fate changes. For three years cram school becomes a place where the best rival fighters train, grow and develop friendship bonds together. Doujin

20. Heisa Byoutou 閉鎖病棟 [031127] Dennou Club The main character, who loves taking a sneak shot, starts working at a hospital. His target girls, Satsuki and Noho, cause various troubles due to the eternal triangle with Hideyuki, the director's son. He, who takes a sneak shot of the girls, approaches them with a video tape in his hand.... Nukige

21. Batou ~Real Summoner~ 罵倒～リアルサモナー～ [031128] Sign Main character is about to graduate from college. He dreams to find a job in eroge company and write lustful masochistic scenarios of his own making. He goes to Tokyo to find new love and make his dream come true. Nukige

22. Imouto Watashi Donna Koto Datte... 妹 わたし、どんなことだって… [031128] Moonstone In a single night, the protagonist Himuro Kenichi learns how strong ones libido can really be.  When their parents are out of town, Kenichi gives in to temptation and sleeps with his step-sister Suzune, taking her virginity. This naturally creates a crack in their good relationship which Kenichi the morning after, in deep regret, try to repair. However, Kenichi's abnormal sex drive makes him continue to sleep with Suzune every night. Will he manage to overcome it? Nukige

23. Kusari to Ai to Goraku o 鎖と愛と悦楽を [031128] Ritz software Itsushi moves in with his boss, Kouji, after his mom marries Kouji's dad. Kouji also has a brother named Shinji. On the day he moves in, Koji calls him to his room at night and then takes him to a secret room. Itsushi is then raped and forced to become his pet. Will Itsushi ever find his freedom or give into being a pet? Boys Love

24. Miko-san Daisuki! 巫女さんだーいすき！ [031128] Score Protagonist was killed by a female shinigami, but it was a mistake. To fix this she took him to three miko sisters, whom can revive him. But the reviving ceremony went wrong too, and protagonist's sexual desire became very high... Sisters took it upon themselves to cure him... by serving him every night... Nukige

25. Onedari Sweetie ~Koi no Oironashi wa Nando de~ おねだりSweetie～恋のお色直しは何度でも～ [031128] Hadashi Shoujo Main character is a cute boy who stimulates maternal instinct in women. He comes to a new school just to find himself in relations with a teacher, a classmate, a cosplay maniac and a neighbor who are all big bust oneesan type girls. Fierce competition with the heavy use of cosplay begins. Nukige

26. Only One ~Hikari to Haruka no Dai Undoukai~ オンリーワン～ひかりとはるかの大運動会～ [031128] Globe Main character comes to school as an apprentice teacher. He is asked to give private athletics lessons to a girl participating in athletic competition. However, her twin sister comes to the lesson instead. Protagonist is delighted with such improvement in sports and kisses the girl as a reward. The next day both girls start their bold love advancement... Nukige

27. Only One ~Minano Sensei no Poolside Lesson~ オンリーワン～美奈乃先生のプールサイドレッスン～ [031128] Globe Main character belongs to a swimming club. He is asked to give special training to his childhood friend from the same club. However, protagonist involuntarily trespasses skinship boundaries and insults the girl. The training sessions continue, but with a different emphasis. Nukige

28. Only One ~Sayaka Futari Dake no Kyuudoubu~ オンリーワン～さやか二人だけの弓道場～ [031128] Globe Main character is a manager of an archery club. There is a genius archer Sayaka in the club, but she's unable to show her talents in full because of emptiness in the heart. Even physical intimacy can not unseal it. But gradually things start to change... Nukige

29. Shiritsu Rape Jogakuin 私立レイプ女学院 [031128] Anim After School, R girls high school... Ishizeki Kaoru, a lovely and beautiful girl, getting a sermon from the devil-rapist-teacher Nishijima. Due to poor academic performance, Kaoru had to accept obscene treatment... -- however, that's just a prelude for much more humiliation and pleasure. At first, she shows resistance to the humiliation she received, the humiliation which takes in wherever and whenever. But Kaoru, slowly drown into pleasure, bewildered while covered by shame-juice and dripping love nectars. Furthermore, Kitagawa Harumi - the beautiful homeroom teacher, Arisawa Miki - the school nurse, Ishizeki Yuko - Kaoru's stepmother, and finally Kusama Mana - Kaoru's classmate, also indulged and lost in the ongoing night of rape. Nukige

30. Criminal Memory [031128] Gin no Ken In a rain-soaked city, vampire adventurer Larc saves a girl. He has never seen her before, yet she looks exactly like "her", the cherished light lost long ago. The ghosts of the past have revived forgotten dreams of blood. Who killed Ciel? What exactly happened that night? And nightmare begins anew... Doujin

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