[bakAnki]

Now that I’ve played all the routes and currently have free time, allow me to write my thought of the disc 2 :3

:: Story
With the basic premise to date almost all heroines of OreImo series from the start, it’s already sounds interesting for fan of the series. I mean where else we can find this kind of story other than fan fiction or doujinshi XD But I feel that routes that written by Fushimi-sensei himself are more interesting, have great balance of touching moment and hilarity, with well done dialogues and have the feels of completion with the relationship of most characters resolved; while those weren’t written by him mostly feel just so-so.
And the year-after endings with the children are really fun.

:: Graphic
The improvement of Live2D sprites were great, make the movements smoother. But still I have this feels that new characters’s sprite (Sena, Kanako, Saori) are better than improved old characters’s.

:: Sound
All of the voice actors/actress are really done great, great job here. Their acting make up for the lack of expression that the 2D or Live2D sprites can’t show. I always laughed every time I replay the scene where Kyousuke met Kirara on Kanako route (“Anta tte hito waaaa~~~!!”), Kirino’s “FUOOOOOO!!” on her route, or other hilarious lines. As well as the icha icha/flirty scenes. I usually use the backlog to replay those lines over and over before proceed to the next scene But I wonder why they don’t get all the narration to be voiced too like disc 1.
As for the BGM music, I still don’t get bored of it even though they use (I think) all of the BGM from previous game. The BGM really emphasize the current feeling of each scene perfectly. And for the ED song, ‘Nexus’ is much much better than ‘Secret x2’ from previous game ^^

:: Gameplay
The ORE system and Two-Shot system are still here and they make Two-Shot easier here with the help option, which is great. And the addition of the ‘changing perspective’ is really great because now we can also hear each girl’s thought on the story.
The minus point is probably the game is too linear once we get to specific girl route. There’s almost no story variation for bad ending, with the exception of Ayase that has lots of it, since usually the ‘bad ending’ is you only don’t get to see the epilogue/years-after scene.

:: End verdict
Being an OreImo fan, this is a godly game for me. Well maybe not really a godly since there are definitely some room that can be improved on story department, especially the routes that aren’t written by Fushimi-sensei (Manami and Kuroneko, I’m looking at you). But still, this is a really fun game nonetheless.


And as for my thought for each route, I’ll just put it behind spoiler tag for convenience

Spoiler for thought:

Kirino
The route begins different from the previous game since although Kyousuke learns he is not the real son, but Kirino hasn’t confessed yet. It works, but it makes the confession scene feels rushed. Ah well the moment is right because Kirino doesn’t want to be Kyousuke’s little sister as his initial wish, but I don’t know, maybe the dialogue that makes it feels not as dramatic/good as, say, Ayase or Kanako confession from previous game.

But following it are simply gold. Kirino still retain her tsun but it tones down a much. Ayana Taketatsu didn’t kid when she said Kirino changed from ‘9 tsun : 1 dere’ to ‘3 tsun : 7 dere’ ratio. Dere Kirino is love. And she is the one who mostly take initiative for the flirt/icha icha scene, hnngh X3

The problem here that involves most of the cast also make her route much more interesting and enjoyable, and we get premonition of what really started the cold war between Kyousuke and Kirino on Manami last event. Sena was really hilarious here and Manami manages to scare me on her own way. It really has great balance of comedy, drama, and flirty scene. Ryousuke and Yuuno are also fun, kinda wish they have their own spin-off, lol. One of the route I probably play over and over again in the future.


Kuroneko
Even if I’m not her big fan, but knowing she is the second (or maybe the first) favorite girl on the series, I’m hoping for nice story on her route but they didn’t deliver. They didn’t even resolve her relationship with Kirino after she’s going out with Kyousuke on-screen. Kyousuke just said that Kirino is still pissed at him (or both of them, I forgot) and suddenly on the epilogue on her best end they’ve became best friend again and lived together. Maybe because on some point they’ve included this on light novel so they feel it’s unnecessary to bring it again?


Saori
Now we can see a lot of Ojou Saori, and she is so cute with her shyness. But even she’s really shy, we can see her teasing Kyousuke, not the vice versa, and it’s really adorable. Otaku Saori has lesser screen time, and because the latter part of the route deals with Kaori, we don’t get much flirty scene. Little bit sucks because with her two different personalities, Kyousuke looks like she is dating two girls. Kinda wish they made two routes, or at least branch, for her so we can focus on her Ojou or Otaku persona, like what they did with Kuroneko and Yamineko or Manami with ‘glasses’ or ‘glasses-less’. We also didn’t get to know her thought since the ‘perspective changing’ on her route isn’t her, but to Kaori and Kanata. But that scene was hilarious nonetheless. And this route concludes Kaori and Saori problem nicely, and the interaction between Kyousuke and Kaori is nice too. It really helps with Fushimi-sensei wrote her route himself. And I didn’t expect the Final Fantasy reference here, are they allowed to do it?


Manami
Ugh, still plain as ever, not really any problem that makes it interesting on her route. Maybe because I’m not really her fan as I wrote before, I don’t really like her way of speaking that sounds she trying to be cute. The plainness is fit to her personality though, but I admit her new look is stunning, and some of the CGs are ‘nice’ XD The choice to let her wear her glasses or not is also nice addition but it makes the CG and flowchart completion little bit longer.


Ayase
Almost everyone know I’m huge Ayase fan, but even I have to admit even though all those flirty scenes are great enough to make me grin like crazy, but overall it’s liiitle bit step back from her route on first game. But maybe because the majority of her problem (with Kirino) has been solved there so the current problem that she’s being easily jealous and feels insecure of her strictness aren’t that as interesting. And as I don’t like her being yandere, all those bad ends really scare me, but oh well there’s fans that like that side of her so I guess they had to play fair and give every side win-win solution ^^

Little bit sucks too that they didn’t give conclusion/further story with Yamineko, or even Kirino after she’s followed Kyousuke and Ayase to Atami with Kanako. Kinda wanted to see Ayase scolded her for once like she did with Kanako, lol. But one of my hope that Kyousuke gets along with Kirino after he’s going out with Ayase is shown. And the interaction between Kyousuke and Ayase is still fun even though the sexual harassment amount is much less, and I really missed her “Tsuuhoushimasu yo!” catchphrase :3


Kanako
Another one of the best route on the entire game. Hard to choose between this or Kirino route as my favorite route. It really have great amount of flirty scenes, comedy, and touching scenes; as well as interaction with most of the casts and of course Kyousuke and Kanako interaction is one of the best. Kanata and the little bit of Daisuke and Yoshino past made this route more interesting and fun. I’m usually not into loli character but Kanako is that fun, and the CG when she’s feeding Kyousuke is too adorable <3 And I also love how she named her daughter Kanami that sounds like Manami, makes it looks like a reminder that Manami is the one who taught her and changed her to a better person. Playing this route makes me hope there is a Kanata If route XD


Sena
Not really interesting on the beginning unless when Sena enters fujoushi mode. But I find it becomes more interesting when she and Kyousuke went to butler café on Ikebukuro to gain data for her new game (where Sena and other fujoushis that happened on that café went crazy with Kyousuke’s uke aura XDD). Sena’s entering imouto mode when she ate pudding Kyousuke bought her is also really adorable, and of course the last battle with Kouhei is one hilarious scene. Maybe because she is a new heroine so we don’t get many flirty scenes and after they officially become a couple the story ends, except for the epilogue. I was hoping Kirino appeared and has more part to get in their way just like Kouhei did. The ending, although different and arguably not as good as other girl’s, is sweet too on its own way, when Kyousuke whispered to Sena to not think much of any other guy for her fujoushi delusion ^^;


Yamineko
Short and don’t even have that much of flirty scene but still I find this route more interesting than Kuroneko normal route. I guess that’s the capability of the original author, eh? The scene with Kaori was funny, and also that ending that reveals Tamaki is the second Kuroneko and Rino is the third and also the second Yamineko XD


Lolicon
Super fun. How many times you can see Kirino’s begging Kyousuke and call him ‘Onii-sama’ in the process? XD All the interaction between Kyousuke to Hinata and Tamaki and Kirino to Hinata and Tamaki are really great too. But I kinda wish they focused more, or at least give us Hinata own route. I really like that girl, she’s so fun and is voiced by HanaKana too!

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Another thing they could try would be to release individual stories digitally...

Oh hell yes, an OVA or dedicated tv series spin-off with omnibus format ala Amagami or Yosuga no Sora will be great xD