[arkhangelsk]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

I absolutely don't see how it explains the sudden "let's go out". That was almost terribly on the left field, which could scream OOC and bad timing if they weren't childhood friends etc.

For the sake of argument, outline how would you have handled Rin's scene there.

Because the way I see it, it was very natural for them. Rin had always liked Riki but did not have the emotional maturity to recognize exactly what it is. When Rin heard another girl is coming after Riki, presumably her jealousy made her realize, to a small extent, what her feelings were. Action follows.

Riki probably had even weaker feelings, but he does like Rin, it is a good excuse to put off the girl coming at him (no doubt Kyousuke "installed" the girl), and he doesn't have to leave the group that way. So, when Rin called him, it raised his consciousness just a bit and so he agrees.

Despite such elements, they certainly don't have such romance affinity until refrain etc. But the first loop and further loops were awkward in term of development compared to other girls.

Frankly, what's awkward is how fast the other loops go, though we are numb to it because in H-games, Hero can somehow go from Zero to love with any character within a month despite not having that instant infatuation with them from the start. Don't confuse a realistic speed with awkwardness. They weren't in deep love, and so they start off not very different from what's before. That's almost world-record natural in H-games.

Whoever say that another girl would work better for Riki compared to Rin is very wrong. But, in Rin case, the start was the worst possible among the possible heroines, even more than Kanata, which has probably the worst possible affinity with Riki.
That is the very big problem here.

For Kanata, I saw her route more as an extension of Haruka's. Further, It just means he didn't pick the others that round, nothing much more. Given the diverse personalities Riki flirted, I really hesitate to say who has bad affinitiy.

Frankly, there is awkwardness in Rin's routes, but it had little to do with their relationship, which again IMO is as natural as they come in H-games. What's awkward is that School. We understand the general concept of the school, but why Kyousuke set up the details like he did is a mystery.

Spoiler for Rant about The School:

Who heard of schools where you are taken away from your old habitat almost like a prisoner, in which everyone is gloomy, your room-mate hides from you, your teacher says out loud you are wierd, you aren't allowed out, the school's location is secret and your supposed friends, new and old, don't even answer your calls, nor do they greet you when you return ... Frankly, Rin has problems, but this is a tough pitch for even a well-adjusted person...

I suppose the last was meant to simulate the fact that when Rin returns to the real world, she will have none of her friends but Riki, because they all died on that bus. But having your friends be friends to the last and die of an accident is a little different from them collectively hanging you out to dry, is it?

I can't help but think even if Rin somewhat makes friends in that new school (which, BTW, is entirely dependent on Kyousuke, since he obviously dreamed up the whole school), she'll be so traumatized that she'll spend the rest of her life making extremely shallow friendships...

Could Kyousuke seriously believe it'll work out? And why doesn't he just push the Reset button and start over when it clearly is not? He is always very happy to push the Reset button when Riki and even Saya Tokido screws up (presumably saving Riki from serious mental damage), but his poor sister... sigh...