2011-07-27, 05:27 | Link #843 |
Assistant Professor
Join Date: Jul 2011
Age: 48
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I normally don't judge how voices in visual novels sound because it ain't my culture, hence what would sound exotic to me might actually be cartoonish to native speakers - but did anybody else find Lucia's voice falling in the middle of an "annoyingly cute" and "cute but annoying" meter?
I just peeked at the heroines' routes for the second time and I always found her "embarrassed", "annoyed", and "raburabu~" voices... weird. Can't quite put a finger in it, but it does make me skip the line some times and repeat it over and over at other times. Especially that one "grrrr....."
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2011-07-27, 07:05 | Link #844 |
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv180
Graphic Designer
Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 37
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It is very likely that Lucia's Seiyuu lacks some experience in this area, and was a bit too overeager with some quirks and tone of Lucia's voice.
It is even more noticeable when she says "Tennouji Kotarouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu", as she is having sometimes hard time to keep that pitch.
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2011-07-27, 14:47 | Link #846 |
Assistant Professor
Join Date: Jul 2011
Age: 48
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Kotori's route always seemed to have the most emotional grit in a Key game that lacks it.
A close second would be Lucia's. But, every heroine route Spoiler for Moon, Terra Route:
which somehow doesn't make me feel good about them, overall.
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2011-07-29, 09:41 | Link #851 |
はりゃほれうまうーっ!
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Just finished Lucia's route, I feel like I was put through bliss and then tortured. The romantic scenes with Lucia are so sweet and she is so adorable. She makes Furukawa Nagisa seem assertive when it concerns love. One scene from her route put me in complete bliss, if you had asked me whether this game was worth buying after that scene, I would have told you that this game was a definite must buy. I actually found myself fearing the time when this route would end, Lucia was such a fun character, if you could get "too attached" to a character I definitely think I did. I thought that not having her around would leave a void.
That feeling didn't last very long though, after that brilliant scene they turned the rest of the route into one of the ugliest stories I've ever read. Right now, I don't really know whether I can even say I like this game yet. It's definitely a good game that will keep you entertained. But entertained like a gory story similar to Elfen Lied. For me, there's just too much politics, action, and so many ugly scenes. I really liked past Key games for not just their entertainment value, but because I felt their stories were so beautiful and artistic. I like my entertainment to be fun and sweet or sad and meaningful. I am really conflicted, because Lucia's has the prettiest character design and the most lovable personality I've yet to see in a Key game. There were indeed a lot of fun and meaningful parts. But so much junk too, I like to be able to "Understand" a character, but this story is so abnormal... It sucks to have a character you like thrown into such a horrific storyline. Anyone looking to buy this game, be forewarned, the main routes go 100% sci-fi/action/suspense, for the majority of the routes. I wouldn't recommend this game for drama/romance much like I wouldn't recommend Clannad/Little Busters for someone wanting a comedy. The sci-fi plot/action/suspense/intrigue withholding one romantic scene is it's strong point so far from the common routes IMHO. Time to get detailed. Spoiler for Lucia's Route:
After playing through all the heroine routes, I really must say, that I will hesitate to purchase the next key game. I was afraid of the shonen-action, turns out that was the least of my worries. The staff is competent, the game is interesting, but the genres they focus on now, are no longer special to me. So far this game has been like reading a Stephen King book, it was interesting and I couldn't put it down. But it was largely entertainment for entertainment's sake. I think that is an honest opinion. I will definitely finish up the main routes though, maybe I will have something different to say. Ah, Lucia's last CG is so pretty! All of the artwork is so pretty, they really don't make any graphics for any of the gory stuff. All of the graphics are of the heroines, but so much attention gets drawn away from the heroines. With the plot, it's like constantly having an ugly main route fly in your face during the heroine routes... Ahh, I wouldn't miss the politics, I would miss the artwork though... Last edited by Ceral; 2011-08-12 at 23:52. |
2011-07-29, 10:12 | Link #852 |
Actually an Alligator
Join Date: Nov 2008
Age: 28
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Lucias route was the only one written by Ryukishi07. I love his style but it is pretty different. Either you like it or you don't. I haven't played rewrite since my japanese isn't good enough yet. But that certainly sounds like something he could write.
Don't let Lucia's route keep you from enjoying key's games. Lucia's route was Ryukishi's thing the rest of the game might be more keyish.
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2011-07-29, 14:26 | Link #853 |
Assistant Professor
Join Date: Jul 2011
Age: 48
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It is good to see you actually feeling emotion about a character you like.
And that is the point. Which is why despite its overall "non-Keyness", it still has the trademarks of Key; being that the story took a turn for the tragic, and the player doesn't know what to feel about his/her raw emotions. It's the same for all other routes. I personally, having read all the heroine routes in one sitting within a 12-hour period, felt drained - though not in a heartwrenching way as in other Key offerings, but in a more thought-provoked manner, wanting me to guess at what sorta lessons it was trying to teach the player out of all the chaos in their ends. And in the true end, everything was resolved, somewhat, and my questions were put to rest. Spoiler for everything:
Of all heroines, I found Lucia's voice, as I've said before, kind of strange. Note that I put it against most other voices of other visual novels/eroges I've played before. Additional Edit: Digging around the 'Net, I found some pics that made me laugh. Spoiler for Terra Route:
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Last edited by Balzac; 2011-07-29 at 15:56. |
2011-07-29, 15:55 | Link #854 |
panchi~
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Age: 34
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Which is a strange thing to say because if tragedy is the backbone of Maeda's writing, then it is the comedy of the story and characters that fleshes it out. That's also something that characterizes KEY games.
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2011-07-29, 16:12 | Link #855 |
はりゃほれうまうーっ!
Join Date: Nov 2007
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12 Hours, that is madness, you're a living ctrl key! Were you able to make any sense out of Lucia's route without playing moon and terra? I don't see how they could make sense out of it unless they trashed the story with some sort of deux ex, but I don't really want to know anything about moon and terra, so I haven't read your spoiler yet. I want to try to make sense of it myself first.
Spoiler for Lucia's route:
By the way, does anyone think that they split up the scenes in each route and assigned them to each writer base on their strengths? For example, I would think the beginning of Lucia's route was Ryukishi, the romance was Yuuto/Romeo, and the finale was Romeo/Ryukishi, as far as who wrote the scenes... Maybe Ryukishi made the "storyboard". There are so many mini genre shifts in each route... Aha, Lucia has two voices, her samurai voice and her baby voice. She really reminds me of Mio Akiyama from K-on. Need to run, will respond in full about the game... probably in a week . |
2011-07-29, 16:51 | Link #856 |
Assistant Professor
Join Date: Jul 2011
Age: 48
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12 hours for only the heroine routes + replaying of common routes to unlock, and skipping the Muppie as best I could. I didn't really skip anything that I hadn't read before, the ingame "skip read" function works as I expected it to work. I only came back and really unlocked all the Friends, Monsters and Quests days after on the weekend.
I don't know how to classify that feeling - the emotions you feel after you've just read something - but as I mentioned before, I got that feeling of loss that made me think instead of feel, that's what I felt after reading Lucia's and the other heroine's routes. Call me jaded, but I thought less of the heroines and their personal travails, but more of their circumstances at the end. I burned to see how the implications of the game's title would be able to answer that in the unlocked routes. Spoiler for Heroine Routes:
I'd add another heroine up there after only reading up Moon days later, and it got me thinking again. Note, thinking, not feeling. Which isn't what I wanted to do in a visual novel from Key Overall, as I've stated before, as a game by Key, it's unstandard, but as a visual novel by itself, it's pretty much excellent.
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2011-07-29, 21:46 | Link #857 |
はりゃほれうまうーっ!
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Well it was never about the tragedy that made me like Key works. Rewrite has plenty of tragic stories. From the first five routes, I think the characters in Rewrite are put through much much more tragic events than past key games. But, what I liked wasn't the tragedy itself but the meaning that the tragedy came with.
E.G. : Spoiler for Clannad and Rewrite:
Last edited by Ceral; 2011-07-30 at 15:32. Reason: Threw the last line into spoilers |
2011-07-29, 22:32 | Link #858 |
Assistant Professor
Join Date: Jul 2011
Age: 48
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If you're talking about a meaning to the tragedies within the context of the whole game, then you're out of luck, as in the end,
Spoiler for End:
But I don't understand what exactly you're trying to get at by tragedy for entertainment's sake. The writers have a license to do something different with the formula they were given, according to each of their styles and preferences. I guess if it didn't sit well with you: "tasteless" as you say yourself, then it must be just a matter of taste, then. I personally found the "tragicness" of Lucia's route just about right, but again I restate that I had never been interested in the travails of each character, just their circumstances in the end. Comparing Birth Chapter and the rest of the After Story to Lucia Route is like comparing Refrain to any of the other Little Busters! heroine routes, they're vastly different routes from each other, with different intents. If you want a comparison, try Moon>Terra. Then perhaps we can meet halfway about Spoiler for Frustrating Thought:
You're supposed to "learn" something already in the heroines routes, maybe not a lesson just yet, but something that makes you possibly think and guess what could have been done about 'their fates" that should be "rewritten". Divulging more would be spoilers. At the very least, the ends made you vent your emotions on a forum about how tasteless it all had been. At the end of Lucia route, my third finished, I was thinking what bastards humans could be. I anxiously await the time you'll finish Terra.
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2011-07-30, 02:30 | Link #859 |
はりゃほれうまうーっ!
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Sorry, my last post was my ire talking from finishing Lucia's route. It's very hard to find meaning in a game or in an individual route. Since I just finished Lucia's route, I have yet to play the other true route, and I've spent a lot of time typing, haha.
Well I came here today to talk about the individual routes, I think I made that pretty clear. I think they're important to be good on their own. I like to think of each route as their own novel, each route is so different than the other. I really wanted to talk about Lucia's route if anyone was interested. If we are to see more after the true route in the form of a spinoff I would think the individual route would be what it is based on... I could be wrong... I'll know after I finish the true route. Seeing Lucia separated from her actual route might be a boon to get more dates and slice of life with her... hehheh. I kind of want to say her route is the best? But I had a better disposition of this game right after playing Kotori and Chihaya's routes. These judgements are hard to make... A lot of the time the best parts are in the middle, especially with Rewrite, none of the endings have left me with a satisfied feeling yet but most were easy to understand/get over. Which let me easily transition into the next route. Lucia's was different just because it got very very good in the middle and left me confused. Each route is unique, it's like they lumped five different games together. And each route itself has a lot of sub genres. Of course they have the right to make whatever game they choose, heck they made Kud Wafter. About Kud Wafter, I am actually really happy that they made that. I like that they'll make whatever they want or whatever will please the audience. I just went through a route that put me through Heaven and Hell, which is why I felt like expressing that the way the story went put me through a lot of conflict about deciding whether I liked or disliked this character, her route and the game as a whole as a result. Sometimes a route (One heroine or one last true route) can make a VN a masterpiece or just a good VN. Sorry, I don't mean to try to explain why I don't love this game yet by saying it's not like past Key games, that's a an expression based too much on perspective. Everyone has a different scope of what they liked about past Key games. So maybe a little direct comparison would help... I think the cast of heroines are probably better than the cast of Little Busters heroines as a whole. But for some reason I really love the LB common route and stories. I think it's just the genre. Whatever the genre is, you just sit around and talk to characters in LB for the majority of the game. The characters in Rewrite are much more complicated, the most intense genres among all 5 routes is probably psychological/sci-fi/action/political intrigue. You're put in so many fights and the heroines are always put in such dangerous situations. Forget about Key or non Key, but Rewrite is much more different than your typical VN where you live a peaceful school life. You're put in high pressure situations and you read about what happens. It's like living in a sci-fi action movie at times, or a horror movie at times. It's an exciting game, I'm not sure what it is, but it's very unique. Maybe my problem lies with the heroines being so different. Ah, I've typed too long. Anyway, if I load up the date scene, it's pretty obvious this game is a must buy . Is there no game out there that focuses on creating scenes like this? |
2011-07-30, 02:46 | Link #860 |
Assistant Professor
Join Date: Jul 2011
Age: 48
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Lucia's route occupies a quite unique place amongst the heroine routes.
Only one writer devoted to it. The only route that doesn't follow from the "incident" with the Occult Research Group investigating a certain someone's disappearance in the forest. It's also to my eyes the only route with the visible elements that make up your typical eroge plot. Confession>Rabu~Rabu~ Period>Obstacle Events>Conclusion. Thus, the "date scenes" were the least-focused things for me, because I'd seen them all before. And yes, the high-pressure elements are a given, Rewrite was slated to be different. The earlier discussion about past climax routes made me install Clannad, AIR and Little Busters! all over again. Now where to find those damn save files...
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Tags |
bishoujo, hinoue itaru, key, maeda jun, romeo tanaka, ryukishi07, visual novel |
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