Rewrite & Harvest Festa

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Balzac

Some excellent discussion here. Though I don't quite agree with the impression that the writers are out to sabotage each other.

That probably wasn't the actual intention, but that's sure as hell what it feels like sometimes.

Originally Posted by Balzac

It's a collaborative effort, and they'd be pretty blind not to see these so-called "invalidations" without some justification.

Tonokawa's pretty blind then.

Spoiler for Terra/Chihaya:

It's explained in Terra that what Kagari considers "good memories" has to do with being forward-thinking while having hope for the future, essentially a unification of the better aspects of both Gaia and Guardian.
In Chihaya's route, if I remember correctly Kotarou shows Kagari the memories of his time together with the Occult Club as well as his devotion to Chihaya, and that's apparently good enough.
Bam, Kagari goes away, Sakuya is made into the harbringer of the apocalypse (somehow), Kotarou defeats him, happy ending, humanity is saved, hooray.
Terra is presented as the ONLY option that results in humanity's long-term survival. Chihaya's route does a great deal to invalidate that.

This on top of Shizuru's ending makes me think that he read some kind of summary or early draft of what Romeo had in mind for Terra, misinterpreted a huge amount of it, and wrote his routes based on that.

[Klashikari]

I'm pretty sure each writer schedule was quite tight for them to have meetings for discussing what they planned to do, although it is quite obvious that Tanaka made so everyone would have their personal touch in there, which actually backfired with Tonokawa.
I wouldn't say they didn't care for whatever the others were doing, but in Tonokawa's case, he pretty much wrote Shizuru and Chihaya's route without having Terra in mind.

[Balzac]

Hmm, so basically some people read the heroine routes in the order of a "zig-zag" (if you'll forgive the crummy illustrations):
Free route (in most cases Kotori's)>unlocked route>back to free route>unlocked route
Or free>unlocked>unlocked>free
Lucia's is of course unique, having a potential variation in read order.
(Chime in if your experience was different)

While I read in the rigid order of "Unlocked" and "Unlockable", basically through chunks
[[Kotori>Chihaya>Lucia]]>[[Akane>Sizuru]]
(List from interesting to uninteresting heroine)

These are interesting observations as it pertains to the overall reader experience regarding reception of information and the flow of impressions going from one route to the next, among other factors.

Other orders have Lucia read first, though I don't think I've read a perspective from that since everyone seems to gravitate to the childhood friend...

EDIT: As regards Chihaya/Tonokawa

Spoiler for Spoilers:

It was my impression that even with that optimistic ending, it's still basically a "dead branch" since there are some things that haven't been resolved - i.e. some of the factors presented in Terra. We never really see what comes after Chihaya's end, if there are further conflicts that would inflame the Key again. (Possibly beyond Kotarou's time)

To use Terra Kotarou's words, what Terra accomplished was leading humanity to the precipice, and leave it to them if they would fall or fly. The teamwork among the two major organizations in Chihaya's achieving peace was a stepping back, perhaps degenerating into something worse farther down the line.

I may venture to say the story (and not necessarily Kagari) demanded humanity had to be brought down to the Dark Ages for them to be considered "saved" through Kotarou's contingencies.

Although that is just my take on the subject - others are free to their own.

[Tyabann]

Well, I sandwiched what I was told beforehand were the bad and irrelevant routes in the middle, going Kotori --> Chihaya --> Shizuru --> Lucia --> Akane, deliberately trying to end on a high note and give myself a more positive impression of the game as a whole.
It worked.

[Mcfart]

Originally Posted by Balzac

Hmm, so basically some people read the heroine routes in the order of a "zig-zag" (if you'll forgive the crummy illustrations):
Free route (in most cases Kotori's)>unlocked route>back to free route>unlocked route
Or free>unlocked>unlocked>free
Lucia's is of course unique, having a potential variation in read order.
(Chime in if your experience was different)

While I read in the rigid order of "Unlocked" and "Unlockable", basically through chunks
[[Kotori>Chihaya>Lucia]]>[[Akane>Sizuru]]
(List from interesting to uninteresting heroine)

These are interesting observations as it pertains to the overall reader experience regarding reception of information and the flow of impressions going from one route to the next, among other factors.

Other orders have Lucia read first, though I don't think I've read a perspective from that since everyone seems to gravitate to the childhood friend...

I avoided Lucia because she presents herself as sterotypical tsundre right from the get-go. Basically an amped Sasami. Tho I did her's before Chihaya's because..............because?

Also I deny your allegations that people gravitate for the childhood friend. My first ending was actually the bad ending at the end of the Common route because I tried and failed to do Akane's route first (no FAQ) .

edit: So yes, I forgot that I actually attempted Akane's route, but in the end Kotori's was better anyway.

[Randrak42]

Originally Posted by Mcfart

I avoided Lucia because she presents herself as sterotypical tsundre right from the get-go. Basically an amped Sasami. Tho I did her's before Chihaya's because..............because?

Also I deny your allegations that people gravitate for the childhood friend. My first ending was actually the bad ending at the end of the Common route because I tried and failed to do Akane's route first (no FAQ) .

edit: So yes, I forgot that I actually attempted Akane's route, but in the end Kotori's was better anyway.

Yes and Yes.

Lucia's generic Tsundereness drove me away from wanting to do her route first as well.

And I also got the bad ending first...though I was trying for a Shizuru route.

Honestly, my initial sequence was going to be Shizuru > Akane > Kotori > Chihaya > Lucia simply because I didn't use a walkthrough and was going from favorite character to least favorite.

Spoiler for Shizuru Route:

Though I'm glad I played Shizuru's route. [denial]
I loved her ending...you know, where they manage to kill the Key in time and go on to make grilled saury together? [delusional denial]
Best ending so far for me. [drug assisted delusional denial]

[Balzac]

I commented on this long ago in this thread, but one "turn-off" for Lucia personally was her voice actress. It got too shrill sometimes in the Common Route. Comparing to Kotori's or Akane's performance - there was a noticeable difference in the measurement of... fathoms? Light years?

Also because I support KotaxKoto. And KotaXAka to a slightly lesser extent. (BANZAI!)

[Tyabann]

Personally I was really impressed by her voice actress due to her ability to, uh, keep up with what was being written. Obviously she's not on the level of someone like Chiwa Saitou or even KitaEri, but I thought she was still very good.

Spoiler for Terra, regarding pairings:

Also, I really don't like anything other than Kotarou x Kagari given how much older he is than everyone else, personally.

[Mcfart]

Originally Posted by Balzac

I commented on this long ago in this thread, but one "turn-off" for Lucia personally was her voice actress. It got too shrill sometimes in the Common Route. Comparing to Kotori's or Akane's performance - there was a noticeable difference in the measurement of... fathoms? Light years?

Also because I support KotaxKoto. And KotaXAka to a slightly lesser extent. (BANZAI!)

OH GOD YOU'RE RIGHT! I bet she's the reason (not really) that individual character voice volumes can be changed. I lowered hers by 20% and it was just fine. I was pretty sure her VA was the same as Sasami's, and Sasami's voice didn't bother me THAT much. Waay too loud and shrill when she's in angry-mode.

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Personally I was really impressed by her voice actress due to her ability to, uh, keep up with what was being written. Obviously she's not on the level of someone like Chiwa Saitou or even KitaEri, but I thought she was still very good.

Spoiler for Terra, regarding pairings:

Also, I really don't like anything other than Kotarou x Kagari given how much older he is than everyone else, personally.

Spoiler for Lucia/Rewrite Ending Spoilers:

Yeah I really didn't like Lucia's route after the mystery was solved. Her character revealed itself as "I'm a blight on the world" and all she does is bitch about it for the rest of the route. I was glad when Chihaya and Koratou told her that she was just being a brat. I get the point that she wanted to be needed be someone, but man they dragged that shit out. Also Kotarou/Kagari IMO isn't great since Kagari's the least interesting of the heroines. She's Shizuru but less talking and comedy. Oh and that's just earth Kagari. All I know aboot Moon Kagari is that she likes coffee and doesn't talk =P

[Balzac]

Originally Posted by Mcfart

Spoiler:

Also Kotarou/Kagari IMO isn't great since Kagari's the least interesting of the heroines. She's Shizuru but less talking and comedy. Oh and that's just earth Kagari. All I know aboot Moon Kagari is that she likes coffee and doesn't talk =P

Spoiler for Heroine Spoilers:

That was a point raised by some members in this thread in the aftermath of the character poll a while back. It was pointed out how votes were weighted towards characters that were likable AS characters and not just their respective routes. (leading to Oppai-sama's surprise win) Chihaya's was a decent route but some members agreed her character wasn't interesting, some rooted for Lucia as a character while bemoaning her route. For some, Kagari may be the true heroine but she didn't seem like a proper heroine - even considering the two incarnations.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Mcfart

I was pretty sure her VA was the same as Sasami's, and Sasami's voice didn't bother me THAT much.

Er, no. Sasami's VA is Tomeo Tamiyasu, the same woman who voices Riki and Rin. Lucia's VA is an almost complete unknown named Risa Asaki; she has a minor role in the PS3 version of Umineko Chiru, as well as a bunch of other minor roles in a variety of video games.

Originally Posted by Mcfart

Spoiler for Rewrite Ending Spoilers:

Also Kotarou/Kagari IMO isn't great since Kagari's the least interesting of the heroines. She's Shizuru but less talking and comedy. Oh and that's just earth Kagari.

...Screw you?

Spoiler for Terra:

She's not a damn thing like Shizuru, and personally I think she has among the best lines in the whole Terra route; the main problem isn't that she's a bad heroine, but that she gets so little screentime. You should also play the Oppai Ending if you haven't, she has some pretty fantastic scenes there.

[Kirayuki]

Regarding Lucia's seiyuu, it's to be expected. Why are people comparing her with monsters like Chiwa Saitou (or even KitaEri) here ? Frankly I wouldn't even love Kotori if it wasn't Chiwa Saitou who voiced her. Risa Asaki does fine in her job, not the best, but probably enough to get through with.

And god knows why Kagari get the shaft, despite KotaXKagari pairing is pretty important to the whole plot. You have to wonder what would happen to humanity as a whole if KotaXKagari pairing didn't exist

Originally Posted by Randrak42

Spoiler for Chihaya Route Rant:

Speaking of which, I can see why playing Chihaya's route before Shizuru's helps with understand and viewing the Shizuru ending a bit differently but...fact of the matter is, everyone in the world still died, including everyone she cared about and Kotarou is still stuck as a fucking tree since there are no summoners to make a contract with like Sakuya. So it's still a fucking shitty ending...how I wish I had Shizuru's ability to erase memories so I could erase my own.

Wait until Harvest Festa for this...there are some cookies in store for you

Originally Posted by Balzac

Also, as regards Harvest Festa, there's nothing there that breathes new life to the original game - perhaps some character insights and a "redemption" of sorts to the villain, but it's basically Common intermixing with Moon.

So as someone who have finished Festa, maybe you can share your thoughts about what happened in Chihaya's after story

Mainly about...

Spoiler for Chihaya HF:

The part where Sakuya talk with someone in monologue just before he arrived in the Moon. Is that supposed to be his previous master ? Sakuya assumed that person to be the one who control Aurora.

Also while HF certainly haven't added anything new regarding the story, I think Chihaya's after story is a good example to show one of the many possibilities that wasn't shown in the original game (Sakuya coming back, etc). And looks like the salvation itself doesn't occur yet, at least by the time Kotarou gets old and Sakuya finally withered, their world seems to be still fine.

[Klashikari]

I personally also had trouble with Lucia and her seiyuu first who imho managed to put the point accross (and the meltdown level moe but I still would prefer the likes of Hisaka Youko), but progressively warmed up after a while, and the early events of her route settled her as a rare case of tsundere I can fully appreciate, turning as my favorite RW heroine (and that's from someone who hates Tsundere chars to the guts, and cursed Key the moment they announced the char bios, with the typical inchou label for her).

Frankly, I think it is a shame to see people avoiding her roule thinking she is a "standard tsundere" despite she is really nowhere close to the likes of switch flipping tsundere we have nowadays.
I dunno if it is due to bias, but rereading the common route hurts a bit when you actually know why she is acting like that. That and the fact Kotarou is really ridiculous with his pranks in that regards.
In general, I think all the heroines are interesting for vastly different reasons, except Chihaya in my case (simpleton most of the damn time, and her route should have been recalled Sakuya's route).

That said, I agree sometimes, it get tiring to the point I wonder if it isn't a decrepency due to the writing style between authors (I felt Lucia way more obnoxious in Shizuru's route than anywhere else in the game, and even the circumstances don't explain that).

[Kirayuki]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

In general, I think all the heroines are interesting for vastly different reasons, except Chihaya in my case (simpleton most of the damn time, and her route should have been recalled Sakuya's route).

I feel like Chihaya represent a simple-archetype character in Rewrite just like how Komari did in LB (not saying their personalities are even closely similar here), something like the symbol itself aside from the main girl.

Now, I'm ready to be shot down(probably) by many Key fans out there for expressing this comparison

[Randrak42]

A character like Kotori isn't easy to voice but her VA pulled it off impressively. I too don't know if I would have liked her as much if she was voiced by someone else.

Originally Posted by Klashikari

I personally also had trouble with Lucia and her seiyuu first who imho managed to put the point accross (and the meltdown level moe but I still would prefer the likes of Hisaka Youko), but progressively warmed up after a while, and the early events of her route settled her as a rare case of tsundere I can fully appreciate, turning as my favorite RW heroine (and that's from someone who hates Tsundere chars to the guts, and cursed Key the moment they announced the char bios, with the typical inchou label for her).

Frankly, I think it is a shame to see people avoiding her roule thinking she is a "standard tsundere" despite she is really nowhere close to the likes of switch flipping tsundere we have nowadays.
I dunno if it is due to bias, but rereading the common route hurts a bit when you actually know why she is acting like that. That and the fact Kotarou is really ridiculous with his pranks in that regards.
In general, I think all the heroines are interesting for vastly different reasons, except Chihaya in my case (simpleton most of the damn time, and her route should have been recalled Sakuya's route).

That said, I agree sometimes, it get tiring to the point I wonder if it isn't a decrepency due to the writing style between authors (I felt Lucia way more obnoxious in Shizuru's route than anywhere else in the game, and even the circumstances don't explain that).

I admit...the fact that she sounded like a typical inchou tsundere most of the time basically got to me and I was going to leave her for last even the first time I started playing. But she's actually a pretty great character...shrieking aside of course (especially liked that one scene in Shizuru's route with all three of them at the school).

And I couldn't agree more, Chihaya's route is pretty much the Sakuya route with a hint of Chihaya side romance. I felt like Chihaya was pushed aside by Sakuya's character a lot during the route, plus there was so much focus on him, and honestly...I wouldn't have minded if this was actually the Sakuya route and a side-story of sorts, just take out the only Chihaya bits (which aren't that many or as good) and BAM...epic Sakuaya Route.

EDIT: I don't get it...I just started the Lucia route and how can it be so much different than the other four? Inoue doesn't even go missing, nor do they go into the forest and find the rainbow swamp or fight the leaf dragon...it's a bit jarring considering how the others had all similar introductions to the routes.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by Randrak42

I admit...the fact that she sounded like a typical inchou tsundere most of the time basically got to me and I was going to leave her for last even the first time I started playing. But she's actually a pretty great character...shrieking aside of course (especially liked that one scene in Shizuru's route with all three of them at the school).

The thing that you have to keep in mind is that Lucia would definitely be your usual annoying tsundere if her behaviour was originally like that and "unwarranted". To be perfectly honest, a lot of punishment dealt to Kotarou (be it Lucia or the other characters) are deserved, as, let's face it, Kotarou is extremely tiresome at times and literally asked for it.
And suffice to say, considering they most likely know each other for some time before the start of RW common route, it is quite obvious to see why she has a very antagonistic view towards Kotarou, which drastically got dampened down once you get in the Okakebu.

EDIT: I don't get it...I just started the Lucia route and how can it be so much different than the other four? Inoue doesn't even go missing, nor do they go into the forest and find the rainbow swamp or fight the leaf dragon...it's a bit jarring considering how the others had all similar introductions to the routes.

You will understand later on: the problem is that by the time the inoue incident is occuring, there is -no way- for Lucia's route events to even occur in the first place. Her route explains her usual behaviour, but also why she is basically nowhere to be seen in other character routes (a bit the same for Kotori for the others).
Of course, it would have been possible to change her route to accomodate the common route branching point, but that would basically scrap her character concept.

[Balzac]

Originally Posted by Kirayuki

So as someone who have finished Festa, maybe you can share your thoughts about what happened in Chihaya's after story

Spoiler for Sakuya:

It's sort of an implication that Sakuya's existence didn't end at Chihaya's route, confirming Moon's statement that Sakuya's appearance there was his "last". Puts his last fight in Moon in perspective - which probably wasn't that addressed in the original game.

And also even then, their (Rewriters) "existences" still persist to some extent - I refer to his last, last appearance in Terra.

It also puts an optimistic light on Sizuru's end, oddly enough.

@Kaisos, I'll try to work on it - I'm a child when it comes to the Internet.

EDIT: I'd like to disavow a dislike of Lucia only because of her VA: there were also some other things which involved her route, writing, etc.

[Mcfart]

Originally Posted by Randrak42

A character like Kotori isn't easy to voice but her VA pulled it off impressively. I too don't know if I would have liked her as much if she was voiced by someone else.



I admit...the fact that she sounded like a typical inchou tsundere most of the time basically got to me and I was going to leave her for last even the first time I started playing. But she's actually a pretty great character...shrieking aside of course (especially liked that one scene in Shizuru's route with all three of them at the school).

And I couldn't agree more, Chihaya's route is pretty much the Sakuya route with a hint of Chihaya side romance. I felt like Chihaya was pushed aside by Sakuya's character a lot during the route, plus there was so much focus on him, and honestly...I wouldn't have minded if this was actually the Sakuya route and a side-story of sorts, just take out the only Chihaya bits (which aren't that many or as good) and BAM...epic Sakuaya Route.

EDIT: I don't get it...I just started the Lucia route and how can it be so much different than the other four? Inoue doesn't even go missing, nor do they go into the forest and find the rainbow swamp or fight the leaf dragon...it's a bit jarring considering how the others had all similar introductions to the routes.

I had no problem with that mostly-Sakuya route, since he was an interesting character, but yeah, they could have had 2 routes, or just call it the Chihaya/Sakuya route :P. Still though it was one of my favorite routes.
Character route ranks: Kotori>Chihaya>Akane>Shizuru>Lucia.

[Randrak42]

So just finished Lucia's route...really loved it, I really did (favorite route so far).

Spoiler for Lucia Route:

The beginning with the ghost mystery was incredibly good, I even got chills. The middle with the two growing closer and dating was very good as well, the date in the mall was very good...mainly because of Lucia's VA, I may hate her shrieking Tsun acting but her Dere just melted my heart.

One thing I loved so much was the use of different viewpoints through the route...I always liked that sort of things.

Then the emo part began...and I admit I lost interest in the route altogether, the ending saved it but that bit between her kidnapping and her being brought to her senses at the end...I actually ended up skipping some of it.

Over all, love the route...it shows that it was written by a third writer (especially Ryukishi) and it was so far better than the other 3 for me.

[Tyabann]

Am I the only person that loved the "emo" bit in Lucia's route?

Spoiler for Lucia:

Her behaviour is pretty justifiable considering she just, oh, I don't know, massacred a couple hundred thousand people.

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

That and the shit she says is really, really entertaining. R07 has a gift for this kind of writing.