Fortune Arterial (PC/PS3 Game, August)

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

This is continuing a conversation started in the anime thread, but I didn't want to go too much further for fear of going into straight spoiler territory. So I'll put the comparison here.

Spoiler for Direction of the anime adaptation, based on the game and Episodes 1 & 2:

I think one of the big changes in the anime is that they've re-framed the story content to be entirely about the development of Kouhei and Erika's relationship. This manifests itself in a few different ways, but the net effect overall is that they've reduced some of the sense of "mystery" or "intrigue" and replaced it with more obvious insight into Erika's perspective on events. It makes some sense for them to do this given that they have only 12 episodes; this basically replaces the way the game developed Erika's perspective through the multiple playthroughs (common Erika route, all the other routes, and then "true ending").

What I personally think this means is that the anime will invariably lose some of the "charm" that the game had, because I really feel that a lot of this came as a result of the fully developed perspectives you had from each character before entering the true ending (which "put it all together"). But I think the anime can still do a decent job at turning this into a more straightforward romance story, and preserve the essence of the characters in the process. And, in what will probably surprise no one who's played the game, it means we'll get the True Ending with elements of the other paths grafted in (which is pretty much exactly as they did/are doing with the manga).

Spoiler for Anime related stuff up to episode 2:

Indeed, the fact they would consolidate everything around Erika's path makes sense and should be a natural conclusion to anyone who has played the game. I don't think that is happening yet though - we are still well within the "common route" part in terms of storyline (Unless my memory fails me, actual path-specific deviations are possible sometime after Kouhei being coerced in to becoming a member of the student council). While it is inevitable and even required that not everything makes in to anime, what grates on me a bit is how quickly they are shuffling through the interactions while leaving only the "meat" of each scene intact.

While it can indeed be argued they are showing all the essentials and cutting out merely the "fluff", i am not sure the very start of a story is the right place to do so. This is a period where i believe we would benefit more from slightly slower pace and more meat around the bones, to let the characters and mood sink in, rather than one or two extra "essential scenes" squeezed in the episode, making it seem like you are watching the scenery from an express train. Well, i guess what one feels as appropriate "mood" and exposure to characters varies from person to person, so for all i know i might be the odd one out, but all i know is that i feel quite alienated from the happenings of the show *shrug*

As for the loss of mystery - i don't know, i never thought the game had much of a mystery to begin with, and certainly not in the early parts, so that likely isn't it

One thing I noticed you saying a few times this is due to expanded vision from Erika's point of view, but unless my memory is playing a very big trick on me, i don't think we have had any "Non-Kouhei perspective" events in the anime that weren't in the game as well. I might be wrong though (and can't really check at the moment because of the game refusing to run on Windows 7, damn you Microsoft!), but i believe the game had all these early perspective switches as well.


On a less serious note ...

Originally Posted by relentless

This interaction is basically the turning point of the episode, and probably one of the most important lines in the story so far.

I take the bet and raise you "Are they real?"

@ Francis
Those are some extremely heavy duty spoilers you are asking to be clarified on. Be advised that some of the answers are probably completely unlike what you expect them to be, and would be giving away a lot of the surprise and revelations the story has in store for later. If you fancy the idea of being surprised a couple of times during the show, you might want to reconsider, even though we could spoil you to kingdom come (Assuming you didn't read the previous posts in the thread ...if you did, you are likely beyond salvation anyway)

[Vlazz]

Speaking about the anime, who was the girl being bitten and groped at the end of the first episode?

[Skyfall]

An unfortunate bystander who happened to walk by when Iori was feeling hungry ?

[Francismeunier]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

@ Francis
Those are some extremely heavy duty spoilers you are asking to be clarified on. Be advised that some of the answers are probably completely unlike what you expect them to be, and would be giving away a lot of the surprise and revelations the story has in store for later. If you fancy the idea of being surprised a couple of times during the show, you might want to reconsider, even though we could spoil you to kingdom come (Assuming you didn't read the previous posts in the thread ...if you did, you are likely beyond salvation anyway)

I did read them and I don't mind at all. In fact I comparing the game to the anime so since I know all I don't need to wonder.....think of it as taking off something off the mind.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Eh....nice to see a game thread.....was at Haruna's beach scene when my entire comp died.....fortunately I had the entire hard disk backed up but haven't been playing it for over 6 months now due to computer upgrading matters....I just can't wait to start Kiriha's route.


And btw, the anime seems to closely resemble the manga version....

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Spoiler for Anime related stuff up to episode 2:

One thing I noticed you saying a few times this is due to expanded vision from Erika's point of view, but unless my memory is playing a very big trick on me, i don't think we have had any "Non-Kouhei perspective" events in the anime that weren't in the game as well. I might be wrong though (and can't really check at the moment because of the game refusing to run on Windows 7, damn you Microsoft!), but i believe the game had all these early perspective switches as well.

Spoiler for Comparison to the anime:

You made me wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me instead, so I decided to replay the beginning, and it's about half-and-half. I think the game is more ambiguous about everything compared to the anime, which is playing things more "straight". I think it's especially the bits with the student council that are given the short end of the stick. In the anime, there's never any doubt at all about what's going on with Erika, whereas the game plays things a bit more "loosely" and leaves you wondering as it slowly explains things bit by bit. That's what I mean about "mystery", although I suppose it isn't really that mysterious... just that it isn't so "obvious". The anime's re-sequencing of things also impacts this, such as moving Iori's vampire scene up to the end of the first episode to use it as a "hook" (in the game, that hasn't happened yet up to the end of Episode 2 content). The scene at the end of episode 2 with the "blood analysis" didn't happen in the game yet either (it happens later), and there also wasn't the scene in episode 1 where they show Erika talking to her brother about Kouhei before he gets invited into the student council room (though we find out after the fact that Iori already knew).

So yes, although perspective switches did happen in the prologue, the material wasn't presented in quite the same way or in the same sequence. The anime is revealing more things earlier on in the narrative and (I feel) being more "forthright" in the process. Maybe it's just because of how compressed it is.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Spoiler for Anime related stuff up to episode 2:

While it can indeed be argued they are showing all the essentials and cutting out merely the "fluff", i am not sure the very start of a story is the right place to do so. This is a period where i believe we would benefit more from slightly slower pace and more meat around the bones, to let the characters and mood sink in, rather than one or two extra "essential scenes" squeezed in the episode, making it seem like you are watching the scenery from an express train. Well, i guess what one feels as appropriate "mood" and exposure to characters varies from person to person, so for all i know i might be the odd one out, but all i know is that i feel quite alienated from the happenings of the show *shrug*

Spoiler:

The biggest reason I can think of for this is because they're worried about not hooking the viewers. They're really banking heavily on the vampire factor to keep people interested, which is why they made sure to end each episode with it (even if it means re-sequencing the events in the game or adding original content).

I guess all that to say, having replayed the prologue now, I can see where you're coming from in terms of the pacing and lack of time spent fleshing out the characters and interactions. That's what we get with only 12 episodes, though. In order to tell the story properly, you'd probably need at least 24.

[larethian]

I'm on Erika's route right now and the first one I'm playing. I just want to know the following:
1. Does True End has H-scenes? Just a 'yes' or 'no' with no details will do.
2. Are all the routes about the same length? And how long is the True End compared to the other routes?

Thanks!

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by larethian

I'm on Erika's route right now and the first one I'm playing. I just want to know the following:
1. Does True End has H-scenes? Just a 'yes' or 'no' with no details will do.
2. Are all the routes about the same length? And how long is the True End compared to the other routes?

Spoiler for Answers...:

1. Yes...
2. All the routes are about the same length more or less, and I'd say the True Ending Route is a bit longer than any individual route.

For what it's worth, I strongly recommend that you do play through all the individual routes before diving into the True Ending (as the writers intended). All in all, I guess I would say this is about a 50-60 hour game.

[larethian]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Spoiler for Answers...:

1. Yes...
2. All the routes are about the same length more or less, and I'd say the True Ending Route is a bit longer than any individual route.

For what it's worth, I strongly recommend that you do play through all the individual routes before diving into the True Ending (as the writers intended). All in all, I guess I would say this is about a 50-60 hour game.

Thanks for that. I think I took around 13 to 14 hours for Erika's route alone. I'm now somewhere 3 to 4 hours into Shiro's route, close to Bunka-sai. I've not read more than 20 VN ever since I'm competent enough to read them, and I think this one is going to become one of my favorites since Akane-Iro. Is there a thread for VN recommendations / top VNs played?

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by larethian

Thanks for that. I think I took around 13 to 14 hours for Erika's route alone. I'm now somewhere 3 to 4 hours into Shiro's route, close to Bunka-sai. I've not read more than 20 VN ever since I'm competent enough to read them, and I think this one is going to become one of my favorites since Akane-Iro. Is there a thread for VN recommendations / top VNs played?

Yes....further back a few pages

[Francismeunier]

So I would like the answers to the following=>
Ok all of this is interesting but I want to clear things too here.....For one why would Kouhei in his right mind even allow Erika to drink his blood?

Does Togi get her blood sucked or it was just the parents themselves that did and died of it due to Erika?

Can the vampires in this game die of having their heart pierced?

Why are the vampires not affected by sunlight?

Why would Seichirou even help Iori after what Erika did to their parents?

So the random girl in the anime nevers becomes a vampire but is only used as cattle and them gets her memory erased? I don't think I can buy memory is erased completely thing at all logically.

That's pretty much what is in my mind right now so I want to spoil myself with the answers. Thanks in advance.

BTW who does Erika suck other than Kohei if anyone?
....I still did not get them

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Francismeunier

So I would like the answers to the following= [...]
....I still did not get them

I can't speak for others, but I personally am not really interested in spoiling the anime for you, since it will influence your posting in the anime threads and may cause you to give things away inadvertently to those who don't want to be spoiled. I personally think you can wait until the anime reveals the answers to these questions, and any remaining questions can be answered once the anime is over.

If other game players wish to help you that's up to them though.

[Slayn]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I can't speak for others, but I personally am not really interested in spoiling the anime for you, since it will influence your posting in the anime threads and may cause you to give things away inadvertently to those who don't want to be spoiled. I personally think you can wait until the anime reveals the answers to these questions, and any remaining questions can be answered once the anime is over.

If other game players wish to help you that's up to them though.

Yeah just finish watching the anime hopefully it will be enough to explain the whole plot if not then I or other game players can spoil you.

[cyberdemon]

I haven't played the game but from what I've seen people posting:

Originally Posted by Francismeunier

So I would like the answers to the following=>
Ok all of this is interesting but I want to clear things too here.....

Originally Posted by Francismeunier

Spoiler for 1:

For one why would Kouhei in his right mind even allow Erika to drink his blood?

Spoiler for 1 answer:

People do crazy things when they're in love.

Originally Posted by Francismeunier

Spoiler for 2:

Does Togi get her blood sucked or it was just the parents themselves that did and died of it due to Erika?

Why would Seichirou even help Iori after what Erika did to their parents?

Spoiler for 2 answer:

I believe it was kaya, they're mother, not Erika but as for why i have no clue.

Originally Posted by Francismeunier

Spoiler for 3:

BTW who does Erika suck other than Kohei if anyone?

Spoiler for 3 answer:

It was said earlier in the thread that she didn't like to suck blood from humans and instead drank blood from blood packets

[Francismeunier]

Originally Posted by cyberdemon

Spoiler:

I haven't played the game but from what I've seen people posting:

Spoiler for 1 answer:

People do crazy things when they're in love.

Spoiler for 2 answer:

I believe it was kaya, they're mother, not Erika but as for why i have no clue.

Spoiler for 3 answer:

It was said earlier in the thread that she didn't like to suck blood from humans and instead drank blood from blood packets

Well that explains it all. Thank you.

[Seihai]

Guess this is the right thread to ask.

Are there any differences between a vampire like Erika and a servant like Kuze? They seem to be on par at least on the physical power part.

Well, there are many more things I'm curious about but I hope the anime will resolve them all. For some reason this series particularly makes me impatient when exciting things actually surface. But I'll give it my best with not spoiling myself.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Vanish

Are there any differences between a vampire like Erika and a servant like Kuze? They seem to be on par at least on the physical power part.

Well, we can start with the fairly-obvious points: Erika was "born" a vampire, whereas "servants" are not. Servants are bound to their master, whereas "pure-blood" vampires are free. As you saw in this episode, Servants have vampire-like abilities. Other than that... well, the anime is going to develop it more, obviously, so I don't really want to give away too much...

[larethian]

Originally Posted by Vanish

Guess this is the right thread to ask.

Are there any differences between a vampire like Erika and a servant like Kuze? They seem to be on par at least on the physical power part.

Well, there are many more things I'm curious about but I hope the anime will resolve them all. For some reason this series particularly makes me impatient when exciting things actually surface. But I'll give it my best with not spoiling myself.

on top of that, for what you have seen in the anime but where the dots are not yet connected,

Spoiler for reply:

"servant", or rather kenzoku have lost their sense of taste, that's why Kiriha could eat that plate of spice . Kenzoku also will go into "shutdown" mode at times, and go into a slumber for a period of time. That's why she missing all those classes.

[Skyfall]

Spoiler for Anime related, up to ep 11:

Ever since episode 10 of the anime i was being suspicious (and worried) about the pacing, wondering how they would fit all the things in only 2 episodes. After episode 11 though ... color me surprised, but i don't think the anime is going for the True End at all - unless i am horribly mistaken, it looks like we will be getting Erika's ending instead.

The lead-up to the events of Erika's end is there, components that would propel the true end in to action are missing, and there is simply no way they can fit the later in to one episode. It is quite impossible to introduce and execute Kouhei's and Sei's little escapades with the stone fragments, all the flashbacks, all the additional info on Tougi family, the confrontation with Kaya, the resolution, the epilogue ... unrealistic for one episode.

From where we are though, Erika's ending can be reached quite reasonably - we will probably get the festival after which Erika disappears, Kouhei confronting Iori for the mansion's location, rushing there, getting injured by Kaya, and being "saved" by Erika. The episode's title, Red Promise, ties in to Erika's ending as well - the promise she demanded of Kouhei, that he would leave her and never appear before her again should she ever use an order on him. Indeed, these events can be fitted in to one episode.


Color me surprised ... i never even considered the possibility of anything but the True End, so it has caught from the blind side, unless i happen to be horribly wrong on this, but i don't see how. I am not complaining though - i always preferred Erika's ending to the True End, so i am all for seeing it animated. Nothing like an unexpected twist in the end, i wonder what the anime watchers will say ... i doubt that is the resolution many would have expected

[blitz1/2]

do we have any info on Miya so far?