ANIME
Favourite Sequels
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T (A Certain Scientific Railgun T)
Episodes: 25
My Rating: 8/10
Anyway, I loved the introduction of Shokuhou Misaki into the fray because not only is she a pretty funny character who loves to tease Misaka and fight with her, Shokuhou's esper powers are very interesting (going into the mind control area) and I really enjoyed her story and motivations. It was also really fun to see the dynamic of other Level 5s who aren't prevalent in the Index anime. Other than that, I can't recommend it enough because I am biased as a Misaka fan and I love seeing her in action.
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai?: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen (Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2)
Genre: Comedy, Psychological, Romance, School, Seinen
Episodes: 12
My Rating: 8.5/10
As someone who reads the manga, omg this anime adaptation was super awesome! I usually don't like to watch stuff I've read before but the animation quality and the care they put into this season was so good, it was too hard to pass up. The anime added a lot of things (in a good way) to make every scene so much more explosive and cool, such as with the references, seeing it all moving really goes to show how well they made the anime shine as an anime, because this was so beautiful visually. Not saying the manga isn't great though because I love it, it's just that this adaptation really knows how to make this enjoyable in the different medium of anime, and I honestly feel like I was watching something new even as a manga reader, and I loved that. Anyway, in terms of story, if you were a bit irked with the fact that there was more comedy than romance in S1, then S2 is probably good to see if you still like it because it starts to delve more into the romance and back stories of our characters and how they're improving themselves as a person and beginning to better show their care and love for others. It's the start of the drama part for the Kaguya series and even though the comedy part does tone down, the story is still funny, it's still engaging and the relationships are just as interesting. I can't wait for S3! Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of Iino Miko (new character!) but she did seem more understandable and cute in the anime lol. Oh, and if you don't know Kaguya, it basically follows a guy and a girl who both like each other but are trying their best to get the other to confess to the other (kinda like Special A for concept but so much more enjoyable characters and less shoujo-ish).
Fruits Basket 2nd Season
Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Supernatural, Drama, Romance, Shoujo
Episodes: 25
My Rating: 8.5/10
I already loved S1 of Fruits Basket, but S2 was so great as well, and it just got even better! I really don't think Fruits Basket should be slept on just because it's shoujo, an old manga and looks like a harem, because it really delves much more into stuff like the difficulties of just "living" in circumstances out of your control. Everyone has difficulties, everyone has problems, everyone has some things others don't and I think the story really shows well how hard it can be to live whether you try your best to move past these "disadvantages" or if you wallow in the sadness of it all, but one thing it shows well is how much better the character and you as the watcher will feel seeing these characters face their past and trauma, and just be happy. Honestly, seeing any character in this story happy is just such an achievement lol, and yes I've gotten teary over them quite a few times haha. Basically, if you enjoyed S1, you'll love the growth of Yuki in S2, and the development in romance too! Oh, and if you don't know the story, it basically follows a girl called Honda Tohru who mistakenly discovers the secret of the Soumas and it's because of that she ends up getting closer to Souma Kyo and Yuki who are both enslaved to their secrets, but end up understanding how they may better deal with it all due to the positivity and support of Tohru. Anyway, Fruits Basket is just such a rollercoaster of emotions, it makes you happy, it makes you sad but you'll never really feel dissatisfied with it because the character development is done well, and the side characters are just as interesting to see and feel for, because you know, everyone has different lives and they're all fighting something and trying their best to live, and that's what I love about it.
Favourite Manga Adaptations
Tonikaku Kawaii (TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You)
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Shounen
Episodes: 12
My Rating: 7.5/10
Tonikawa was such a surprisingly fun romcom for the end of 2020, and I really enjoyed it for what it was. It follows a boy called Yuzaki Nasa who has only focused on studying for his whole life until he by chance meets a beautiful and cute girl on the street, so of course he tries to chase after her to get her name or something, but because he was so focused on that, he didn't realise there was truck coming and got hit. You'd think that the story ends with them reuniting in a hospital or something since even though the girl was fast enough to save him from being fatally hit, he was still injured pretty badly, but still persistent enough to chase after her instead of going to the hospital lmao. It sounds creepy but it's so funny and cute how they meet, and how hard Nasa tried just to get to know her, honestly one of the greatest first meetings ever because of his sheer determination lmao. Since this is by the Hayate no Gotoku mangaka, I guess you can kinda expect the craziness of the beginning haha.
Anyway, it just kinda follows a more slice of life type of story where these awkward lovebirds slowly do their best to do what couples do (since theyr'e both rather inexperienced) as they learn more about each other and grow to love each other even more. I think there's just something really homey and nice about watching these two be so awkward but loving, doing their best to share all these first times with each other (sharing living space etc), and it's just such a nice anime to kick back and relax to after a long day.
Favourite Rewatch
Log Horizon
Genre: Action, Game, Adventure, Magic, Fantasy
Episodes: 50 (2 seasons) + S3 ongoing
My Rating: 8/10
In preparation for S3 which is airing right now, I decided to rewatch both seasons of Log Horizon. For starters, let's just summarise the plot which involves a bunch of gamers being transported into the MMORPG Elder Tale, unable to log out. Anyway that's where the similarity with Sword Art Online ends if you were thinking it's similar haha. As someone who has read some of the SAO novels and enjoyed them, I personally love the Log Horizon story and characters much more, just because Log Horizon feels very nostalgic. Shiroe is the main character, but he isn't always the central focus and I really enjoy that because it really expands the world they're in. What I enjoy the most about Log Horizon is that if you play MMORPGs, or if you used to play them like me, it will feel really nostalgic and fun, there were so manyyy instances in the anime where I was like omg, I remember doing something like that back in the day, it just really knows its MMOs well and how the different classes interact. It talks about raids, party fighting, levelling up as a newbie etc, but at the same time, it also does the stuck in a game world thing well by having things you didn't really think about be integrated into the world now, for example, the idea that NPCs are normal real people now, so there are a lot of quests that may either not be available or "players"/adventurers will not be informed about causing repercussions in the world itself. I think it's really interesting how the author ties in a lot of real world gaming things into the world itself and that makes it super enjoyable to watch. Personally, I prefer the light novel, but seeing them in action in raids and everything is a highlight in itself. In addition, since the players/adventurers do not permanently die, I think it also shows really well how not being able to choose to die is a torture in itself when you don't like this world. Honestly for me, if you consider this isekai, then it's my favourite one just because I love games, and I love seeing people play together and growing as a person and a gamer.
MANGA
Colette wa Shinu Koto ni Shita (Colette Decides to Die) by Yukimura Alto
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo
Status: Ongoing, 62 chapters scanlated
My Rating: 8/10
Colette is probably one of my most favourite shoujo manga to read right now, especially since the romance development is so slow but meaningful, it's such a delight to read. Anyway, the story follows a young doctor called Colette who ends up jumping into a well hoping to die due to all the stress and overwork etc. However, to her surprise, instead of dying, she ends up in the underworld and meets the god Hades there, and even ends up tending to him as his doctor. Honestly, the premise is pretty refreshing, albeit with some usual shoujo tropes, but what I enjoy the most is that even though Colette is young and cute etc, she is very much a mature adult. She's still growing as a doctor and still has her ups and downs, but after knowing to confide in others and asking for help, she grows as a person and a doctor. Not only that, but her relationship with Hades isn't really a romantic one until later on, since the story really takes the time building their relationship and I love that. I love seeing how little Hades talks but can open up to Colette every now and then, and I like how Colette isn't the type to like to rely on others but every now and then, she can talk to Hades about her troubles. This alongside all the kind servants in the underworld just make the whole world so much sweeter and brighter, and I just love watching over them as they support each other and get over obstacles. The setting is also pretty fun with all the gods and goddesses, and it's cool to see how all of them are interpreted. The art is really cute too, every time Colette and Hades are in the picture, I swoon lmao. If you like a slow burn romance, then this is definitely a great one~
Ase to Sekken (Sweat and Soap) by Yamada Kintetsu
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, Seinen
Status: Ongoing, 44 chapters scanlated
My Rating: 9/10
18+ only for sex scenes! Okay, if I had to pick what manga I look forward to reading the most every week, I would have to pick Ase to Sekken and Seduce the Villain's Father because omg, I love those so much lol. Anyway, this story revolves around the woman Asako who works as an office lady at a company that manufactures makeup and bath products. She is really conscious about her smell because she sweats really easily and feels quite insecure about it. One day, she meets a guy who tells her that he really likes her smell (lmao) and proceeds to ask if he can smell her everyday for ideas (since he develops the soaps). Honestly, the premise and first meeting is pretty wild lmao, so I can see why some were turned off, but I personally thought it was more funny and enjoyable, and the thing is, after the mistakes of the first encounter etc, our guy Natori does apologise to Asako when he makes her uncomfortable, and I love that. Even though Asako is more shy and awkward at times, I really do feel like I am reading about two adults who are pretty straightforward with their wants and needs, and that do properly communicate. Of course there are times when they may contemplate it to themselves first, but what I love is that they never drag any sort of "drama" on, and our main characters always end up communicating to each other about their fears, their problems and what is troubling them. I also really enjoy how they're both not perfect, so they work hard to compromise with each other and work out ways to make each other more comfortable in this relationship. It's just so heart warming and sweet to see characters who properly talk to each other lmao but also go through many everyday problems in a relationship without making it annoying. The bits of smut is also great because it feels so natural for their relationship, and of course the smelling thing is hilarious but also something they discuss about, so it's not just brushed aside as "humour" and that's all.
The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass, story by Sansobi and art by Ant Studio
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo
Status: Ongoing, 51 chapters scanlated
My Rating: 8/10
LIGHT NOVELS
Toaru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index), story by Kamachi Kazuma and art by Haimura Kiyotaka
JRPG GAMES
Final Fantasy VII: Remake (PS4)
Story/Plot: As someone who has played the original FFVII multiple times from childhood to adulthood, you can bet I was super hyped for this game lol! Anyway, the story revolves around a mercenary called Cloud who has recently taken up a job with an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche, who are against the big corporation called Shinra because of their abuse of "mako" (natural resources from the planet and the energy source of the world I guess) energy. Cloud is a person is cold on the outside but soft on the inside and says he doesn't really care for the world, but after bonding with Avalanche and realising that their goals later on aren't too far off from what he hopes to discover, he and other party members decide to embark on this journey to kinda save the world haha.
Anyway, this remake is just the first part to the story, so it is pretty short, like 40 hours or something? I finished it pretty fast, the only reason I took a while is because I kept taking screenshots of Aerith and Tifa LOL, yes they were beautiful, I just had to lmao. Honestly, when it comes to the story, it's honestly hard for me to decide whether I like it or not. Personally, I loved all the parts that were basically a HD upgrade of the original story, such as all the bombing, talking with Aerith blah blah, and I love what they did with Wall Market because dang was that place beautiful and cool, but I have to admit that what I loved most about this remake was the nostalgia rather than the story. Since the game leans more to the serious side, there are less of the stupid, silly and quirky moments of the original e.g. Don Corneo is more creepy than hilarious, which was expected but disappointing nevertheless. In addition, since this is only the first part, the story is rather shallow since it really only involves running through the city of Midgar, doing odd jobs, and fighting against a corporation that I wouldn't have really cared about if it wasn't FFVII. Oh, and I think the character lines are really unnatural and cheesy for me, so I find it hard to relate with them, even though they do have the spirit of their original characters in a sense. I guess what I disliked the most was the ending though, because I wanted a faithful remake and the ending shows that it won't be, so yeah honestly after that, I don't really care for the game anymore, 7/10 for story.
Music: Okay, everyone has been praising the BGMs and all the music for the remake, but I have to be the negative person and say, I honestly don't remember any of the pieces LOL. My apologies, but I think I only liked Jessie's theme and even then, it was pretty forgettable for me. All the original soundtracks I liked in the original were kinda rehashed into weird versions imo and I didn't really care for them tbh. It wasn't bad of course, because I never hated listening to anything, but honestly, it was all just background fluff to me and I don't remember any of the soundtracks by now, sadly. (6/10)
Honestly, if the part with entering Shinra Corporation and the ending did not feel so disappointing to me, I think I would have given the remake an 8/10 because I did really enjoy the beautiful graphics and everything, but I think I'm leaning more towards a 7.5 right now, because the story and characters are just pretty bland if I have to admit for this first part. I've never been a person who cares about gameplay, because I play for story, so as long as the gameplay isn't frustrating, I'm all good with it haha, so that doesn't really go into my score. So yep, 7.5/10 because it does really well in capturing all the nostalgia and everything with the setting, the places inside Midgar and everything, but at the core of it, I just don't think it was really a memorable game. It's still a favourite because it's FFVII and seeing all my favourite characters come to life and have mouths, and speak is like crazy enough for me to still love it though hahaha. I still hateee Reno's suit lmao, he looks like such an odd playboy like geez, don't ruin my favourite Reno like that. Otherwise, omg Rufus is so beautiful LOL.
Story/Plot: I played this game a long time ago when I was young, so it was actually kinda funny to play it and rediscover all the plot points I either completely forgot about, or remembered a little bit but not too much. It honestly felt like I was going through a game and gathering all my memories back, so it was really funny lol. Anyway, the story revolves around our protagonist Dart who comes back to his hometown being destroyed, and his childhood friend kidnapped. After realising who kidnapped Shana (childhood friend), he goes to save her and meets Lavitz, a soldier of the kingdom of Basil (he also came to save his captured men). After cooperating with each other to save Shana and escape, Dart and Shana end up helping Lavitz to protect the kingdom against Imperial Sandora. But that's not all! The world is so expansive and filled with the need for Dart and them to discover the origin of the Dragoons' powers and for Dart's personal revenge that I was honestly never bored of the plot, characters or even the gameplay. Anyway, I think the first disc of this game was honestly my favourite because it was such a great ride, it could have been a game in itself, it got me so invested haha. The whole fight against Imperial Sandora leading into the story of the Dragoons and the mystery of Rose and everything was done really well, and I loved every bit of it. I do admit that some parts felt rushed though, like even at the ending I still had some questions about the past and stuff, but overall, I think it concluded well enough albeit kinda rushed.
The world may be quite linear and it's annoying when you need to backtrack since you literally need to go back through entire maps, and sometimes even need to change discs! The days of the limitations of discs hahhaha. Anyway, the maps are quick enough to navigate through so it's just a minor inconvenience most of the time, and it helps with training your skills anyway haha. Anyway, I really loved the world because it was fun seeing more and more bits of the world and how everything intersected to their main goal. Most towns were really pretty and interesting too with the variety of races and their respective towns. (8/10)
Music: I love the music. I think it was done so well, my favourite might be Rose's Theme just because the melancholic feel of it really helped to enhance the experience when thinking about Rose's story and her pain. But really, the variety was great because you have stuff like Rose's Theme and then you have Meru's super upbeat theme lmao, and then all the towns were unique (except the last bit with the Wingly cities lol). Definitely something I love listening to over and over again~ (8/10)
Gameplay: I love how unique LotD's gameplay is tbh. Some people probably find it repetitive and annoying because it's basically pressing buttons in concession to execute attacks, and sometimes the enemy will counter and you'll have to press a different button because of that, and it can ruin your timing and cause you to take damage, so yes it can be frustrating if you're bad at the gameplay lol. Personally, I never had a lot of trouble with it because practice makes perfect for me, but I can understand the frustration if you can't do it haha. I personally loved it because I liked all the different combos, and I liked how each character was a bit slow or fast depending on their characters e.g. Dart is the protagonist, so his skills were always simple, not too slow or fast, whereas for Albert's skills, you had to press the button pretty fast but also accurately lol, it's the worst when they counter haha. As for Dragoon form fighting, I'd say it's pretty lacklustre since it's just "stronger" skills. (8/10)
Overall, The Legend of Dragoon was definitely my favourite game/replay of 2020. Like wow, I knew I really liked it, but I never knew how much I loved it! 8.5/10 for sure because I loved both the story, the characters and the gameplay. It loses points because I feel like the last part felt rather rushed in a sense but I loved the journey so much nevertheless, and the ending was pretty nice for everyone. I love seeing all the characters have a chance to grow and become lovable in their own way (maybe except Miranda), and the relationship between characters such as Haschel and Meru the big kids were hilarious. The story was engaging and I loved Rose's story so much that she's definitely the highlight for me because of how well the story demonstrated her pain throughout the whole game, and how much her heart warmed up to the other characters, the progression of it all was just shown beautifully~
Story/Plot: The plot for Chrono Trigger is relatively simple. Crono and party go on a time travelling adventure and kinda save the world hahaha. Honestly, the story isn't anything special BUT it's definitely a lot of fun. As a summary though, basically, Crono has a childhood friend called Lucca who created a teleporter supposed to teleport you from one teleporter to the other, but for some reason when a girl called Marle steps into it, her necklace emits a light and she seems to have teleported somewhere else. Anyway, the genius Lucca finds a way to replicate it and follow her, and then they find themselves in another timeline ~AD 600, when the kingdom is at war and the Queen has been kidnapped, but since Marle looks exactly like the Queen, they had mistaken her for the Queen. So, in order to save the timeline, Crono and them must find the real Queen, and then things roll from there. Chrono Trigger honestly is an adventure through and through, the story isn't particularly engaging, but I loved chatting with the NPCs to know about the world and the different timelines.
The best thing about it would be that the world really feels real in the sense that every human and monster has their own lives and from the little tidbits seen, you can tell how their lives are, and I really love how even the random sidequests either involve the story of your party members or NPCs around the world, and it's all so colourful!~ I personally really loved the mayor one where if you went to get the treasures in different timelines, you could get different versions of the armours or something, it was just so fascinating how Chrono Trigger does the time travel idea, and it does it in such a fun and brilliant way, I was honestly never bored. Going back and forth between timelines, seeing what the world comes to be in the future and saving the world from a dreadful future etc is fun, but the sidequests and the characters are definitely more of the highlight. (7.5/10)
Characters: Since Crono is a silent protagonist and legit only nods every and now then or something, it's hard to relate to him at all, especially with the ending when he marries one of the girls loll, like excuseee me? There was romance in this game?! Anyway, the highlight is definitely on all the other characters, and quite simply, they're all great. I loved all their backstories, because for some, you get to see why some of them are the way that they are and what their motivations are, and for the others, you can see them overcome obstacles that have been plaguing them since the beginning of the story or even before that. They all go through quests of growth, and it's honestly pretty amazing to play through such meaningful sidequests (that really should be main quests) because it really enhances each character's personalities and thoughts very well, and makes them so much more relateable than just a bunch of people going around hoping to save the world because they have the power to. They've all learnt something from the power of time travel, understood things that they might not have been able to without it, and I think it really did well in weaving in the benefits of time travel but also the negatives. I loved how each story was handled, and I even loved the silly villains haha. (8/10)
Music: I personally really enjoyed the music in Chrono Trigger. I think it really suited the game and really helped to bring these pixellated characters to life haha. Soundtracks like Ayla's Theme, Belthasar's Theme amongst others are quite memorable and really lent well to creating the atmosphere in each timeline imo. E.g. Robo's has that techno futuristic feel, and Ayla's has that foresty kinda wild sound to it since she's like alll the way back in history, and I just loved all that variety. (8/10)
Gameplay: Gameplay is a pretty simple turn-based style where depending on the characters in the party, you can do combo attacks with them, and they're really strong and useful for the beginning! However, it gets less useful as the game goes on since having your own turn is more important tbh lol. But it is still useful and fun to use, I especially love the animations of them all, some are hilarious and some are cool loll. (7.5/10)
Overall, I would probably give Chrono Trigger and 8/10 just because it was so much fun! It had a little bit of everything; fun moments, serious moments, great world building, cool characters, sad stories but all packaged in a straightforward and entertaining way. Honestly, the game isn't very long (if you don't do all the endings), so I think it's definitely well worth the time. I was going to say it's pretty crazy how well it holds up as a PS1 game, but c'mon, Legend of the Dragoon and all the others I've replayed are just as good, and their graphics aren't bad, and are even still pretty good! So yeah, PS1 games for the win~ Definitely recommended if you want a fun time travel story with that classic JRPG feel of going on an adventure. The biggest disappointment would be Crono being so redundant to the story as a silent protagonist but everyone else is awesome, so all good hahaha.
Chrono Cross (PS1/PS3)
The best thing about it would be that the world really feels real in the sense that every human and monster has their own lives and from the little tidbits seen, you can tell how their lives are, and I really love how even the random sidequests either involve the story of your party members or NPCs around the world, and it's all so colourful!~ I personally really loved the mayor one where if you went to get the treasures in different timelines, you could get different versions of the armours or something, it was just so fascinating how Chrono Trigger does the time travel idea, and it does it in such a fun and brilliant way, I was honestly never bored. Going back and forth between timelines, seeing what the world comes to be in the future and saving the world from a dreadful future etc is fun, but the sidequests and the characters are definitely more of the highlight. (7.5/10)
Characters: Since Crono is a silent protagonist and legit only nods every and now then or something, it's hard to relate to him at all, especially with the ending when he marries one of the girls loll, like excuseee me? There was romance in this game?! Anyway, the highlight is definitely on all the other characters, and quite simply, they're all great. I loved all their backstories, because for some, you get to see why some of them are the way that they are and what their motivations are, and for the others, you can see them overcome obstacles that have been plaguing them since the beginning of the story or even before that. They all go through quests of growth, and it's honestly pretty amazing to play through such meaningful sidequests (that really should be main quests) because it really enhances each character's personalities and thoughts very well, and makes them so much more relateable than just a bunch of people going around hoping to save the world because they have the power to. They've all learnt something from the power of time travel, understood things that they might not have been able to without it, and I think it really did well in weaving in the benefits of time travel but also the negatives. I loved how each story was handled, and I even loved the silly villains haha. (8/10)
Music: I personally really enjoyed the music in Chrono Trigger. I think it really suited the game and really helped to bring these pixellated characters to life haha. Soundtracks like Ayla's Theme, Belthasar's Theme amongst others are quite memorable and really lent well to creating the atmosphere in each timeline imo. E.g. Robo's has that techno futuristic feel, and Ayla's has that foresty kinda wild sound to it since she's like alll the way back in history, and I just loved all that variety. (8/10)
Gameplay: Gameplay is a pretty simple turn-based style where depending on the characters in the party, you can do combo attacks with them, and they're really strong and useful for the beginning! However, it gets less useful as the game goes on since having your own turn is more important tbh lol. But it is still useful and fun to use, I especially love the animations of them all, some are hilarious and some are cool loll. (7.5/10)
Overall, I would probably give Chrono Trigger and 8/10 just because it was so much fun! It had a little bit of everything; fun moments, serious moments, great world building, cool characters, sad stories but all packaged in a straightforward and entertaining way. Honestly, the game isn't very long (if you don't do all the endings), so I think it's definitely well worth the time. I was going to say it's pretty crazy how well it holds up as a PS1 game, but c'mon, Legend of the Dragoon and all the others I've replayed are just as good, and their graphics aren't bad, and are even still pretty good! So yeah, PS1 games for the win~ Definitely recommended if you want a fun time travel story with that classic JRPG feel of going on an adventure. The biggest disappointment would be Crono being so redundant to the story as a silent protagonist but everyone else is awesome, so all good hahaha.
Story/Plot: Chrono Cross is pretty much an indirect sequel to Chrono Trigger with completely different characters and only sparse mentions and references to Chrono Trigger. Back in the day, I never knew much about Chrono Trigger and didn't care for it and just played Chrono Cross without it, and I think it's probably more enjoyable that way. If you come into Chrono Cross with expectations from Trigger, you'll definitely be disappointed because not only is the tone and atmosphere very different, but Cross is also more serious and dark, and talks about different themes. It's still fun in its own way, but I think it's better to ignore its relation to Trigger and just think yeah it's the same world but another timeline or something loll. Anyway, Cross follows the protagonist Serge who unconsciously gets dragged into a parallel world where he is dead. Feeling confused and wanting to know how this all could be, he travels around hoping to find answers, and ends up meeting a lot of different people who join his journey as he also faces people like Lynx who are after him for some reason.
Honestly, I think Chrono Cross' story is its weakest element. Honestly, there's a lot of great ideas and stories, but I think a lot of it was so crammed near the end that a lot of things ended in a pretty unsatisfying way. However, even though it was kinda a mess, I still really enjoyed all the different stories such as Fargo's and Nikki's reconciliation which also helped demi-humans and humans to reconcile. At its' core, I personally loved how Chrono Cross dealt with the themes of the ecosystem, how the impact of humans intervenes with the environment, and just the whole idea of how difficult it can be for all these races to survive in a world in harmony. I think it has a nice little touch in that world building aspect by showing the lives of all these different towns with humans and demi-humans and how they all interact. What I also really enjoyed was how different the parallel worlds were. As usual, the NPCs really make the world in this game, and I just loved talking to everyone and doing their side quests, because I still personally feel sad for that fisherman guy in Arni Village who spent his life praying to Mojo, but I also loved the poem girl who got inspired by her other self. I just think seeing all the possibilities of the parallel world and the original really made me think about the possibilities of mankind and how our choices and experiences really shape us to become what we are. I also really loved all the dragons and everything because it really helped to show how badly humans intervening with the ecosystem could be seen to others living in it, and I thought that was interesting. (7.5/10)
Characters: Serge is also a silent protagonist, but here he's a bit more involved in the story, and I think they found a really good balance between him only talking through "choices", since it still gave him personality, and I think the biggest improvement is that you can kinda know what type of person he is when he talks to NPCs, since they respond to his "answers", so even though you don't hear him say anything, you can gauge the kinda guy he is, so yep definitely better than Crono lol. Personally, I'm not a fan of Kid even though I used to love her as kid (lol), just because she becomes a bit weird after a while, like I guess she doesn't feel like a character lol. Anywaaay, with the vast amount of characters to choose from, it's honestly hard to not pick the main ones lol, like it's crazy to think there's ~45 party members to choose from! Like dang, and the thing is even though they don't really shine in the story or aren't that important, they all come from such diverse backgrounds and all look so unique, I actually love them regardless. There's like endless possibilities when you read their dialogue when they're in your party, it's interesting. But anyway, only a couple of them get the real story treatment such as Fargo and Nikki where their stories are actually important to the story, whereas the rest are more like mini stories e.g. Pip wanting to see the world or the Mushroom guy lmao, I love Skelly's story though omg. Anyway, even though the stories aren't very long, I did enjoy them regardless because as I said before, it really gives colour to the world and I loved them for that, but having Dario, Glenn and others get the character development they could was a great bonus. (8/10)
Music: The best thing about Chrono Cross is undoubtedly the soundtrack. Let me just say, when I played this game again, all the memories, all the music and everything just came flowing back to me, and I honestly really love ALL of them, like legit. It's a part of my everyday playlist now just because I love the ambience, the variety and just how beautiful it all sounds. My personal favourites are definitely People Imprisoned By Destiny and Kid's Theme, but Arni Village (Home World) is definitely my favourite town one! I just love how the two worlds have different music to suit the different environments and everything, it was awesome. (9/10)
Gameplay: Chrono Cross' gameplay is kinda interesting in that there are something along the lines of weak, strong and very strong attacks. They're accompanied with an accuracy percentage next to each attack, so basically the stronger it is, the more likely you are to miss. Anyway, you have to hit a combo of them (depending on what you prefer and risk) with the limited stamina you have in order to gain level bars to use your slotted elements (aka magic). It's pretty simple, and anyone can use whatever magic they want, it just depends on the individual colour they're allocated with (since higher level magic requires you to be the same colour/element). The fun thing is that you can either have an attack focused team or an element focused team or whatever. I always used to do element focused and have characters like Serge, Riddel and Leena, but it was pretty fun to go outside of my comfort zone and use people like Fargo and Glenn etc. Basically, you could play with any character and any combination you like~ and there are also combo skills in here too with characters like Glenn and Serge! It's honestly pretty fun imo, and I've always enjoyed it. (8/10)
Overall, 8/10 game for me because even with its flaws and as long as you ignore the fact it's related to Chrono Trigger, I think you'll love it lmao. I'm biased though because I love all my childhood games hahaha. Anyway, the world and the NPCs really made this game for me so enjoyable, I loved seeing the perspective of the fairies, the dwarves and the demi-humans and how they all lived and interacted, but were forced to live the way they did because humans also wanted to survive and intervened. I think it was really great seeing the repercussions of things alongside the main story of FATE and the parallel worlds. Honestly, there were too many ideas jampacked into one game that didn't have enough time, but everything they did really hit me in the feels, especially with Nikki's song (also a favourite of mine!) and I think seeing the wonderful cast of characters and their stories made this game so special for me, and yep the soundtrack really helped with that too.
VISUAL NOVELS
Fate/stay night Réalta Nua
Story/Plot: If you haven't watched the anime adaptations, FSN follows the protagonist Shirou who ends up being forced into participating in a battle royale as a Master to win the Holy Grail after somehow summoning the Servant Saber. The thing with FSN is that it honestly is still great despite being a game in the 2000s, like wow, the normal CGs, all the battle CGs are really good and pretty! I was so impressed when I first read it. Anyway, FSN has three routes - Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel, which all have Shirou ending up with a different girl in each route. You have to play the game in that order since it's kinda locked until you read the others, and it's definitely the way you should be reading it, because it's kinda amazing, but Shirou "grows" through the routes. They're all different stories, but I think by going through Fate and UBW, you can definitely appreciate the person Shirou is in HF, along with all his motivations. In terms of story, I think all routes have positives and negatives because personally, even though all routes were super emotional for me and I probably cried in each one, there were also a lot of parts where I was like, this is boring or their decisions they made were skeptical, but even with all those, I think the emotions all the routes evoked within me made up for all that because I was so engrossed with Shirou and everyone's thoughts and emotions, I loved it so much. I think whether you like action or emotional stories, you'll get your share of it all in FSN, even if some powers felt so weirdly OP and stuff loll.
Personally, I loved UBW's story the most because it was the most emotional for me. It solidified Shirou becoming my favourite character (above Rin and Archer) and all he did and fought for just made me so engrossed that I think I binged that route prettyyy fast lol, and that's considering how this VN is like ~100 hours playtime lol! However, Fate route was definitely my second favourite because I really enjoyed Saber's story and how even though Shirou was annoying, I think he understood Saber really well despite everything and gave her a chance to be who she wanted to be even if she didn't regret her life. Heaven's Feel was great too and probably had the best battles because Shirou's fights were awesome here, but Sakura is definitely lacking as a heroine. But as I said, the positives make up for all the flaws and I definitely still loved the story regardless. The VN is definitely superrr long though, so that can be a turn off but it's worth imo. (8/10)
Characters: Anyway, the good thing about each route is that they do not follow the same story, so you're always reading something new, with different battles and different stories with the uncovering of more secrets or stuff in the past as you read through, and I honestly appreciated that because when you read Fate, Shirou can be quite annoying and seemingly shallow, but once you get to UBW and discover more about him, you better understand why he's the way he is and how he's not really that "perfect and selfless hero" that he tries his best to be, and I just related to him so much better after the Fate route. Saber is also soo much more likeable than her anime counterpart because by going through the Fate route, we understand all her troubles, her "regrets", what she sacrificed and everything to be who she is now and I think that character development was crucial for me to really like her. Rin is Rin and I love her even more here lol, same as Archer, just because the detail in the UBW route made it so much better than the anime too. Sakura is still bland to me though, and Illya is definitely much better as a character imo just because I love how she goes from this crazy little girl out to kill Shirou into such a loveable little sister for him. The other Servants are also great, such as Lancer and Assassin (Kojirou) because they had stories I enjoyed and cared for, and I loved their attitudes towards people, their Masters and just for battles in general. (9/10)
Music: I used the remix or I guess the newer music rather than the original and omgg I loved it so much! EMIYA is definitely my favourite soundtrack, and a lot of people say they like the original more but I think I like the new one better hahaha. My favourites as usual though are all the "sad" music because it just does its job so well at reminding me of Saber's story, Archer's pain and everything in it all that I just love listening to them over and over again. (9/10)
Gameplay: VNs don't usually have much gameplay and FSN is quite the same. However there are quite a few bad endings, so I do recommend using a walkthrough because honestly, the VN is long enough even with a walkthrough lmao. I would also say that the bad endings are definitely worth the time because when you get a bad ending, it sends you to the Taiga Dojo where Taiga tells you where you may have gone wrong (other than the obvious wrong choice) and she does it with Illya and some of the other characters in such a hilarious way that Taiga Dojo in itself is such a highlight of the VN. I legit loved getting the bad endings just to see Taiga and Illya lmao.
Overall, FSN was my favourite VN that I read in 2020 and I finished it in like the beginning of the year lol. I would mention that I also liked Subarashiki Hibi if people are curious, but yeah that one's definitely 18+ for sure and you need to brace yourself for the crazy shit that happens in that lol. Anyway, FSN is basically an all time favourite for me just like Hakuoki is to me now, because I would 100% replay it tbh. It's been a while since something made me relate to the characters so hard that I cried for them, like I thought there was something wrong with me, I was like why am I so emotional?! But that was me with Hakuoki too, so it just goes to show how much I loved it more than there was something wrong with me LOL. The thing is, even if you think the side characters aren't as developed as they could have been (because that's how I felt for Sakura and Caster etc) and think it was all lost potential, do not give up hope! I'm reading the fandisk Fate/Hollow Ataraxia and omg, I love how much they developed everyone such as Sakura and new side characters that it's honestly all the character development the side characters missed out on. It's also really funny (from the parts I've read), so definitely a fun read after all the seriousness in FSN. (9/10)
Higurashi When They Cry
Story/Plot: If you haven't watched the old anime or the new anime currently airing right now, Higurashi's story involves two arcs with the Question Arcs and the Answer Arcs where the first arc shows the story chronologically of what happens and what people do, whereas the Answer Arc delves more into how and why these things happened and what caused it etc, so yeah basically questions and answers haha. I haven't played any of the side story arcs on the PS3 and have only played the main story on Steam so I can't comment on those, but regardless I still loved Higurashi a lot. Higurashi is definitely more of a mystery story than a horror one that many seem to refer to it as, because honestly even though some events are "horrifying", it's never as super violent as it is in the anime and really focuses more on the mystery of the village Hinamizawa and what exactly Oyashiro-sama is, and why everyone seems to become...weird I guess. Personally, I think the new anime is pretty spoiler-ish and it's not done in a good way, so I think the VNs are the best way to go because the way everything is presented is so well done in that it tells you different "possibilities" of each world and then it slowly reveals the mystery to you. The fun thing after every chapter is when you read the staff roll and you can hear the opinions of the different characters on what the "mystery" is. It's honestly a great experience through and through, and personally, what is the most lacking for me was probably the ending lol.
Initially, when I first read this, I hated the slice of life bits and just wanted to get to the serious parts, but omg as you continue to read, the slice of life parts with the club where they play their games was what became the highlight for me tbh. Keiichi (protagonist) is so funny and charismatic that I personally think the new anime really doesn't show and that's my main gripe with it. Anyway, each arc is kinda a "separate story" focused on the main characters and how they react to and discuss the mysteries of Hinamizawa, but it's done by feeding you more and more clues about the story and the characters themselves, and I loved that. It usually focuses on one character each chapter and that helps you to understand them, their pasts and how it ties to the mystery. I personally love Rena's the most. (8/10)
Characters: Keiichi, Rena and Mion are definitely my favourite characters, but Keiichi is probably my number one. I just love the way he can move people so well and I think his monologues really help to make him the person he is, because his thought processes during the club games and when he interacts with others really makes everything so much more entertaining, like wow, how did he come up with all that is what I think all the time haha. He's a rash guy, but he's so sincere and smart that I just love him for everything he does. Rena is also fun and cute whilst still being mature, whereas Mion is the sensitive but cool one. They're all different but fun in their own ways and I really enjoyed seeing them all as a group or individually because they are really the ones that make Higurashi so great. Their reactions to events, their actions, their thoughts, I really love how much each chapter delved into their thoughts and burdens. (8/10)
Music: I didn't use the PS3 music so it's pretty limited for me, but I think I love the sound of cicadas now LOL, well I'm not sure if loved is the best word but it definitely makes the atmosphere so much more "interesting"? Also, since I played Higurashi as the original sound novel it is, I could really just focus on reading (with no voice acting) and the sounds, and I think that made a lot of things quite suspenseful and scary in its own way.
Gameplay: Higurashi is a sound novel, so contrary to expectations, it has no choices! It's literally just like a visual book where you just read and that's all. The only time there's a choice, it's inconsequential, and when there's something a bit more interactive near the end, it's also not too difficult to do, and there's guides on the internet, so even easier if you really just want to read (like me) lol.
Overall, Higurashi is pretty much a classic and will always be recommended by me because it's really a mystery shown and done well. Personally, I find the "answer" lacking imo but I still loved it regardless and think it's great. The best thing is that the first chapter is free on Steam for you to try! For me, the first chapter was okay, but good enough to make me intrigued, and it was from the second chapter onwards that I was really engrossed in the whole mystery and the characters, but nevertheless, worth a try if you're interested (8/10).
That's a wrap! I honestly had to cut some stuff because it was getting wayyyy too long lol, but other honourable mentions for VNs that I really like are Steins;Gate, Hakuoki (more of an otome but still, the story is so good), Phoenix Wright and Clannad! Anyway, I know this post is late, but better late than neverrrr is what I say all the time, so yeah back to HxH next timee!
