Amakano 3

Amakano is a series that does not require an introduction for every die hard fan of wholesome visual novels; it’s a staple for anyone who desires nothing but sugary coziness in their romance. Therefore Amakano 3, the latest episode in the niche franchise held great expectations amongst the fans, albeit fulfilling a part and disappointing others. But let’s go in order. - Art, visuals and music This new chapter is probably the best one so far in the presentation. Piromizu sensei’s art has always been gorgeous but sided with the most fluid sprite animations and breathtaking transitions, it reached levels of beauty that so few vns can dream of. (I cannot stress enough the cinematic transitions, even if not that complicated, their usage turns a scene in something more dynamic). The expressiveness of the animated sprites is quite unparalleled in the field, I am surprised how lively they can convey emotions. The backgrounds are equally mesmerizing; copious of details painted with spirited colors, as well CGs could be posters or paintings how breathtaking they are. Truly on the art aspect there is no complain, only praises. The music as well has improved. No one talks about it but Amakano contains such soothing music, vibing lullabies of everyday’s life. This installment offers so many melodius tracks which are so vibrantly warm and catchy, I found myself dozing off while playing it. Each one shapes the mood perfectly. - The biggest shortcoming Alas unfortunately Amakano 3 is held back by one big hindrance which really cannot be omitted, being the pacing. Previous titles took their sweet time to develop the relationship between the two lovers, numerous hours are invested in just the arc leading to the confession. (Just to assure my statement, I replayed the antecedent works, the slow burn is not as padded; for example when I reached Kanon’s confession, I was nowhere near Rei’s in Amakano 2). Here we have 5 heroines and a time span of 30 hours, which is the same length of its prequel but this time with two more girls. The narration is not as well managed, and often is forcedly sped up. Drama or character arcs such as Letty or Kanon are rapidly solved in favor of intimate moments which are also halved. Regardless on how touching a conclusions is, I feel if the dilemmas were lengthen more they would have left a more heavy impact. Certain routes manage to smooth this haste, for example Sayumi and Shion’s paths are great even fantastic but you cannot shake off the annoying feeling that some steps of buildup where skipped. The long flow of tenderness that the series is known for is shortened. Even if detrimental I honestly believe they don’t ruin completely the experience, even if I felt annoyed, I am convinced that a couple of the stories are some of the best or most original in the series. Equally another gone mechanic victim of the pacing is the confession decision. In previous titles when you reached a determined relationship level, the game would have flung you back in the sandbox. Here you could have either taken the initiative to confess your feelings… or you could have also waited and hung out in routinely episodes filled with embarrassing but cute tension alongside the rest of the characters. If you procrastinated too much, the chosen heroine would have actually taken the initiative, confessing to you instead. This passive or active stance changes completely the dialogues and how the love declaration unfolds. Confessions are my favorite moments in romances and I am disappointed of the mechanic’s absence, since now confessions follow a linear diegetic structure with no difference. It’s not a huge deal or loss but it makes Amakano 3, less “Amakano-ish”. - Regarding the protagonist Another complaint I have is regarding the protagonist Yoshihiro, he leaves much to be desired compared to the rest of Amakano main characters. Not to argue that previous ones were multi-layered actors, after all they were ordinary young men, enough plain to be self insert to the player. And yet I argue below they had strong convictions, they stood their ground without getting thrown around. Yoshihiro instead is often too passive, so pushover that it’s stated by other characters and is especially at the beginning subject of the events and drama, rather than taking an active role. On one hand I get what the writers were thinking, an altruistic boy always helping the next person, a genuine person… And yet on the other hand this concept can lead to annoying outcomes close to be infuriating. But I dare say that his good moments are truly great, despite being scattered around the routes. - The Girls and romance Finally let’s discuss what Amakano 3 is really about the romance and heroines. Following a straightforward plot our protagonist has to manage as a cook the dorm of his grandmother, here he will inevitably interact with the five female inhabitants. This series had always a stellar cast of well developed bachelorettes, the third entry has five of them, and honestly it struggled at juggling them in quality, as I already mentioned the pacing issue, but five routes in a span of 30 hours is quite an endeavor. Nevertheless I confess it contains some phenomenal heroines in the series. What quality cannot be discussed is the character design, it’s phenomenal. Each one is incredibly distinct from how they pose to how they dress. Even in the concept art you can find online, there was a lot of heart and passion poured over their form and behavior. (Just surfing on the web it gave me more appreciation to the characters). As well personality wise each one differs drastically, usually by following a character archetype which is slowly built on and expanded. Character quirks shine also through the dorm group interactions, when they banter before and after the confession, it’s entertaining seeing complete opposites cooperate together. Although they tend to fall on the shorter side. Originally I was going to analyze or at least dissect in part each route, but then I realized that the beauty or the appeal of this vns is to enjoy virtual time with your favorite heroine, the one that inspires you the most. Consequently I’ll just mainly talk about two of my favorite characters and briefly talk on the rest. Not that the rest is bad, not at all, none of the Amakano 3 cast falls down to a mediocre level., It’s only that I haven’t much to write for now on the other three. Now if you have played it already there is no surprise that those two favorites are Shion and Sayumi. - Sayumi Hands down Sayumi is one of the most intriguing girls I have seen in the series. She is playing not two but three roles at once; the kind and innocent Sayu, the whimsical Vtuber Yukata and her cunning real self. All of these personas use different ways of speech and intonation, which are interpreted by the same voice actress, truly commendable. Hints on her true side can be noticed since the beginning, and it’s so cool to recognize when the mask is up or dropped just by hearing her tone. About her route, it’s quite entertaining. Her triple life is source of all types of narrative possibilities. And it’s quite amusing seeing how ordinary Yoshihiro deals with it, especially since he is victim of Sayumi masterful teasing which slowly gets eroded as she becomes increasingly more and more flustered by love. Their wholesome bantering is just adorable. If I have to outline flaws, maybe regarding her dominant role for the beginning which may sway some to like her. In addition, I like how even outside of her arc she is still a notable actress in manipulating or pushing events to happen, her presence is fundamental for the flow of the narrative. - Shion Yanagi Shion is my personal favorite, her route was so good, that not even midway through I stopped playing her path and decided to conclude the other four narratives instead, because I knew she would have ruined me the rest of the vn if I continued. Shion is the perfect example of an archetype tsundere developed right; she is distant, cold and even thornful with everyone surrounding her, especially towards Yoshihiro who she deeply hates. But below her appearance lies a deep complex of inferiority. A sense that she is too ordinary with no qualities, this is also intensified by the fact that she is the least uniquely designed of the cast. It’s a path that explores how to appreciate yourself and how love changes people, and it may not be subtle at all, but it’s so endearingly captivating watching this character grow with the protagonist. Paradoxically the majority of the complaints I have for Yoshihiro are absent, sure he has those bad moments, but his role feels so complementary to Shion’s, as they are two sides of the same coin. Her story benefits greatly to the shifting of perspectives, we gaze in her mind and desires constantly, how idealistic love and erotic desire are fused is galvanizing. She has the best confession by far and her story takes an interesting turn taking the focus of the plot from her to the protagonist’s problems, almost to show that love ain’t an unidirectional force. Now it’s not perfect, the pacing issue still lurks on how certain dramas are solved but I sense that this path was reaching a natural flow since Shion first appearance. This is peak wholesome romance, I replayed it at least thrice, turned every other LI into a side character for me. - Letty, Kanon, Touka and side characters In regards of the other Love interests: Letty is an interesting case, a bit of a wasted potential; her arc is tragic enough to cause friction between everyone but her trauma is resolved thanks to something akin to a deus ex machina in a time frame that is not brief but neither long. Besides that, her storyline can be both hilarious on how she approaches life but also wholesome after her main drama is gone. Kanon is fine, a standard Amakano experience, if you love gyarus you’ll adore her since she completely acts how you would expect. Kanon’s initial drama is feebly dissolved but she is charmingly magnetic enough to make her route just fun times. I originally disliked Touka as it appeared as a caricature of the Oujosama trope rather than a fleshed out character. And yes she can be oblivious to comical degrees, the heir of the wealthy Zaibatsu was better as a side character I thought, but then again after pondering back everything, I can see why for some she can be the favorite. (Even if her route can be the most annoying at times). Brief mention of the side characters; there are quite a few, and for the first time three of them possess sprites. They have serviceable support roles, mostly humorous roles to lighten the mood or are used just for exposition. Nothing to add, they are perfectly normal. - Erotic scenes Erotica in stories can be utilized in multiple ways: as narrative tools, pleasuring fanservice, mere pornography et cetera. Amakano’s sex scene had always been a mixture of these. In the same route you can view scenes that range from pure electrifying sex to poignant intercourses of character development. Wholesomeness is also not off the table. They also tend to be numerous and long, sometimes surprisingly long, but this has been a staple in the series already before. There is no need to describe the quality or variations, the level is still high. - Conclusion To end this review, Amakano 3 in spite of the flaws that I and others brought up it’s still a great dating sim. I sense that the discourse over the imperfections wouldn’t have been argued constantly if this visual novel wasn’t from the Amakano series, considering it has expectations to attain. Therefore in the end it would be foolish of me to not recommend it, the merits excels the annoyances, furthermore as every other Amakano is quite enjoyable to replay, it even gets slightly better, even if you know where things are heading, its tenderness is irresistible.

TL;DR - 8.75 / 10 - Great art like its prequel Amakano 2, more heroines but less story depth. My personal route recommendation: Any order, but keep Shion the last. Art - 10 / 10 Same artist as Amakano 2. It's amongst the best if not one, particularly the coloring. The sprite animation has improved from Amakano 2 that it's much less awkward unless you speed reading. Sound - 9 / 10 Great acting from VAs. Though I can't help but worry what would happen if there is Amakano 3+, since Amakano 2+ shows that the heroines from Amakano 2 and 1 meet in a route, because: Spoiler: About Shion Shion from Amakano 3 and Yuuhi from Amakano 2 are voiced by 1 VA. It's not much of a complain though. The VA certainly did great on her job. Also, the BGM is really pleasing that I took a bit liking on some tracks. Though, the same problem from Amakano 2 can be found here: Sometimes the BGM drowns the VA's voice, so you might want to lower its volume on the settings first before playing. Character - 8 / 10 The characters are interesting and charming, but I can't help but feel that the design or concept are too similar to Amakano 2, it kind of feels like some aspect are being reused. I won't say which one since this is my personal opinion, but you might agree with me, just play both game (Amakano 2 and 3) and see what I mean. Story - 8 / 10 There are way more heroines than Amakano 2 (5 vs 3), and the length rating (read time) is much longer on VNDB and I can agree on it, but only because there are more heroines. Frankly speaking, the routes lack depth on development compared to Amakano 2. There are character development for sure, but the story focus much more on boinking compared to Amakano 2. But overall, I still enjoy it because there are more variant.