Amakano

Review of final Amakano, the original entry of Azarashi soft pristine series and also their first visual novel in the field. A game that can resume their entirety philosophy on vns: completely wholesome romance stories. I’ll try to avoid comparison with the future titles, even if it’s a staple of all of their works, there is a lot to uncover here. - What to expect: themes and atmosphere Love stories are common in the visual novel field, often even life or death scenario feature romance side stories. Nonetheless Amakano decides to focus itself completely not on a thrilling narration, neither on a comedic plot, but solely on the growth of a relationship, an heartwarming one. It’s a feel good tale, where affectionate events take the precedence. Any sexual aspect even if powerfully erotic it’s in service of the sentimental bond; the heart comes first, even in embarrassing moments. Even if it’s completely focused on pure love, dramatic friction between the characters is present, although it’s kept lighthearted as these intimate obstacles will be surpassed no matter what. These instances may be separation, jealousy, fear of loss or family duties but they won’t ever fall into a desperate drama with no escape; as these also don’t feel as forced, since they are shortly solved organically. Winter is really the theme of the vn, and yet is anything but frigid or cold. The setting is a welcoming small town, interiors emanate warm colors and even exterior locations such as parks and roads covered in snow feel hospitable. Even when colors are cold and gloomy, the presence of love is the bonfire of the moment, The atmosphere oozes of coziness, a snow that radiates warmth. As well the music transmits comforting emotions, it can be soothing, joyful or sappy. It’s a chill series of melodies, the piano tracks are definitely the best, the rest may not be the most memorable but they are serviceable. - The art: Piromizu and Akaneya The main artist responsible for the background, art style and character design is none other than the famous Piromizu, while the responsible of the endearing chibi art is Akaneya. Both are talented creators that are the soul of the aesthetics in the Amakano series. Despite this, I personally think they didn’t reach their maturity in this game, especially Piromizu. Compare his later works to these ones, the backgrounds aren’t as vibrant or the CGs as spectacular, even the heroines kinda look a bit similar to each other (Especially in the faces), but just a tiny bit, if you search online his redrawings of the original Amakano cast they look almost completely different. Nevertheless must state that I am not saying the art is bad, perish the thought, they are quite aesthetically pleasing and CGs can look gorgeous, it’s just intriguing to see the evolution of an artist craft over the times. - Plot and gameplay The story is ordinary, just a frame for the romantic events; at the end of November a young man Sugagawa Yuuki is called in the hot spring town of Yomase-machi to aid his grandparents in their inn. Here he will encounter three girls. The facetious outgoing senpai Kanbayashi Mizuki, the timid but kind Miko Takayashiro Sayuki and the energetic airhead kouhai Hoshikawa Koharu. The thread of events follows a diegetic linear narration except during interruptions of the sandbox part. Here you can select your favorite heroine to spend time with, depending on the majority of the chosen hangouts you will end up on that girl’s route. A cool mechanic that is also brought in the sequels, is the confession event. At the culmination of the first act of an heroine path, the game will let you decide if you should confess to your love interest or just wait and visit hangouts. If you stall too much, she will take the initiative instead and confess to you (That said you can also fail the confession or reach a bad ending with no lover if you don’t build up enough the affection). I adore this decision, (since confession are my favorite part in romances)the difference between the confessions are slight but impactful, the CG is the same for both instances but the conversation is different. The narration isn’t solely focused on the protagonist, perspectives are switched between characters. A good example of the utilization of the different POVs is in Koharu’s route during the studying session, which is used both for comedic and sentimental moments. - The protagonist and the characters The main actor of the tale is Sugagawa Yuuki an ordinary but gentle student always ready for altruistic endeavors but generally reserved in his demeanor. Starting from his arrival in Yomase he has a passive behavior, as he never starts directly interactions, but as the days follow this passiveness is slowly shed as Yuuki grows more close to his friends and begins taking an active stance. He is somewhat of a boy becoming a man. Usually the clue moment of growth is when he decides to take a step forward in the relationship that he would have never dared to make before. If I had to categorize him as a protagonist, he would fall into a sort of self-insert main character that has still his own appreciable personality and arc (As is typical with all Azarashi soft games). A rapid mention on the repertoire of side characters who aren’t really peculiar, considering that all of them even lack a sprite. Also almost all of them lack a name, aside from a few, including Yuuki’s classmates Yutanaka and Shibu, a sarcastic couple of students that have either a minor comic or supportive role. But no one is really that noteworthy, falling in the range of normality. Although there are a couple of curious apparitions; for example Koharu’s gigantic dad, who unlike Sayuki’s is kind albeit completely silent, he was an unexpected highlight in a cast of unremarkable side characters. Finally the three heroines; each girl’s persona is firmly portrayed, albeit not that deeply complex. They adhere to archetypes which receive a small character development. During their respective route, they may become more mature, more sociable or more honest with their feelings but their core traits will never change. What’s truly developed instead is the sentimental bond they create with the protagonist, this is what truly constantly grows. I believe this trio is on the same level of quality writing throughout all of their paths, you will probably find a favorite but you definitely won’t be disappointed or let down by all three. In this series you won’t find a more solid cast elsewhere, I’ll try to briefly talk about them and give at the end also a personal thought on each one, (Which I’ll hide behind a spoiler so anyone who isn’t interest can skip, won’t impact the overall score at all, but I feel like giving since it’s my review.) - Mizuki Mizuki is the exact opposite of what would you expect from a senpai character, she reverberates with playful behavior. A constant teaser able of an elegant immaturity fueled by an intese interest in food and good deals. This mischievousness works notwithstanding her noteworthy grades and popularity. Of course that’s just the surface of her jolly attitude, Mizuki is capable of being mature but also shows insecurity or confusion when things don’t go her way. Such as when teasing backfires, or her eyes situation is unveiled (which is foreshadowed here and there). This other side of Mizuki is delicate, maintaining a playfulness that is more affectionate than comical, all unraveled by her fear of loneliness. I love how artificially studied it’s her manner of speaking and laugh when she is purposefully bantering, unlike when she is vulnerable. In the route the dramatic obstacles are generally ordinary (Jealousy, fear of distance…) but resilient enough to propel the relationship forward. Personal view: Depending on the day Mizuki is either my favorite or second favorite, her route has an humorous flow that ends up in an heartwarming experience. And the VA just nails it. - Koharu The adorable Koharu, the energetic poster girl of the town’s pastry shop. Her oversized chest is the first thing the narration throws at you (literally) and from the rocky start, you may believe she will be only an annoying perverted trope, but the flow of the story strolls another curious road. On one hand she embodies the typical anime stereotype of the girl with comically large breasts, Koharu’s playfulness and innocence make her not seldom unconscious of her body. On the other hand she feels uncomfortable with it, wants to change them and detests how people gaze at her only for that. Yuuki will get close to her heart not only for his kindness, while his internal dilemma of being something else than her senior turmoils his heart. A cute culmination of her story is a confrontation between Yuuki and a classmate stalker. While the latter merely enjoys her body and wants to possess her, the protagonist genuinely loves her above her chest, having a small but exciting showdown with him. There is a genuine tenderness in Koharu’s route, Yuuki adapts at her innocent behavior without forcing any perverted things on her and even if the “big boobs” joke is always present and the relationship can feel at times not equal, it’s still a great slow burn. Personal view: Maybe my favorite heroine out the of three, Koharu’s route is particularly different even how it approaches romance. - Sayuki The ice cold priestess of the famous shinto shrine of the area, a paragon of distance and elegancy. Seemingly unreachable she is actually very timid while being the most altruistic person in the whole town, thinking always of other’s needs before herself. Sayuki gets the best development arc in the game, starting immediately from her first appearance, it reaches the culmination through the end of the common route and gets slightly expanded in her path. It’s all about surpassing their shyness to become friends and maybe something more, as always the protagonist will be the catalyst. The route is very eventful; the main dramatic force, is her role as heir of the Shinto temple, since becoming Sayuki’s lover means holding too the yoke of the priesthood inheritance from the start. Personal view: I am the weird one here amongst the general reception, she is my least favorite despite her greatness. I know, I know she didn’t click with me, maybe because she feels too standardly perfect; Sayuki is the embodiment of a Yamato nadeshiko (The ideal Japanese woman) and generally I search something more peculiarly outside the choir. - The erotica Slow burn and wholesomeness doesn’t mean excluding sex, in fact you will be surprised. Amakano has a huge amount of erotic scenes, and when they arrive they arrive in number and length. And they aren’t even mono thematic, they feature multiple tags, it’s absolutely not boring - About The OVA Amakano has an anime did you know? Probably many’s first reception to the game; the adaptation is four episodes produced by studio Mary Jane and it’s… fine. It’s mainly pornographic and it animates some sex scenes of the routes. Personalities aren’t twisted at least, but comparing it to the vn it’s night and day. As a substitute of the original work it’s not worth it, you can watch it for curiosity, but for me sex wasn’t the main appeal. The wholesome buildup, Piromizu art, et cetera. Still it’s not awful just ok. - Conclusion Amakano may be a single title, but It introduced cardinal features of the series and of Azarashi catalogue. It still stands as a marvelous experience of coziness, simple and straightforward but effective. I find myself replaying certain moments just to feel good. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who desires a “Feel good” visual novel. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who desires a “Feel good” visual novel.