r/visualnovels • u/Kowzz http://vndb.org/u62554/list • Jun 07 '14
Spoilers Weekly Thread #4 - Grisaia no Kajitsu
Hey hey!
Kowzz here, and welcome to our fourth weekly discussion thread! I thought I'd spruce up the OP a little bit. There is a small easter-egg embedded in the post! I don't think it is particularly difficult to find, but I would not be surprised if it goes undetected. Just a little fun to add to the thread ;). The format might change a little bit over time as I learn more optimal formatting techniques, but I will try to keep the style consistent.
Week #4 - Visual Novel Discussion: Grisaia no Kajitsu
グリザイアの果実, more commonly known here as Grisaia no Kajitsu, is a very long, >50 hours, visual novel developed by Front Wing in 2011.
Grisaia no Kajitsu's strongest points are its comedy, romance, and drama. Deemed one of the funniest visual novels of all time, it should come as no surprise that a good share of people have read the first installment of the Grisaia series. As of June 2014 Grisaia no Kajitsu is the 18th most popular visual novel among the VNDB community with a popularity rating of 43.07.
Synopsis:
Mihama Academy - on the surface, a closed learning environment established to nurture students who find themselves at odds with the world around them; in actuality, an orchard-cum-prison built to preserve fruit that has fallen too far from its tree.
Whatever the circumstances behind its establishment, Mihama Academy is at present home to five female students, all with their own reasons for "enrollment." For better or worse, each girl has established a routine obliging of her current situation; life moves at an idle, yet accommodating pace within the walls of Mihama.
Yet with the arrival of the institute's first male student, the nearly preposterously opaque Kazami Yuuji, the students at Mihama begin to fall out of step with their predetermined rhythms. Will Yuuji prove to be the element the girls around him needed to take hold of their lives once more, or will the weight of their pasts prove too steep a wall to overcome?
And in the first place, just who is Kazami Yuuji? While the true nature of the "job" he is wont to alight to at the most haphazard of moments remains shrouded in secrecy, one thing is for certain - his encroachment upon the quiet orchard known as Mihama Academy will prove itself momentous in one way or another. And of course, one cannot discount the possibility that perhaps Yuuji himself carries the weightiest past of any of the students...
Up-coming Discussions
June 21st - Little Busters
July 4th - Muv-Luv Alternative
July 18th - Chaos;Head
As always, thanks for the feedback and direct any questions or suggestions to my reddit inbox or through a comment in this thread.
Next weeks discussion: Favorite Characters
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u/Kowzz Jun 07 '14
We are almost 12 hours into the thread and I thought I would remind people about the small tidbit in the OP:
There is a small easter-egg embedded in the post!
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u/MrLameJokes Jun 07 '14
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u/Kowzz Jun 07 '14
Ha-ha. No joke, that picture is what got me to read the VN. Blow-job selfie has no rival in the comedic H-scene department AFAIK.
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u/Kowzz Jun 07 '14
Weekly Question: What was your favorite part/scene from the visual novel?
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u/Kowzz Jun 07 '14
Once again... the odd sensation of replying to ^myself...
My favorite scene from the VN is hands down 'the meeting'. Whole thing had me in hysterics.
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Jun 07 '14 edited Jun 07 '14
Best VN I've read so far (or maybe that's the endorphins talking). I'll try and keep this spoiler-free.
I've only just now finished a single route, for the express purpose of participating in this thread... Grisaia no Kajitsu has been on my list for a long time, but only by seeing the thread announcement did I finally work up enough motivation to get started. I'm very pleased with how this has worked out.
I completed the Sachi route (best end? I'm not sure how many endings there are, I'm going into this intentionally blind). Initially starting the game, I was initially drawn towards Sakaki. Based on the first few choices selected I had thought I was headed in her direction, but alas. I only belatedly realized I was on the Sachi route riiiiiiiiight before getting to her backstory. I'm still of mixed feelings about this outcome. Sachi's route really hit me right in the feels, but I suspect that the others will too. I'll admit without shame that I'm going to have a hard time on the other routes now, as I expect that I won't be helping Sachi in anyone else's route. And vice versa, once I learn about the other characters' stories.
For more general commentary on this VN; I was startled by the long decision-free introduction period at the beginning. When the first choice rolled around, I was easily 18 hours into reading, and it felt like a surprise. I liked this, previous VNs I've read through had hit me with decisions right from the start, or nearly. I can appreciate a story that locks me in before asking for interaction. I'm only familiar with a handful of VNs, so my perspective may be limited.
For all the I loved the story and the characters, I was not really impressed with the H-scenes. Maybe the route I took is less good, or maybe I was in the wrong fame of mind, but they seemed more than a little awkwardly out of place, or forced. That said, it's not like awkwardness is absent from reality in such circumstances, so demanding perfection seems a bit like missing the point.
So; question for you, dear comrade-in-arms; should I be expecting heartbreak when I take another route, and learn that I can only help one girl in a single route?
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u/Kowzz Jun 07 '14
should I be expecting heartbreak when I take another route, and learn that I can only help one girl in a single route?
More or less, yes. Personally, Sachi hit me the hardest because I liked Sachi the most. Each character has an interesting set of circumstances that makes them who they are. I think you'll like it, but of all the characters, I think having to skip Sachi every time is the worst :(.
Many people don't like long common routes, but Grisaia's was pleasant and absolutely hilarious making it a bonus instead of a fault IMO.
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u/goodluckmyway Jun 07 '14
Personally I think one of the best parts of Grisaia is Yuuji as a character. He's a protagonist who I find genuinely funny and likeable (in no small part due to koestl's amazing translation skills), despite being cliché'd at times (though even these moments I felt were done ironically). Really his dialogue is what made the game for me.
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u/TalismanG1 Jun 07 '14
While Grisaia no Kajitsu will most likely remain my most favorite piece of slice of life/comedy ever (unless the sequels are of a similar, better vein) and is fantastic in nearly every way, I do have some issues with it.
The first issue is standard with almost any visual novel, and that is the sexual scenes. Most of them are rather forced, the only ones really making any sense (to me) are Amane's, considering her personality and past. Some are especially bad coughcoughMakinacough in terms of being forced.
The other issue is what felt like a lack of CGs. If this is a case of spending mroe budget on writing and sound, I'm all for that. The writing and sound are top-notch in nearly every moment. However, there are still times where it feels like the developers pulled a lazybones and decided to not add an extra state/expression on a sprite, or change a small detail of a CG to mirror what's being described on a written level. It is incredibly nitpicky, I know, but that is seriously the only real problem I have with Grisaia no Kajitsu as a whole (besides the other aforementioned issue). I cannot stress enough that I absolutely love this game, and I am impatiently awaiting the translations of the sequels.
P.S.(?) If the editors/koetsl is lurking around, you guys did a fantastic job making this game sound like it was originally written in English. Probably one of the best damned translations I have ever seen, and its a refreshing feeling from reading editor trainwrecks like If my Heart had Wings and Majikoi.
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u/koestl Jun 07 '14
Thanks for the kind words.
You're right, the game really doesn't have many CGs or BGM tracks considering its enormous length. But it was enough of a success that Frontwing invested more and more into the sequels. Rakuen has honestly amazing production values - and a higher resolution, too.
The PSP port of Kajitsu also adds some much-needed additional CGs that I briefly tried to look into ripping, but it just wasn't feasible. Maybe when someone actually licenses the series!
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u/goodluckmyway Jun 07 '14
I would also like to add that the game description "orchard-cum-prison" confused me for the longest time until I realized it was Latin.
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u/Avebone Jun 07 '14
...honestly can't pick a favorite scene, too many good ones to choose from.
Sachi is best girl.
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u/sifudango Jun 07 '14
Wow perfect timing, I just finished all 5 routes just this morning (5 AM). I think I can go talk for a bit now.
Lets start with my favourite routes.
My two favourite routes was Sachi's and Amane's.
Sachi's hit really close to home with me as my parents weren't very active in my upbringing as well, and seeing the ending shot a hole through my heart ;_;. Sachi was also one of the most adorable character's I've ever seen, talk about no filters, her deadpan straightforward dirty mouthed humour always got me, regardless of whose route I was on. Seeing an actual disorder that people take so lightly (/s OCD) being represented in such an extreme way makes me realize that my "OCD" was nothing more than minor anal retentiveness, where as Sachi is tragically trapped with it. Learning about the cute backstory between her and MC also gave her bonus points, and I'm a sucker for girls with short hair. >.> Essentially, based on my personal preference and my connections, I really Sachi.
Now Amane. I am actually not a fan of the slutty big breasted bimbo, but what I liked about Amane, is that they made it clear, that she was the slutty big breasted bimbo, and not a different character type, with the slutty big breasted bimbo body. That's one of the things I enjoyed the most about this game, is the character design. Now onto her route, her route, though didn't focus especially on Yuji x Amane, was focused more on Kazuki x Amane. The Angelic Howl (?) backstory was one of the most psychological and well though out flashbacks i've seen in my life of reading books, watching stuff, etc. They also made it clear that her flashback is what made her who she is today, (appreciative of food).
Now for a total overview. GnK is probably my highest rated visual novel i've played (i haven't played much mind you, and it only knocks off Katawa Shoujo from first place), what i enjoyed a lot about GnK was how despite having 5 different routes, the character traits stay the same throughout each route, and you can find some routes hinting to other routes. The character designs is what really entrapped me, I believe he was the same character designer for TWGOK, so A+++ in that department.
Im currently dying from allergies so even though I want to say more, im actually at a lost for words, haha. anyways I hope the sequel gets translated soon, my kanji vocab is still minimal so I cant read the raws myself ;w;
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u/JonnyRobbie Jun 07 '14 edited Jun 07 '14
First I'll say that I loved it. But I want to discuss, why I liked Michiru and Amane routes the most. It's becuase they felt most 'natural'. Michiru simply had trouble within herself. Yeah, it went a little bit supernatural, but it was still the most believable, because it didn't went over the top, but it still revolved about Michiru's inner self. The same was Angelic howl. The whole route was basically a flashback. Bus crash can happen to anyone of us. I admit, that some of it was a little bit stretched, but made sense. The epilogue with the crazy father was a little dramatic, but I got it.
But the other three routes were simply over the top. Makina and Sakaki routes were basically the same. Both were about David vs Goliath. Two little students against an army sent by people with almost unlimited money. Sure, Yuuji might have some 'training' that might get more attention in sequels (waiting for translation), but that doesn't change the fact, it was slightly unbelievable.
And then there's Sacchi. Sure, her personality was satisfactorily explained, but blowing up the entire school for this? "Hey Chizuru, we want to blow up the school to pieces." "Why?" "We don't want to write that test." "Oh, ok, help yourself."
And the last thing. I looked as Grisaia's wiki page, and was surprised that PC version had different voice actors than PSP version? I thought that voice acting might be pretty expensive, why redo it? I didn't think the original one was bad. Why is that?
PS: Two of my favourite screenshots of my favourite girl: [1] [2]
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u/koestl Jun 07 '14 edited Jun 07 '14
There wasn't actually any change to the cast for the all ages versions. Voice actors and actresses typically work under one or multiple pseudonyms when appearing in eroge.
E: As for why they bother doing this when it's extremely obvious who everyone is: http://i.imgur.com/LF9vi96.jpg
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u/insanityissexy Jun 07 '14
Copy-pasting the review part of my mini-review from my blog:
I jumped on this as soon as the patch was out. A few months before the full release I had read the demo, and I loved it! Grisaia is hilarious. Especially... No, pretty much all the girls are funny. But I loved Sachi's jokes and her misunderstandings. Michuri's stupid antics are also hilarious, as are the things that come out of Makina's dirty, filthy mouth. Amane and Yumiko were less funny overall, but they definitely had their moments.
It's also a fairly recent game, so it looks beautiful. The common route is all about the characters (that means very little plot) and it's very long. That might be a con for some, but it's definitely a pro for me. The more time I get to spend with these great characters, the better. The individual routes range from decent to amazing. Overall, I really, really liked it. I played the routes in the following order: Michiru > Sachi > Yumiko > Makina > Amane. Definitely end with Amane, as it has the most impact and apparently is a good lead-in to Grisaia no Meikyuu, the sequel.
My favourite heroine was Sachi. My favourite route was Amane's.
Rating: 8.5/10
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Jun 07 '14
This has probably taken the place for my favorite VN yet. It just made me laugh far too often, and was the first VN I never lost interest in. The only route I was ever really dreading was Makina's (I did it last), and I ended up enjoying it because of how much backstory you got into Yuuji.
My only true complaint is the bad endings. Like I posted about earlier this week, they're just way too inconsistent in terms of quality.
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u/Yojiru Jun 08 '14
I ask out of curiosity, what ingame day do the choices start happening?
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u/stopreplay Jun 09 '14
I only played through Amane and Sachi route months ago. I am trying to get though all the others one now. Amane flashback kinda left me sick. Well sick is not the right word but there was a feeling of dread in the back of my head that I knew about but didn't want to know about.
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u/0felex01 Jun 11 '14
I just finished Sachi's path, the ending was so emotional. I did Makina's before that.
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u/Kowzz Jun 07 '14
Who is your favorite character and why is it Sachi?
Haha, jokes aside, my favorite character in Grisaia no Kajitsu is Sachi. One of the biggest complaints I see about the character is that the extent to which she will go to accommodate others is too unrealistic or unbelievable. To that, I will agree, but, I found her actual 'problem' to be the most realistic and understandable. Her childhood trauma felt... real. At least to me. Don't get me wrong, I love me some bare bones survival and James Bond stories, but the root of the problems for all the heroines in Grisaia, minus Sachi, were really far-fetched. It didn't detract from the greatness, but having Sachi's situation stem from an event I can imagine and sympathize with gives her more depth as a character to me.
Now now, I know what you're thinking, "Well Kowzz, I follow so far, but that alone doesn't warrant the declaration of Sachi is best girl proclamation" to which I say,
Sachi is BOLD
Sachi is POETIC and CULTURED
Sachi is MODEST
Sachi is JUSTICE
A Sachi voted for is a strong Sachi.
A Sachi not voted for is a Sachi in danger.
So the next time you vote best girl, VOTE SACHI!