r/visualnovels • u/AutoModerator • Dec 08 '18
Weekly Weekly Thread #228 - G-Senjou no Maou
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Automod-chan here, and welcome to our two hundred and twenty-eighth weekly discussion thread!
Week #226 - Visual Novel Discussion: G-senjou no Maou
G-Senjou no Maou is a visual novel developed by AkebeiSoft2 and originally released in 2008. It was fan translated into English and released in 2010. Later, in 2015, it was picked up for an official English release by Sekai Project. Currently G-Senjou no Maou is rated #2 for popularity, and #18 for score on vndb.
Synopsis
You play the role of Azai Kyousuke, the son of a legendary gangster infamous in the underworld. You spend your time listening to Bach, playing God at school and covertly working for your stepfather, a ruthless financial heavyweight. This idyllic existence is broken when two individuals appear in the city - a beautiful girl named Usami Haru with hair you could get lost in for days, and a powerful international gangster known only as "Maou". Almost without delay, the two begin a deadly cat-and-mouse game, bringing you and your friends into the crossfire. Plotting, political intrigue and layer upon layer of interlocking traps are the weapons in this epic battle of wits.
Upcoming Visual Novel Discussions
December 15 - VA-11 HALL-A
December 22 - Swan Song
December 29 - Shill a VN you read in 2018 to others
NEXT YEAR'S SCHEDULE
We are currently beginning to put together next year's schedule for weekly discussion threads. If you have any VNs or topics you would like to see, please either reply here or message the mods with suggestions.
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VA-11 HALL-A
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u/MisterCimba42 Dec 08 '18
G-Senjou started off looking like it was going to be great, then ended up being consistently disappointing during most of its run time only to have one of the dumbest, worst endings I've ever seen in anything. No idea how this has become one of the most popular VNs among western fans.
The epilogue was great though, I fucking hated everything about G-Senjou at that point and I still got teary eyed.
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u/JustiguyBlastingOff Dec 09 '18
The epilogue was great though
Absolutely this. Just hearing the beginning of the song that plays during it starts to get me.
No idea how this has become one of the most popular VNs among western fans.
u/Some_Guy_87 nailed it, honestly. When you can sell something as "hey death note but with L as a waifu in a penguin suit and awesome takes on classical music" it's a lot easier than you'd think.
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u/saccharind Dec 09 '18
was really kinda whatever about most of the game until the fucking Trainwreck of emotions that was the prison scene. "Close Your Eyes" still gets me a little emotional to this day
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Dec 14 '18
Devil on G-String was really, really good. Right up until you lock yourself in the True End and it becomes really, really bad. Fuck, that stupid """twist""" still makes me so mad to this day. They spend so long setting you up for one giant fucking red herring.
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u/Some_Guy_87 Dec 14 '18
The most infuriating aspect of it is that the non-twist alternative was a thousand times more interesting imho. I wouldn't have minded it much if it was just a bad twist, but it actually destroyed every single interesting topic that I was eager to read a resolution for.
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u/Xaneth_ Dec 08 '18
This was my 3rd VN I've read after Fate/stay night and Hoshizora no Memoria (well maybe 4th if you count Fate/hollow ataraxia, but for the sake of simplicity I treat them as one series with stay night), so it was also only my 2nd plot driven VN. And honestly I was shocked that I could get so invested into a crime/battle of wits story, given how Death Note didn't really click with me previously - and especially since this time the setting was so grounded in reality with no supernatural elements whatsoever. Easily one of the best stories I've ever experienced in any medium.
That said, I still don't really like how the side routes basically contradict the canon ending. Once you find out in the true route that , suddenly plot holes appear in the side routes and it's hard to take them seriously anymore. I've read some "explanation" that , but that sounds more like a half-assed excuse made after the fact. Still, if you manage to ignore that, side routes are all solid in their own right. I'd rate them Mizuha > Tsubaki > Kanon.
Still, they all pale in comparison to the true ending. The epilogue hit me harder than I would've expected. That was honestly some Clannad level feels. Although, admittedly, I would prefer if it was a tad bit longer and conclusive. , felt a bit lacking in terms of closure, as tearjerking as it was. The VN could definitely use some fandisc, or at least a short after story.
All in all though, I thoroughly enjoyed G-Senjou no Maou, and I can definitely see why it's the 2nd most popular visual novel on VNDB.
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u/Negoksa Dec 09 '18
Devil on the g string was a good piece. But the way it handled the plot twist pissed me off. I found it very misleading and in the end it kinda ruined it for me, it almost feels like the writers pulled a deus ex from their ass when they understood their plot wasn't solid enough . I have no issue in the side routes plot holes since having a "true" end is not a bad thing in itself. Should the twist had been different I could've understood why it is so popular, but to me I'd rank it a 7/10
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u/patchesfaces Dec 08 '18
G-Senjou No Maou is definitely one of my favorite VN's that I've ever read but even I have to admit that the plot is pretty messy.
First off the good: I loved Tsubaki's and Haru's routes. Kanon's route was also very good although not as good as the former two. Tsubaki's route was one of the few times I've ever been truly stressed when reading something. Every single line I was afraid to press the space bar because I was terrified of what would happen next but at the same time I had to keep doing it because of how gripping the story was. Her end is also the happiest IMO of all the non Haru routes which is also a plus.
Kanon's route was good because I enjoyed her character but I don't remember it nearly as much as Tsubaki's and Haru's. The part that stood out most to me was the figure skating scene at the end of the route. Her hitting the quadruple lutz was super hype even if it did seem a bit obvious leading up to it.
Haru's route is a great finisher for the VN. She is the best character throughout the entire story so of course sending an entire route getting to know her really puts this route over the top. And the epilogue.
On to the bad through, I have two big problems with the plot. The first is most of Mizuha's route and the second is the identity of Maou. I barely remember Mizuha's route at all but what I do remember thinking is that her romance was rather contrived and unrealistic. The hostage situation at the beginning of the route was great and is one of my favorite scenes but I don't remember a single thing that happens after that. Her character seems to just show up out of nowhere and then we never see her again.
My biggest problem is definitely with the whole "MAOU IS ACTUALLY KYOUSKE" hints that are being shoved down your throat throughout the entire VN. It got to the point where I was basically convinced that Kyouske being Maou was so obvious that there was absolutely no way that it could possibly be him. And what do you know I was right. The fact that it was actually his not-dead brother felt completely out of left field and I'm pretty sure he was mentioned to have a brother in passing maybe once in the entire story before hand. If that had been handled better the plot would have easily not suffered as much in retrospect.