12.11.16

Seems Fault - Milestone Two side:above was significantly shorter than the first episode. In other words, I just finished it.

What I've mentioned earlier about this still stands, so I won't repeat myself, but I do have some new observations to add.

First of all, I noticed a pattern in how the story's built. Now, while I'm not a very avid reader, stories generally seem to follow a pattern of starting slow and comparatively uninteresting, then winding up until almost the end, and then quickly slowing down as stuff wraps up. These, however, have a very strong beginning and ending, with the middle portion being the less interesting part.

Both episodes so far have started off with a lot of action, then most of the story is a slow development of events, and the ending always tries to make you cry. And honestly, I like this style. A fast start quickly sparks one's interest, then we can trudge through the brunt of the story (It's not actually bad, this is more of a generalization.), and an emotional ending leaves a stronger memory of the story.

The story also divides into portions where it's serious and stuff is progressing, and parts where the characters are just acting all cute towards each other. The fittingness of the latter rather confuses me, but perhaps it helps with defining the characters. I couldn't really tell.

I was completely mistaken about one thing though. I though that this tale would be one of fantasy and magic (or "manakravte", as they call it), but that hasn't at all been the case, nor will it probably be in the future. This episode especially drew very clear parallels with technological advancements in real life. A bunch of stuff, including some primitive form of the internet, in the form of a book acting as a message board.

But more than that, a huge topic was ethics. A developing country. A class system. How unfair life can be for some. Greed, and choices in life. It really tries to tackle a bunch of problems of society. And I'm not exactly good at discussing those kinds of things.

Sad for me, because I just wanted action. Perhaps the lighthearted segments I mentioned earlier were there to help against the overall slightly depressing mood of the story. Still, I can't criticize how it handles the topics themselves, as I quite enjoyed what I read. My only concern is that things do turn out just a bit too well for reality. I guess a story needn't have a happy ending, but at least a good one.

Aaand I went off on a ramble again. Reading a bunch of words must make me want to write a bunch of words in return.

To conclude, I must say that this VN series seems at first glance to be something completely different from what it actually is, but despite that, I think it's really good, and I can't wait for the next episodes.