Harlequin

I'd go with Ef normally, however, it's only the first tale (chapters 1-3). That's not good enough. And unfortunately I haven't tried Majikoi (waiting for full translation) yet. Sooo Osanadai then... maybe. It's a lovely VN, for several reasons.

Welcome to the EG forums! Enjoy your stay here on this holy site, hehe.

Oh, very well then, thank you. Simple choice in that case for me --> wait for Chou, if wanting to read Dengeki Stryker. Side note: really wanted Hiruko to have a route before when I first looked up Dengeki on VNDB, and now she actually got one. ^^

Question: how different is Chou Dengeki Stryker compared to the normal version? Is it simply an improvement? I know it has two more routes at least, but are the original two routes different or the same as in the normal version? In other words, will it be pointless to read Dengeki Stryker once Chou is out?

Hallo! Welcome to the EG forums. Always nice to see a Saya no Uta lover of course, hehe. Also - Kimi no Todoke... though I've personally only seen the anime, it was very good for me at least. Sawako is sweeeeet.

(My "change": the complete Matsuri version (all CGs, all arcs, all graphical effects, all voice acting, etc) of Higurashi translated and available on PC)

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. Let's see how this entire terrific mystery story ends then... Haoooooo!

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (episodes 1-4, question arcs) ... I love it. I friggin' love it. Everything about it, pretty much. The multitude of mysteries (SO. MUCH. THINKING. TO. DO.) and their excellent buildup, the tenseness, the very heavy feeling of paranoia, the twists, the effective placement of sound effects, the great music, the lovable and interesting characters (...Mi-) and the feeling of friendship with some of them, the setting, the visuals and the atmosphere (peaceful/ominous), the NVL style, the pacing of the story, the sometimes emotional and very memorable moments, the WTFery, the cool "extras" (TIPS + All-cast review sessions). Leaving it at that for now. *Might* do a review, even though it's just the first title. I thought it was so damn good on its own... seriously. It's probably because this is the kind of VN that I can appreciate the absolute most. Yep.

Not sure if anyone here cares about it at all, but I'll just post this for those who haven't seen the anime yet (like me): [uTWoots] Sword Art Online [720p.Complete] [unofficial batch] Good one to get if you feel like watching SAO, I guess. I'm downloading it right now anyway.

Awesome news! Because it actually looks like a very nice VN with sweet art.

Wow, looks like a very good title for sure (interesting characters). Too bad there's no English translation though :/. Oh well, at least you got to enjoy it with the Chinese translation! Also, mystery.

As others have said, My girlfriend is the President. It's perfect for you if you're looking for something lighthearted and comedic that also happens to be of good quality. The side stories for the multitude of characters in Koihime Musou are also easy going and comedic/ecchi in general.

That... is a reeeally cool song, yes. And I remember hearing it on your Umineko review also. ^^

Episode 2 of Higurashi completed. Yea I know what you're thinking - who friggin' cares if I've finished one episode of this one VN. But goddamnit, I haven't had these feelings that you can get from a mystery story in a looong time. YU-NO felt different, yes, even though it was really great. Higurashi makes you highly paranoid and worried, which is exactly what I like the most. I'm happy. Well, I said episode 1 was incredibly fun. And it was, it was very good. But... episode 2... ... ... ... ... ... it was better. It's all on a different level now. Let's just leave it at that. Actually no, let's leave it with this, just for kicks: DO NOT check it out if you have not finished at least episode 2 of Higurashi - [spoiler=Higurashi EP2]Kee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee [spoiler=Higurashi EP2]hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee [spoiler=Higurashi EP2]Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee [spoiler=Higurashi EP2]HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE [spoiler=Higurashi EP2] ... And no, that was not the best part about the episode. A memorable moment though, in any case. Moving on then, to episode 3. Maybe I can actually avoid the feeling of wanting to make a post like this after that episode... well, who knows.

That looks very good indeed!

Hello! My final thoughts about Ef is that it contains one of the most emotional stories that I've ever experienced (edit: SO FAR ), and that it is in fact all thanks to Yuuko. I will not forget this story or its ending. So there you go.

Ever17 and Saya no Uta? Haha, good one!

Oh yea, there's some really great and fitting songs in there... aaaaaah, brings back memories... memories of having my mind slowly melt away due to overheating from visualizing everything in Forest. ... Your experience might very well end up being similar, yes. Whooo knooows!

Not that surprising, hehe... It's the most confusing early on after all.

My new one for the time being... WARNING! Do not look at it unless you have finished at least episode 1 of Higurashi (VN). Yes, I'm merely being cautious, that's all:

Glad you liked it. ^^ Well, perhaps you liked the VN a little bit more then if you didn't mind the first chapters that much. Not that I thought they were terrible or anything myself - just bland and "normal". But yea, those last chapters are definitely excellent and very memorable. Certain events that transpire during those chapters will always have a special place in my heart as well. [spoiler=ef - a fairy tale of the two.]It was something else, wasn't it? Yuuko's story. It grabs you alright, and does not let go. It stirs up many different emotions in you at many different times. I guess that's one of the reasons why I loved it as well. And I really do understand how you felt that Yuuko deserved to have complete happiness after all of that. I often feel this way myself about many different characters in VNs who undergoes a ton of sad/depressing/tough moment and events. BUT, yes, the ending of Ef is definitely perfect the way it is now. It is the most powerful and memorable this way. It's really sad, but also very right. You know, it's most likely one of the best endings I've experienced so far in any VN. It's just so damn good.... and I'm actually gonna read through those last parts of it again soon, thanks to you, haha. The church scene with Yuuko praying... I will cry again, no doubt about that.

Just recently got done with Episode 1 of Higurashi. Yea, "just" the first episode. The thing is, reading through the entirety of that very first episode was incredibly fun. I simply did not expect it to be so good this early on. But ooooh yes it was. [spoiler=Higurashi EP1]You know, there were so many great and entertaining mystery/creepy moments that happened in this episode. Yes, too many for me to mention here to be honest. But here are some of them at least: (1.) While Keiichi tries to get the Kenta-kun doll out from the garbage dump, Rena goes off to get some tea (and an axe...). Keiichi finds a stack of newspapers and discovers that one of them has to do with the lynching murder + dismemberment, which is some worrying stuff alright. Rena eventually comes back with the tea and axe... and... it starts getting really ominous. The cry of the higurashi has a different tone to it than usual. It's darker, louder, and there's a low rumbling sound mixed with it. I think this is the first time you get to hear this particular higurashi sound, and you just friggin' know that something is bad/wrong when you hear it. Small moment, but still memorable to me. It made me really paranoid - perhaps for the first time in the VN. (2.) The first encounter with Rena's evil eyes. I jumped in my chair when they popped up. I had my head close to the screen at that point, and yes, I was reading it alone in the dark at night. Suffice it to say, it was scary and disturbing. The thng is, you knew something "interesting" was going to happen. After all, Keiichi just asked what Rena and Mion was hiding from him. My anticipation was so damn high, and then THAT happened. Memorable indeed. Amazing. (3.) As if the VN wasn't scary enough after the first evil eyes encounter! That moment when Kei's dad comes in with snacks/food/whatever while Keiichi is talking with Ooishi over the phone. It gets revealed that Rena came over to their house, and Keiichi slowly comes to the conclusion that she had been standing outside his simple screen door for one hour, listening in on his conversation with Ooishi. Oh. My. God. The MENTAL IMAGE and the IDEA of it. It's all about that. She was behind that door all that time, with those murderous and creepy looking eyes, just listening in. All of it is described with just text, but in a brilliant way that really gets to you. (4.) Rena and Mion visiting Kei's house and bringing the food with them. Double pair of evil eyes! All of what transpired during that time was creepy and menacing, including the part when Mion opens up the door again slightly after leaving and stares at Keiichi through the opening. "I don't want you to be absent from school tomorrow, OKAY?" Again, the mental image of it... (5.) The moment when Keiichi tries to ambush his follower/stalker, and it turns out to be Rena... WITH A CLEAVER IN HAND AND DEMONIC EYES AT THE READY. Screen turns completely red. BAM! Also, the chase that occurs afterwards, with Rena's one of a kind laugh. "Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." (6.) Keiichi running away from the people who came with the white station wagon. During his escape, he mentions the higurashi a few times. It's memorable, because it's just so very mysterious and ominous. "... It's the crying voice of the victims who tried to warn me of something but couldn't. Am I... joining them?" "Only the higurashi knows." Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Now, on to the next episode! Have to wait for nighttime though in order to read again, just like with Saya no Uta. Yes, TRUST ME, reading it with this setup - Night, complete dark, alone, headphones (loud volume) - makes a difference. It does.