Review of Watashi wa Kyou Koko de Shinimasu.
| Subject | Watashi wa Kyou Koko de Shinimasu. Watashi wa Kyou Koko de Shinimasu. |
| By | Helpfulness: 4 Vote: 6.3denp4xlyr on 2020-11-24 |
| Review | Despite being a short VN, Watashi wa Kyou Koko de Shinimasu. is very bittersweet and made me fairly emotional at times (though as a learning reader I tend to be affected emotionally a lot more when reading in JP). The story starts with the MC, Kyousuke, saving a girl who was trying to drown herself in a river, and here the VN immediately establishes its themes. At first the MC kinda rubbed me the wrong way since he's a bit of an aloof asshole, but in the end he's quite relatable, or at least understandable, and caring in his own way. He was likable not because he's designed to be a cool or popular character (although he does have cool moments), but because he's just a normal, realistic college graduate who has his own awkward way of expressing himself, but isn't a bad person. The story is as much about his growth as a stilted adult as it is the heroine's, and I felt for him as someone who is also jobless and has regrets about youth. This made Kyousuke's growth pretty motivating in a way, but I'll expand on that later. Oh yes, although the aforementioned girl is a highschool student, the VN is more college themed, with the MC being a jobless graduate. It makes for a rather refreshing setting. The other characters are likable, or as likable as can be in the time you get to know them. The girl Kyousuke saves, Yuka, is cute, and while not being especially unique, her character development is surprisingly powerful. She really captures the feeling of a young girl who has struggled to the degree of attempting suicide. She made me really question whether anybody I know, that puts on a happy face and laughs and cries, is feeling those kinds of dark thoughts all the while. The MC is also friends with a thoughtful girl from college, and that's about the extent of who is important in the story. There's another character that shows up later, but their short arc feels fairly out of place and didn't add much to the story imo. Other than that, things are solidly paced to make for a meaningful tale. The art is pretty nice, making use of CGs and backgrounds rather than sprites. Backgrounds are just filtered photos but the character art is really nice, better than you'd usually expect from a free VN. Music is fitting too, there was one fun track I really liked, otherwise it was about what you'd expect, with the songs generally hitting the right mood. This VN had a message, and the ending drags on a bit to really drive the message in. And although I think it's a really great message, and I think this VN is one that could really hit certain people emotionally, personally I found what it tried to say ended up being contradictory, and because of that I felt dubious about the whole thing in the end. Although it's motivational, it feels like what it's trying to convey is at odds with what it's showing the reader, which made me wonder if things were really all that resolved. But maybe the point isn't that life has a way to get by as long as you do everything right; sometimes it'll just hit you hard, and all you can do is make the best of what you have left. It's hard to decide if its uplifting or morbidly realistic. I'd be interested to see what others think. Overall though, I really like when stories try to "say something", and the strong focus in this VN made it an entertaining and sweet read. Specifically: the core message I took away, especially from the ending, is that tomorrow, or the day after, or some day in the future, something good may happen - WILL happen - to you, so just keep living! Which I can agree with; there's always hope as long as you're alive. However the VN, through the main characters Kyousuke and Yuka, had this theme of 'even if you only live as half a man, as long as you have someone to go through life with, it's okay to be just half a man'. Having someone with you will make up for your faults, and you can make it through life by supporting each other. That's all well and good, but sometimes you can't find that person. Sometimes you can even be surrounded by loved ones, and still feel utterly alone. And hey! That's exactly what happened in Kyousuke's past. Kyousuke and his ex-girlfriend had a great, loving relationship, yet she committed suicide because they were so perfect that they couldn't communicate their weaknesses. And the resolution of the VN didn't exactly resolve what happened then; Kyousuke was just lucky enough to find another, really great girl. So is it really enough to have someone by your side? What I took from the story in the end is that you need someone that *understands* you and what you're going through, someone faithful enough to always wait for you. But that just makes me depressed from the fact that it's very difficult to find such a person. There's a risk in opening up to people who might leave you, unlike these two characters. For people that are depressed and alone, we might not ever find another half-man to make us whole. Perhaps I missed something further the author was trying to say, but I felt that this ultimate take-away was a bit flaky. Despite my misgivings, it's a cute and worthwhile story so I recommend giving it a read, especially since it's a free download. It's a story of broken people who find strength and learn how to support each other and themselves. So perhaps if you're feeling down, this is the kinda story that'll show you some hope and encouragement. Maybe. (Originally posted on a r/visualnovels WAYR thread.) |
| 4 points |