Review of Senren * Banka
| Subject | Senren * Banka Senren * Banka |
| By | Helpfulness: 1 Vote: 7fenglengshun on 2021-07-22 last updated on 2021-07-23 |
| Review | Fairly better than Riddle Joker, but not as good as Sanoba Witch in my opinion. The action/fantasy element was better integrated than RJ, but SW used theirs better. Edit: Almost forgot: link for Linux users. For some reason it's the roughest to set up of all the Yuzusoft titles on Steam and Steam Overlay doesn't work half the time for me. YMMV ofc based on your system. Like the RJ and SW, it has a "What we want," theme to the story and a sub-theme for a specific subject. If RJ was focused on the subject of "Secrets," and SW was focused on "Communication," then SB is "Family and that is what routes revolve on. Route order wise, I recommend going Mako > Yoshino > Murasame > Lena. Weirdly, Yoshino's route isn't the most wider-plot relevant or even the longest, like how Ayase's route has the most plot points in it and Nene's route is worth two routes. I like the treatment of the mini routes here, Koharu and Roka sharing a "common" route that diverges based on whom you choose so unlike the other Yuzusoft mini routes, it has more meat to it. You can play them as a snack in between the main routes. Yoshino was okay in my opinion. Out of the three Yuzusoft games I've played, she's the least interesting main heroine. She's the typical Yuzusoft main heroine; most popular girl, has a bit of a chip on her shoulder, has some secrets, and under some stressful circumstances related to the main plot. Her plot is mainly just coming to term with her relationship with her mother - it's okay, not great, not bad. Mako is the resident lewd girl of the game - she has 6 lewd scenes (though 2 of those are mini ones), two more than the others. Her route is kinda a rehash of Yoshino's and a sneak peek to Lena's route. Pretty much the reason I like her route is that once she became independent and accepted herself, she gets pretty lewd, and I like lewd girls. Murasame's route is the one with the most feels, as it concerns the weight of being a 500 years old ghost that couldn't be touched. I like that she's very proactive about her romantic interest. Outside of that, her non-romantic subplot concerns the future of the village, and I'd assume a version of it always happens in the other routes. I can't get enough of 'youto' jokes tho. Before I get to Lena, I wanna talk about the other stuff first. Roka and Koharu was okay. Koharu has a really cute design and mannerism but honestly that's the only thing she had going for her - I'm startig to see a pattern in the type of character that gets the Yuzusoft mini-route treatment. Roka though? She makes me want more older ladies heroines - she has a job, she has her own dreams and goals, she has some good conversations and her own insecurities, it's all done pretty well despite how short it was that I wish we could just slash Koharu for more Roka. Engine is always the industry gold standard - we now have flowchart system and only a few UX things left to be ironed out. I wish this is the industry standard, as this polish is part of why I got so into Yuzusoft stuff recently - it's just the most friction free VN reading I ever had. Music was okay. I wish they leaned more on the traditional Japan aspect, as the most unique BGMs are the ones that leaned more into it. The leitmotif was good though - of the three Steam Yuzusoft games right now, it's the catchiest for me. And the OP was pretty much the best too - though it's a shame that the 18+ patch doesn't decensor the Steam version's OP, especially as they aren't censored in the official NekoNyan YouTube channel. Art was good and memorable, though the character design was just okay for me. The uniform design was cool though - mustn't have been easy because it was a mix of multi-layer colorful traditional Japanese clothing and what passes as a 'uniform' but I'm glad they leaned into it because it does contribute to the aesthetic it has. The lewds was meh. It was a disappointment coming from SB's which has better interaction that I can get really into it. I think it was still better than most of RJ's lewds and at least it doesn't feel tacked on or get in the way of the plot, but after the first one it does felt like it's just to fill quota. Yoshino's felt rushed though, since it takes a while for her to muster the courage for the next step. I think that's all to speak aside for Lena. So, anyway, I think Lena is best girl and my favorite Yuzusoft heroine. And I'm going to explain why in the spoilers. They really managed to nail the mix of foreign values and her adjusting to the environment she's in, to make a pretty unique character. Yes, there is some foreigner stereotypes put into it as well, but it's fine as it doesn't feel they're going beyond anything that is in good fun. Oh nevermind that she's not some American or English foreigner - she's a Scandinavian (Finland I think) who went to Japan alone and for a job and exchange program in the boonies because of her love for the culture. Her problem with Japanese phrases is understandable in the Japanese version as it was usually just one syllable off from what she meant to say, like "okotta" and "nokotta", an understandable confusion. At the same time, it doesn't prevent her from expressing herself, and she's actually pretty fluent in the language too, aside for those understandable contextual issues. She's pretty much the most expressive character in the entire game - even the main character remarking that watching her watch movies is like watching four people's worth of expressions. At the same time, she's no simple emotional girl - if anything, she has the most sense and sensitivity of the heroines. Her route is the only one where you didn't win by just fighting. No, she's so sensitive that she could sense the pain behind the cursed spirit's existence, and it allowed her to empathize with it without being swallowed by its taint. In fact, it's amazing that without even knowing anything about the myths of dreams and food in the underworld, she could feel that something was off from the dream she was trapped in. When pointed out as to the danger she could be in, she readily risks herself for her friends and the MC stated that he will take responsibility for her, she simply remarked that it is her life, she has a right to choose how she want to live it, and she doesn't like the idea of the MC "taking responsibility for her" because it removes her agency to make a choice and bear its results on top of the fact that they are in a relationship, so it should be that they both take responsibility for each others. She then proceeds to remove the MC's worries by showing him that no matter what happens they are connected under one sky and demonstrate it by having a video call with her family, showing that even if they can feel lonely at times, they will always be connected. It was enough that the MC then take the initiative of talking to his own family. She managed to solve most of the issues, including the problem with tourism and what the village can do going forward, and I believe only in her epilogue that it's mentioned that Murasama had her thing happen as well - which implied that they helped with Murasame returning to human and gave the village a new direction - and even returned the cursed spirit into a guardian deity that is honored by the family and the village as they find out about the entire history of the curse. Even the cursed spirit was taken by her as he makes her play the role of its sister, a goddess, as it shows the entire history of the curse which was only teased in Mako's route. Even the antagonist puts her on goddess tier! And she deserves it, not just for her character. I'm not usually into big breasts character, but that is no mere big breasts - nay, those are embodiment of dreams and hopes on its own. The way it accentuates her plain work clothes, the way it stretches the cute "Oh, Fujiyama" print on her casual shirt, how it gets the strap of her bag stuck in the middle in her first appearance, even when it was more covered by the underclothes in her casual kimono the covered side-boobs still attracted attention, the way she had to admit that the cardigan wouldn't fit her breasts, and how it displayed her uniform tie which is stuck in the middle to mounds of hopes and dreams and just catches your attention. Nevermind that everything is attached into a very cute sets of expressions, of which she has five, when everyone else usually only has 2-3 sets of funny expressions. And what's with the way she says "Ma-Saaw-Mee~" I never knew that casually calling someone's first name (which she naturally isn't shy to do with the other characters) could be so cute. Her "Wow," was a great verbal tic, too! Her lewds was great too, as she naturally isn't too shy about it. Like, I'm not usually into boobjob, but I liked it here. Hell, I'm usually not into the infant-like booby-sucking handjob play, but the way she directed the play made it feel actually hot even for me. So! Isn't! Lena! Liechtenaeur! The! BEST?! |
| 1 point |