Review of Soukou Akki Muramasa
| Subject | Soukou Akki Muramasa |
| By | Helpfulness: 9 Vote: 10sonomeme on 2021-10-04 last updated on 2021-10-05 |
| Review | I see quite a few negative reviews coming in, so I figured I'd balance it out. Heh. I understand their frustrations; I really do. Muramasa's single flaw, in my very subjective opinion, is that it's not for everyone. Much as I hate to say it, Narahara Ittetsu's works have a somewhat specific target audience, though I've been delighted to find out recently that it might be a little wider than I initially expected. This is why I'm going to say that while this review is somewhat biased (go ask Narahara what Muramasa's target audience is, he'll reply with my name), I still attempt to present the reasons why you should and why you maybe shouldn't play Soukou Akki Muramasa, all without spoiling it save for one (tagged) point. I hope for this to be the most comprehensive spoiler-free Muramasa review on the site. One more warning: I recommend going into Muramasa completely blind with zero expectations. That makes stuff hit that much harder. If you want to know what to expect or have already finished it, though, feel free to continue reading. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me list all the reasons I absolutely love this visual novel: - Kageaki is easily the best protagonist of all time. I've read quite a few VNs and some regular novels with renowned protagonists and none of them even come CLOSE to how interesting it is to follow him. - Kageaki's brilliance did not come at the cost of the rest of the cast. Muramasa has a VERY extensive cast and yet they all feel like they have a place in the story and have great dynamics between each other. - The comedy is honestly perfect, if a bit unconventional. Despite not being the cheeriest story by nature, you will get enough comedic relief throughout to keep you going while keeping you in the appropriate headspace. - Extremely gripping narrative. Not everyone will agree with me, and they shouldn't, but for me there were no boring moments, and by the time I was done with the prologue, I was hooked until the very end. - Thorough worldbuilding. Few fictional worlds are quite as well-defined and interesting to explore as Muramasa's. - Emotional peaks rivaled by no other. I really do not remember any other 作品 giving me full body chills multiple times and making me cry more than ten times throughout. It's also the first time in years that I get a smile on my face and all giddied up by just thinking about the VN, seeing the title or hearing the title somewhere. - Exciting prose. Not everyone will agree with me or even care, but quite honestly, whether in Japanese or English, the prose is fantastic, making the basic act of reading a sentence much more engaging than it would be otherwise. Though, this point obviously applies more to the Japanese version. - Amazing execution all around. The art, soundtrack and voice acting are all top-tier and really make this VN come alive. - By far the defining flaw of Muramasa is the sheer quantity of infodumps. If you're not all that excited about the world, its politics, its overall status quo and its technology, you're going to be in for a lot of pain, especially if your reading speed isn't very fast. Narahara has a bad habit of doing this (see: Hanachirasu) - In part due to the above flaw, the pacing has quite a few dips, and it could sometimes be described as coming to a grinding halt. A few scenes might also be seen as dragging on for too long. However, this was not a concern to me, because while those parts may have been slow, they were still compelling, and my reading speed is very fast. - On topic of compelling, the mysteries in this game are not all that. If you saw the "Multiple Route Mystery" tag and came here looking for a VN that fulfills it well, this is probably not what you're looking for. Yes, there are many things that give you questions, and the reveals to them are satisfying, but they're nothing near the level of the mystery-focused VNs I've played. - By extension of the above flaw, the plot's construction might not be the greatest. While there is a very good plot and it moves forward at a relatively quick and consistent speed, Muramasa is driven more by its character writing, and not everything happening in the plot has an objectively well-defined or sensical causation. I don't think people will be bothered by it unless they don't feel very immersed in Muramasa, though, which personally I feel immersion is one of Muramasa's strong points. - You may not like what's happening on screen. Someone on Reddit actually said it best; you could take the blood and sex out of it completely and it would still be 18+, in my opinion. More specifically, the world Muramasa is set in is rather dystopian and cruel, and the solutions the to its problems the characters come up with, or even the characters themselves, are often very radical if not downright cruel, and it doesn't shy away from telling, if not showing, every last tiny detail of it. Although I believe we're all better off for it. Some may view it as edgy. - Not every H-scene is as well-utilized as I'd hoped. What can I say? They had to sell the game somehow. A lot of them really had a lot of purpose, though, so I wish they could've done the same for the rest of them. - This one spoils the structure of the game quite heavily, so beware (if you believe in that); The quality of the routes, or even their atmosphere, is not always consistent. In particular, I find the Nemesis/Revenge route to not be quite up to standard with the Hero and True routes. Moreover, (this one will actually be a relatively big spoiler, so tread carefully), the true ending completely throws away the structure of the rest of the game. I know a lot of people will be thrown off by this. In addition, it has a prologue with a very leisurely pace. Also, this game is absolute hell to complete without a guide, this point owing mostly to its text adventure game-inspired sections. So then, why don't I consider these to be flaws? Quite honestly, because they never bothered me. I feel as if Muramasa has shown me it is literally impossible to write a 100% foolproof novel that will universally be loved by everybody who lays their eyes upon it. Instead, I feel like basically all of these points add to why I love the VN; it adds to its flavor. Narahara Ittetsu saw a vision and he pursued its execution unapologetically. It just so happened that what he wanted to create lined up with my tastes perfectly. Even when the pacing dipped, I enjoyed every second of it. I found the extra time was well-utilized. Even when my entire existence was defined by a never-ending barrage of infodumps, I enjoyed every second of it. I LOVED finding out more about the world. Even when (the big spoiler) the structure and concepts I loved Muramasa for were thrown out the window, I enjoyed every second of it. It was done for a very good reason and I enjoyed what happened because of it a lot. I do not think we will see another VN like Muramasa for another 10+ years, maybe even more (and it's already over 10 years old, Jesus). It is for that reason that I believe it is a must read for VN enthusiasts, especially those who enjoy action and extensive character writing. If there is a standard for masterpieces in this medium, it would have to be this. Unless you're very averse of the problems I listed, what are you waiting for? Go get it! It might very well be the best VN you've ever read. I know it was for me. For readers who finished Muramasa: Please tag your spoilers in the comments. Yes, by the big spoiler, I am referring to how a literal god is summoned and Kageaki vs Hikaru goes to space in the true route. A lot of you may find it pointless that I spoiler tagged it or even mentioned it, but I wanted to write what I had to say while making the section somewhat accessible to those who are on the fence about trying it out. |
| 9 points |