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Review of Criminal Border

SubjectCriminal Border
ByHelpfulness: 4
Vote: 7
pion on 2022-10-30 last updated on 2024-03-13
Review1st Offence:

Literally a prologue to the actual story. Not so much I can mention about this episode as a standalone. Its first part (trial part) was the best imo where the writing felt truly engaging and so fun to follow, the middle part kinda did miss the mark for me cuz of repeated sequence of scenes without any actual meaning or importance. Last 10 minutes were so hype for 2nd episode. This definitely one game I won't read separately but since I'm reading already and dying to see 2nd part, it's now hard to wait.

NB: It's linear, so don't expect route structure as 9-nine

Rating: 6.5/10

2nd Offence:

Plot-wise, I would say it's pretty average compared to my expectations. I guess what hinders this the most is its slow pacing which highlights issues from the 1st part and makes them amplified. However what truly shines is the characters' writing, you can easily see how the entire effort went into making them as compelling as they are now. Especially our protagonist whom even his monologues are way less hetare than the previous game. One thing I liked is his refusal to use the electronic drug on Kotoko showing how he stays true to himself. Kotoko herself is no less of a phenomenal character as well, her background being similar to Ninomae puts some naturality in the dynamics between these two and the development of her characters feels solid and believable in the short time this game had. YET, I honestly can't say I truly enjoyed 2nd offence. It's 'good' 'nice' 'interesting' but nothing else. Everything outside of the characters is so average, the 3rd offence shows a STRONG chance of it having a better storyline but I'm betting Criminal Border to be a story mainly focused on the characters with the plot being a mere shell to that but we will see...

Rating: 6.5/10

3rd Offence:

Fumi has totally surpassed my expectations during this episode. I honestly could name very few authors who would be able to take such risks for exposing the cruelty of their worlds. For the first time, I feel Criminal Border has succeeded ultimately in conveying what it aspires to deliver through brutal imagination that results in depiction of the mafia setting. The tone itself is dark, gripping, and most importantly thrilling. I couldn't stop reading after the 2nd half started. It's quite amazing how much time the author dedicated into building his character that you feel quite obsessed with their actions and struggle later on. While it may raise controversy whether it was a hasty decision, I believe the sacrifice he made shall be viewed in a rather optimistic way since it finally elevated the average mediocre game into something truly compelling and a gem which shines more when you think about the slow build up of characters during 1st and 2nd games. Fumi utilizes the emotional attachment the reader has built into nourishing his fictional work to blossom.

Rating: 8/10
4 points
#1 by flvbycjctnheheh
2022-11-02 at 11:24
< report >I hope that each episode will have a different page like 9-Nine, otherwise it kills the point of ratings. The beginning of a story is usually the weakest part, so it would be unfair for the game to have low ratings because of it if the latter parts turn out to be good. If you judge something like 9-nine just by its first episode alone, then it's not even worth reading.
#2 by pion
2023-05-29 at 13:48
< report >Updated review to include 2nd offence. This needs separate entries, yeah...Last modified on 2023-05-29 at 13:51
#3 by kaminoslayer
2024-03-03 at 23:37
< report >Have you read the third offense yet?
#4 by pion
2024-03-13 at 15:39
< report >@3 updatedLast modified on 2024-03-13 at 15:40
#5 by Mrkew
2024-03-13 at 16:22
< report >It could theoretically still be a ruse. I'm not saying this in a hopeful sense, but in a Hina is manipulative enough to do this sense.
#6 by pion
2024-03-13 at 17:05
< report >@5 It's been confirmed by Meryl and directly her organization. I see no way she's trying to deceive anyone here, especially since killing Shiori was for it . I think its best to come in terms with it since it's pretty much a reality
#7 by Mrkew
2024-03-13 at 17:15
< report >It was confirmed by Meryl's organization. Meryl was not present for it, everything she heard about it is from her colleague. Like I said, I'm not being hopeful here, since her death didn't really hit me emotionally - it was just very surprising. I just wouldn't put it past Hina to make a deal with Luca in order to forcibly develop MC.
#8 by cubky
2024-03-13 at 17:42
< report >The only thing I am going to say is that I do find it a bit suspicious that they are shilling Hina tokuten for last ep considering she is supposed to be soup.
#9 by kaminoslayer
2024-03-14 at 19:02
< report >Interesting, it seems that you rated the third episode of this higher than the finale of Nine. A real shame that unless admins decide to actually split the episodes, we'll never see any objective ratings here as they were hopelessly skewed by the lackluster first two episodes. Let's wait for the final episode and see if it gets to 85 or higher on erogescape, so far the first one got 78, the second 80 and the third 81, not quite there with 86 of the fourth episode of Nine. At the very least, the game has Hina, who's damn hot...Last modified on 2024-03-14 at 19:06