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Review of Sanoba Witch

SubjectSanoba Witch
ByHelpfulness: 1
Vote: 8
woodydragonest on 2023-06-05 last updated on 2023-06-10
Review
"More importantly, you haven't properly answered my question. Can you sense my feelings right now?"

'Sanoba Witch' is the first Yuzusoft title to ever released globally on Steam. Being one of the more influential titles published under the NekoNyan brand.

For better or worse, this is still in my opinion the best Yuzusoft title ever crafted to date and for many good reasons.


Review:
Here is the thing. My relationship with Yuzusoft is basically like fire and ice. On one hand, they truly understand what a moege fan wants in their game: the waifus. On the other, they are also some of the most incompetent storytellers in the genre. Period.

How did they pull this one off? Really.

On paper, it felt like an afterthought coming from the developers due to the sheer randomness it has in its premise. Reality is that, it is a visual novel that is very concise and understanding in what it wants to be within the scope. A fun and light-hearted story without overstaying its welcome. A story that understands its strengths and weaknesses.

'Sanoba Witch' does not try to sell you on a gimmick like many of the other Yuzusoft titles (hence the initial scepticism). It is direct and simple. It dives straight to the point without any unnecessary fillers.

Because of it, I do find the character interactions to be much more enjoyable as well. While the characters themselves are here to fill in a certain archetype, the game does a decent job in giving them opportunities to shine respectively, contributing bit by bit to the main story. Some of the interactions can be just downright hilarious when it is at its best.

Speaking of which, our main protagonist: Hoshina Shuuji, also receives a decent chunk of quality to his character. You do get that sense of character progression on him from start to finish. Adding that extra satisfaction to whichever route the player chooses to be.

How about the character routes themselves then?


Nene
If Nene isn't the love child of Yuzusoft then I don't know who is. You can tell there are lots of love and care given to her character. In fact, it was so much that the length alone is worth at least two heroine routes even. I can understand why many are head over toes for her. Because man, I too love Nene just as much.

Truly, a master masturbator.

It has it all. A story that focuses on its theme, a meaningful romantic relationship, and the ups and downs between the story and conflicts to her relationship. It just rings that unspoken satisfaction by the end of it.

Even coming from the usual Yuzusoft standard, the storytelling is surprisingly competent. Not only it provides a good balance between the slice of life and supernatural elements, it also made sure to open up the scenario for the other casts to be more involved in one way or the other throughout.

Maybe, the final last quarter can feel a bit dragged out, but all and all this is still one of the best thing Yuzusoft has ever created till date. For better or worse, nothing has ever come close since then. Perhaps... Ayase from 'Riddle Joker or Natsume from 'Café Stella' but that's about it.


Meguru
Seriously though, how can you not like Meguru?
I like her energy. It makes me want to correct her (wait what).

Generally, loud characters like her are hard to deal with without comes across as annoying or whatnot. Especially, with Meguru, she likes to beat around the bushes way too often. But it is those moment to moment sincerity between her and Shuuji is what makes it worthwhile. Making it a nice counter balance to her base personality.

Possibly because I do see some traits of myself in her, that I gave it an easy pass. But hey, opinions are subjective right?

Story wise, she is very much less involved with the main story as most of it happened off screen without much context. That being said, Meguru route do share some of the good qualities coming from Nene route. Especially, in taking the initiative for the other casts to be more involved.

Case in point, yes I love Meguru.


Tsumugi
Objectively, this may be the worst route in the game. Subjectively, this is still an highly enjoyable one as well. So what went wrong exactly?

First off, the pacing itself. It is all over the place with how fast and slow it can be. To give you a bit of context ok? Assuming if you have the 18+ patch installed, it went from her confession to the very first H-scene in a span of 10 minutes or so, making it a bit jarring to process the story.

Secondly, the plot itself. It can feel a bit forced at times with how it is pushed around constantly via other source of conflicts. I supposed this is a given, with how carefree Tsumugi is as a character that something has to be generated out of thin air to get things even rolling.

Even so, I enjoyed it. If you are in for a sweet romance, then Tsumugi is definitely right up in your alley. She is pretty much the true definition of a moe-blob. Her chemistry with Shuuji is also close to ideal. They are just really cute together as a couple. It captures that feeling of first love perfectly in my opinion.


Touko
Honestly, I did not expect this one to be half decent as it should be. Touko route is actually more story driven than one would expect. Albeit it is a bit predictable as the route is constantly throwing foreshadows here and there.

Question is, do I like it?

Objectively it is decent, subjectively not my cup of tea. It dives deep into the subject of alps and their desire to become human. Providing a different pov to not just the story itself, but also Shuuji’s own past and the relation to his deceased mother.

Then again, I am not quite invested in Touko’s character to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, her relationship with Shuuji is plenty charismatic and her personal growth can be observed throughout the route. It is just that her personality alone is somewhat near the dry region, making it a bit hard to get into sometimes. But still, it is still at least worth a read as it adds a lot to the theme of the game, similarly to Nene.


Wakana
Normally, I do not dive any deeper for the side routes as it always felt like incomplete scripts bundled as extras for whatever reason that may be.

Wakana route on the other hand, actually adds value to the overall story by giving it more context to the Common route. At the same time, being a nice and short romance story for consumption. Leaving me a bit to be desire but I am happy with the end product regardless.


8/10
1 point
#1 by mrD3LTA
2023-10-22 at 19:41
< report >That was a good read, well done and written.