Aokana - Four Rhythms Across the Blue

Great first VN for Japanese Intermediates, hard to parse at first if you're not used to reading long sentences but 60 hours in and I felt like my reading speed had tripled. 12% of my sentence mining deck is just this game now lol. Loved the entire cast and the story was great, soundtrack got repetitive early so I just put my own music on for the vast majority of it. Wish this had a sequel!

I'm lowkey disappointed with this one. It definitely delivers in the vibes and visuals departments but the story is quite mediocre. It's not that it's bad but it just... exists and it's readable enough (at least for the most part of the common route). The whole Flying Circus concept is actually interesting but the slice of life feels kind of flat even for the genre and the conflicts the characters deal with don't hit really hard. I'd say Misaki's route is the only one that felt more interesting due to it touching the effort vs. talent theme which also gives the MC a bit more character development. That part resonated with me more since I'm familiar with that kind of struggle. Overall it's a decent read if you like cute art and moe + unique sports setting, just don't expect a super impactful story.

This is my first VN I've purchased, came into this straight after Amagami. I got a bit of whiplash from the difference in gameplay (though this review is about Aokana so I shan't digress), but it's tasteful and beyond romance the setting is genuinely compelling. It's an early 21st century setting based around high school life on a series of islands in the south of Japan, where anti-gravity technology is present and used in everyday life. I imagine this game is being advertised to gooners so I'll change gears. I can't say much on this front, but it's worth knowing this version of the game is SFW, there exists NSFW patches around online for your convenience. I will say most of the girls are well written (only one I find is genuinely distasteful) and there's probably something for everyone. I haven't finished the VN yet, regardless I've found Misaki is the best storyline, great payoff for me as I waited to play her last due to following the recommended play order. The VN is quite well acclaimed already and the OST is superb, it's likely a no-brainer for VN players, I only grabbed this to brush up on my Japanese and it does the job well.