/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>20986442
I personally loved everything about it, especially the nostalgic elementary school atmosphere and the sountrack (which doesn't reach the heights of Umineko but doesn't have a single meh or forgettable track, IMO). I can see why someone wouldn't like it, though.

After giving R07's four major works a proper chance, I honestly can't even rank them. I just can't decide which one I like the least or which one is my favorite. I guess Umineko would be the best overall, though. But my favorite alternates between the four every time I look back on them.

I started with the Higurashi anime back when I didn't know English. I fell in love with it, even though looking back it was a pretty poor adaptation. I eventually read the old Mangagamer version of the VN and by the end of it I was pretty good at English. It was quite an endeavor, every chapter felt incredibly long and I read at a snail's pace because I had to stop to look up new words every few minutes. But I enjoyed every minute of it. It was like an extended, more in-depth version of a story I already loved to begin with. It became my favorite story of all time and it made me respect Ryukishi more than any other author in the world. His writing style was clumsy but also incredibly warm and charming.

I eventually decided to read Umineko, completely convinced that NOTHING could ever surpass Higurashi. It fucking blew me away. I still prefer Higurashi in certain aspects and I'm much more attached to its characters. But Umineko was fucking fantastic and exceeded all my expectations. I still can't believe Ryukishi managed to write TWO absolute masterpieces one after the other. Higurashi alone was already a miracle.

Now, Higanbana and RGD are definitely not as good as Higurashi or Umineko. They are amazing at what they set out to do, but they never intended to be 100+ hour long epics or anything like that. So I can't really blame them for not being on the same level.

That said, Ryukishi's writing (which had already improved a lot in Umineko) drastically improved in Higanbana and especially RGD. There is no more useless repetition of ideas and the narration manages to be concise without losing its depth. Both VNs are extremely well-paced. I don't know if it has to do with the format of these stories or if Ryukishi has really improved his writing overall, though. For all we know, WTC5 could have a super slow intro again.

I loved everything about Higanbana and its second night since the beginning. It's has some weaker chapters, but it's an experience like no other and it fits really well with my tastes. I love it so fucking much.

I initially avoided RGD and didn't give a shit about it because it wasn't entirely drawn by Ryukishi and I loved his art. I eventually tried the first season and I certainly enjoyed it, but the others weren't translated yet and I ended up forgetting about it.

Years later (I'm talking 4 to 5 years) I decided to read the whole thing from the beginning and holy fuck it's amazing. I don't know what it is about it, but sometimes I find myself loving this cast of characters more than even Higurashi and Umineko. The Higurashi cast has a special place in my heart, the Umineko cast is very interesting on a psychological level and the Higanbana cast is simply nostalgic. But the RGD cast is just FUN as fuck to be around. I love their interactions, the cheesy one-liners and the overall story, which is basically the early Ushiromiya family politics from EP1 on steroids.

So yeah. As a massive fan of Higurashi and Umineko, I find Higanbana and RGD just as enjoyable, even if they are somewhat minor works. All four of them keep competing for the number 1 spot in my personal ranking of favorite VNs. Objectively, Umineko is probably the best. But subjectively, my favorite changes whenever I look back on them.

I don't have high expectations for WTC5 because I just can't imagine how Ryukishi will top his previous works. He'll probably create something great and surprise me again, but right now I can't even conceive the idea. I can't imagine liking a new story as much as those four, even though every single one of them surprised me when I though nothing could match the previous one.

>>20121364
>>20121379
I bet George would willingly join the human centipede because he's desperate to be near a blood-related girl like Maria or Jessica, even if it means getting his lips sewn to her asshole. But the witches would put him behind Battler instead.

George is such a beta cuck that he'd gladly slurp down Battler's shit if there's even the slightest chance that some of it has been inside Maria's prepubescent butt. That's literally the only way a 23 year old virgin like him can enjoy the taste of a cute girl.

Why is George such a cunt? He's more hateable than fucking Erika. Even Kinzo Fritzl is a better person than him.

>>20121364
>>20121379
I bet George would willingly join the human centipede because he's desperate to be near a blood-related girl like Maria or Jessica, even if it means getting his leps sewn to her asshole. But the witches would put him behind Battler instead.

George is such a beta cuck that he'd gladly slurp down Battler's shit if there's even the slightest chance that some of it has been inside Maria's prepubescent butt. That's literally the only way a 23 year old virgin like him can enjoy the taste of a cute girl.

Why is George such a cunt? He's more hateable than fucking Erika. Even Kinzo Fritzl is a better person than him.

>>11479891
>>11479900
Good times. I pity anyone who didn't get to follow it when it was coming out, when we could argue endlessly over the tiniest of crap. It was so lively and fun. There hasn't been anything quite as fun since.