Main » 2011 » July » 6 » Kara no Shoujo
0:14 AM
Kara no Shoujo

So sorry for the long delay! I just had to thoroughly read through the game and go over like every single choice...



Quite an interesting start menu




A few links to places you should visit:
TL Wiki
VNDB
MangaGamer
Getchu

Story:



The story takes place in 1956 in Tokyo,Japan. You start off as Tokisaka Reiji, a private detective with a few personal problems. A strange series of murders starts to take place and you find yourself joining the investigation alongside a few old friends. One day a young girl follows you and asks you to solve a strange case: to find her true self.




My take on the game:

The game is quite amazing. It had me thinking about it night and day. It was able to make me angry, sad, and happy. It's the only longish game where I haven't complained about the length. I actually reread all of the text when playing every route (except when I didn't get the end I was going for and skipped back to spot I was at). It's a pretty dark story and has a bit of gore so if you're the type that can't handle bloody images than this really isn't the game for you. As I stated before it's set in the 50's but it feels pretty modern besides the lack of cell phones. This is a very very difficult visual novel, I'm serious here. Be very careful as where you go and what you choose to click in an investigation. If you don't choose correctly or in a certain sequence than you might not get all the clues, and if you don't get all the clues than you're screwed. Ah, and if you're a fan of Dante's Divine Comedy then this is the game for you. My thought on the true end.


Pros:

* Unlike most games character design seems original, the names not so much.
* The guys in the game don't look like total idiots.
* The voice acting in the Japanese version is brilliant, it actually seems as if the actors were in the game.
* The BAD ENDINGS HAVE AMAZING STORY AS WELL, THAT'S SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
* A majority of H-scenes are thought out and not just randomly placed; they have impact the story as well.
* Characters have realistic hair and eye colors. OH MY GOD!
* There are over 30 characters that you meet in the game.
* Every character plays an important role.
* It's got everything you need. Incest, Murder, Prostitution.
* In game encyclopedia in case you forget something.
* Music fits in with the game and really touches you.
* Very high quality artwork

Cons:

* Music has a long transition period between loops.
* Terrible font choice on MangaGamers side. It seems the fans have released a patch to fix this so it's fine.
* There is no voice acting that comes with the English version. Once again it seems the fans have released a patch to fix this so it's fine.
* In the original release there a bug that spoiled most of the game. There's been an official patch to fix this, so if you haven't fixed it yet you should do it ASAP.
* Some of the common path text contradicts actions you've done and some of it you shouldn't know if you didn't make that particular choice.
* You don't get to view the gallery until the 3rd end (of the walkthrough)
* When characters get "close-up" to you the image is just magnified and looks slightly pixelated
* There was one scene where in the background an object disappears. Try to find it. Hint, it's near the end of one of the ends in the first playthrough.

What you should look forward to in the future
All of these games are by the same developer* , as izmos corrected me, and share the same universe.

* Kara no Shoujo 2 It's obvious enough that this game has some kind of relation.
* Cartagra ~Tsuki kurui no Yamai~ Innocent Grey's first work, it shares characters with Kara no Shoujo
* PP -Pianissimo- Ayatsuri Ningyou no Rinbu It's not directly related to Kara no Shoujo, but it shares characters with Cartagra

Please, please buy this game from MangaGamer and don't just pirate it. If you do the chances of the games listed above being translated will significantly improve. Of these games Cartagra's fan translation has already received a letter of C&D from Innocent Grey so we can only hope for an official translation.

The Rating

* Soundtrack 9/10
* Story 10/10
* Character Development 10/10
* Artwork 10/10
* Coherence 8/10

Overall 47/50, excellent game. Thumbs up for MangaGamer for being able to keep the emotional effect after the translation. This is definately the best visual novel I've read to date.




And here are some pics smile



Here's a doodle I made smile


And a real doodle this time.


Well that's it for this post.
Category: Games | Views: 9048 | Added by: holyshin | Rating: 0.0/0
Total comments: 6
6 double helix  
0
this game was so enjoyable, i cant believe it hope we get the prequel and the sequel too i never felt so sad for the death of a character before, i hope we get the prequel and kara no shoujo 2 as well, good review

4 Rei  
0
Hello. I read your review but I kind of disagree with some of your points. I didn't think the H-scenes had any impact in the story. Apart from one from a bad ending and Yukiko, Reiji acts like he never had sex with any of the girls afterwards. I also don't see how H-scenes were important to the plot...

I also don't agree that each character had an important role to the story. Some characters, such as Kyoko and Hatsune, was there just for the heck of it. However, I did like the characters, but I felt the way each character contributed to the plot was too convenient. The plot was somewhat lacking and it also didn't have much suspense. The music was really great though! I really love "Thin Purple and Azure Bird."

Anyways,don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash you or the visual novel. These are just my thoughts. Although, my expectations for this game might be a little too high. I was hoping it would be as psychologically scarring as Saya no Uta. Kara no Shoujo was still enjoyable to play though. I don't regret it. ^^

One more thing..
* It's got everything you need. Incest, Murder, Prostitution.
You lie! Where is my Yukari H-scene! D:

5 holyshin  
0
Looking back, I agree with you on some of your points. I believe having Kyoko and Hatsune is integral to developing Reiji's character. As for the sex bit,there are plenty of guys out there that act as if they don't even know the chick after sex. The H-scenes served to deepen the relationships between the characters and create a cheap emotional appeal for the reader.

And... I'm pretty sure they mentioned incest somewhere in the plot. :P

2 izmos  
2
"All of these games are by the same author and share the same universe."
Not entirely. Only the artist, Sugina Miki is the same for all those. The writer only wrote Nagomibako (the fandisk/crossover for Pianissimo and Cartagra) before KnS, and both Cartagra and both Pianissimo are by different writers (it's painfully evident in the latter's case).
Also uhh, I really wish you wouldn't post that relation graph because no matter the warning people would open it and break the game completely to the level they can't enjoy it anymore.

3 holyshin  
0
Thank you. I'll take the relation graph out

1 7se7  
0
Good post biggrin

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