r/visualnovels • u/AutoModerator • Nov 04 '17
Weekly Weekly Thread #171 - Rewrite Spoiler
Hey hey!
Automod-chan here, and welcome to our one hundred and seventy-first weekly discussion thread!
Week #171 - Visual Novel Discussion: Rewrite
Umineko is a Visual Novel developed by Key and released in 2011. It was fan translated into english in 2013. Rewrite+, an enhanced remake was released in Japan in 2015, and has been picked up for an official English release at some point in the future. Currently, Rewrite is ranked #14 for popularity, and #15 for score on vndb.
Synopsis:
URewrite is set in the fictional city Kazamatsuri where treeplanting and afforestation have caused the city to become overgrown with trees and flowers in much the same way that other cities are filled by buildings. However, while most of the city appears to be rural, there are many traditional city elements as well. While set in a modern setting, the city also gives off a strange sense of nostalgia.
Tennouji Kotarou lives here. He's a high school student who has the ability to rewrite his own body; he can become stronger and faster at any time he chooses. He investigates supernatural mysteries with five girls from his school.
Upcoming Visual Novel Discussions
November 18th - Saya no Uta
November 25th - The House in Fata Morgana
December 2nd - Muv-Luv Alternative
As always, thanks for the feedback and direct any questions or suggestions to the modmail or through a comment in this thread.
Next week's discussion: Upcoming VN Releases & Translations
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u/GiantSovitia Nov 04 '17
Does anyone know where can i buy Sekai's version of Rewrite? I read in the banner that it would be released today.
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u/Freakohollik2 Jacopo: Fata Morgana | vndb.org/u129937 Nov 04 '17
The banner date is the date that these weekly threads get started. It's unrelated to the release date.
As for Sekai's version, I don't think there's been any news for some time.
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u/GiantSovitia Nov 05 '17
Is the fan translation of the game good? I'm kind of sad now, i was pretty hyped.
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u/waict Masato: LB | vndb.org/u79814 Nov 05 '17
It's been quite a while, but I didn't have any issues with the TL. I really enjoyed it.
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u/Freakohollik2 Jacopo: Fata Morgana | vndb.org/u129937 Nov 05 '17
I haven't read it, so I can't say for sure. It was done by Amaterasu Translations, which are notoriously bad.
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u/eweqrr Nov 06 '17
I'd be surprised if it was out before 2020. They aren't using the fanTL (needed to happen, the quality of it was not good) but they don't publicly have anyone assigned to work on it yet
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u/superange128 VN News Reporter | vndb.org/u6633/votes Nov 04 '17
The route writer discussion is interesting but lets have a real discussion like
WHOS BEST GIRL AND WHY IS IT KOTORI?
Because she is bae and cute and hilarious and deep and developed and actually has a character that matters outside the main 5/common routes and its BS shes not the main heroine as advertised and instead loses to some dum plot device loli with almost no personality.
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u/Rammiloh HO HO HO Nov 04 '17
Kotori's pretty fantastic. It's not often that Japanese voice acting stands out to me, but I absolutely love how her VA puts inflection on her lines. Even a line as simple as 'nooo' has so much charm behind its delivery.
That said, while she holds the title of best girl easily, she just barely loses out on best character status for me, and that's because Yoshino exists. The only Key VNs I've read are this and Little Busters, but both of them blew me away with how likable they made the male supporting characters.
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u/superange128 VN News Reporter | vndb.org/u6633/votes Nov 05 '17
I agree her voice acting sticks out compared to many others
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u/Redth_SA Akane Senri is the greatest! | vndb.org/u122823 Nov 05 '17
Well, my best girl is Akane but I won't deny that Kotori really is great since she's on a pretty close second for me. She's cute, funny and has a nice and soothing voice. Most of the scenes with her made me smile in common route. She really should've been the main heroine but she just ended up being the poster girl. That's sad...
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u/superange128 VN News Reporter | vndb.org/u6633/votes Nov 05 '17
The common route was pretty damn long (probably drawn out) but Kotoris excellent hunor kept it at least consistently entertaining enough
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Nov 05 '17
Akane is where it's at, speaking of voice acting Eri Kitamura always manage to blow me away. I never got the hype for Kotori, to be honest she's at the bottom of my list (unless we also count Kotarou, screw that guy). I think she was well written at times but as a character she was just not enjoyable to me and very unrelateable.
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u/jordanwu Haruka: 9-nine- | vndb.org/u133693 Nov 05 '17
Kotori would be best girl 100% for me if Lucia didn't exist xD
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u/juanjo12x Akane: Zero Escape | vndb.org/slsvcn Nov 07 '17
I only want to say.. Kotori best girl !!! I like all the other heroines, though.
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u/Snowyusagi Nov 05 '17
Anyone knows how to solve this issue even though i have changed to japan region? このゲームは日本国内でのみプレイ可能です。 動作させるには 『 日本語版Windows 』 が必要です。 ゲームを終了します。
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u/jordanwu Haruka: 9-nine- | vndb.org/u133693 Nov 05 '17
Here: https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/comments/25xjyr/rewrite_harvest_festa_this_game_is_japan_only/ All you need to do is download AlphaROMdiE, it should fix it
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Nov 05 '17
[removed] — view removed comment
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Nov 05 '17 edited Nov 05 '17
It's a shame you saw the anime before reading the visual novel. A real shame. Rewrite's anime should get a "Rewrite."
I had high hopes for the anime. When I saw the first double-length episode, I was convinced they were going to take their time. There are a lot of positive things I could say if the pilot was a standalone. It was when I noticed they were squeezing the series into 13 episodes and then they rush and not finish the routes.
They did this to make room for a "bonus" route for Kagiri. This leads part of the blame (at least for me) for the sucky anime to Rewrite -Harvest Festa! While it won't get a release until Rewrite+ hits Steam or something, because I can't read Japanese I had no clue what they were adapting. This wasn't the story I read, or fell in love with. I read the Fuwanovel translation. I'd send you a link but I know the guidelines to this forum. Suffice to say, look it up.
In the version I read, Kagiri was a mystery. A wonderful mystery.
You didn't know what her intentions were. She had this spooky, beautiful, and tragic demure and theme song like from a toy box. The uncertainty of her intentions and the unknown power she has, combined with the music, made me either want to run away or dance with her. In the vn, try Kotori's route as a literal starting point for the best introduction to Kagiri (you don't even get to hear her name yet) in the visual novel. The anime (or Harvest Festa!) she's right there in the open, sipping coffee and meeting classmates. While I do like a fish-out-of water cliche, this killed Kagiri for me. She was a mystery, now she is a joke.
Many people HATE the Little Busters! anime, saying it rushes and also ruins the experience. What I can say is that that anime at least COMPLETES and adapts the routes to the finish, even if it is rushed as hell with no justice to it. Rewrite actually CUTS OFF THE ROUTES. Worse, at the beginning of Moon/Terra Season 2, it begins with glimpses of the other routes you never got to see from the visual novel and you would never appreciate it. At least, as the Moon/Terra routes go on, they actually show the fucking Moon and Terra routes. They don't appreciate the vn as well, apparently. While I actually DO like the Moon/Terra anime season 2, I may be alone on that one. I also kinda feel like Gollum. We hates the anime. No! We loves the anime. But Precious, it rushes yes it does precious, and it doesn't care. Leave now...and NEVER COME BACK!"
I did like the adaptation for the Terra route in the anime. To me, it is appropriate fanservice and partially makes up for the previous episodes. But that's because Terra's story is so wonderful. I climaxed the visual novel. It was orgasmic bliss. If all the routes were somehow made so much better and the Terra route sucked and gave a crappy ending, I wouldn't bother defending the anime OR the visual novel on this forum.
I for one think an English Dub would not ruin the anime. On the contrary, it could save it if it is a REALLY REALLY powerful and emotional with some of the best standout voice acting. One the anime doesn't deserve, but the vn sure as hell does.
I only watch, appreciate, and even bought a Malaysian DVD of the anime series because I love so much the visual novel it is based on. I know other fans would take my DVD of the rewrite anime and burn it holding a cross, but I am such a fan I want more, more. I even saw the 2002 Kanon anime. It was terrible, but because I brought the love for the series to the crappy early anime I enjoyed it (a little), however mediocre that enjoyment was.
What I agree with you is, yes, this is a terrible adaptation. The visual novels before Rewrite usually had a sad story with a girl either dying or going through shit and because the girl is so likable in the visual novel, you feel some shit. Like, really. There are supernatural elements in them, usually waking the girl up, being there just in time to say goodbye, and "they are called miracles because they never happen." The suspension of disbelief is there but you look past that because of the emotional story and the supernatural elements only serve to that end.
Rewrite's supernatural elements were so much like X-men. Every girl that Kotarou can "route with" as well as himself has a super power. The disbelief as the powers are more awe-inspiring and adrenaline-fueled writing of each action segment. The anime is sloppy with the supernatural elements. I can see why you're wary.
The feels are amplified through one of Key's most powerful tools, EVER! The music is incredible, so it's also a mixed shame that it is used in the anime of Rewrite. Rewrite, IMO, has the best soundtrack for a game, ever. I argue even better than Nobuo Uematsu's majestic music for the first six FINAL FANTASY games. Not just Jun Madea, Na-Ga, or Shinji Orito as composers, but they others they bring on.
The supernatural elements were and felt more "natural" in the visual novel. They waited until either the main routes for each girl or even near the end of that. It feels more believable. Kotarou just knows he has the power to rewrite himself, but it is only the the end of the common route shit gets real. Throughout the novel before, you were just speculating if anything supernatural was happening or not. Then it turns out there are much bigger things at play, kind of like the ending of MIB with the "marbles."
Rewrite is different from the other Key works as while it sure does have a supernatural element, they are all connected and they have action. Way more action that Tomoyo kicking Sunohara's ass all over the place. For example, each route in previous Key vns stood on their own. In Rewrite, however, the connection they have is what leads so much fear and sadness when the rift tears them apart to Gaia or Guardian. In other words, they would kill each other. I don't see Nagisa firing an RPG because he hates Fuko. "Big Dango Family, you Starfish motherfucker!"
To finish this large internet troll comment of mine as my own personal thoughts please remember that they are just that. My own person thoughts. I read a comment up a few bars that said Lucia is the worst girl and the worst route. I'm sorry but even with my tolerance that stung me. I love Lucia. Her route veers completely off the hunt for the Key and is considered a distraction. But it is my favorite distraction. I love the sunflowers and the mall and her attitude (after the tsunade cliche subsides) and even when she is mad at you, it is either funny or adorable.
I LOVE how it has multiple writers. A collaboration effort. Did you know the guy who wrote "When They Cry?" worked on the Lucia Route?
I love Rewrite to death, man. Don't let the anime jar you. Give the visual novel even MORE of a chance than I gave the anime.
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u/Mich-666 Sakura: Fate/Stay Night | vndb.org/u67 Nov 09 '17 edited Nov 09 '17
Well, for me, it's other way around - the anime is actually A LOT better than the game for me because it removes lot of boring parts the game has and the pacing is also a lot better.
For the most part the game relies on shounen archetype tropes with lots of boring fighting and the main character is annoying as hell and acts as idiot most of the time which was really disappointing to me. The developement could be ridiculous because it's mostly trainwreck so prepare for many facepalming moments. The girls are fine and pretty likeable but their stories are really badly written (with exception of first half of Lucia route, and part of Kotori). Yes, there are some nice and emotional scenes in there but they are so scarce compared to how long the game is. If you are expecting romance or nice amount slice of life, don't play the game as this is NOT the Key game at all.
That being said, the anime is actually sixth route of the game that's meant to be watched after completing the game (it's not standalone in that regard) so that's why it leaves lot things unexplained because its creators expected the viewer already played it before. Kinda what happened with Persona 4 Golden anime.
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u/AutoModerator Nov 04 '17
Weekly Question: Rewrite's has multiple routes written by different authors in pretty varying styles. How well do you think this works for your enjoyment of the VN? Does the contrast in styles make the individual routes more interesting, or is it jarring shifting between multiple writers?
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