"Return to that summer with you..." Ryusei returns to the small island of his younger years, where time flows by gently, to spend a fairy-tale summer vacation with his childhood friend who was spirited away.
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I initially purchased this visual novel, when I discovered that it was going to be a global release for this game, therefore it was like a thank you for thinking of western audiences from the beginning. Being more specific about the translation, I would say all the vn felt natural and I could only spot two typos in the later parts.
Leaving behind the translation behind, I would qualify it as a great vn, I believe its purpose was to tell a bittersweet love story with supernatural elements, and in that aspect, they fully delivered. The part which did fell short for me was the introduction and slice of life part, which felt rushed and not developed enough. Also, there are many parts in which they had to go back in time to explain why something was happening, which felt like lazy writing; though, almost all the mysteries were explained in the end (I believe only why Gonka was special was not explained), and everything had a purpose. Another downside was that many occurrences felt predictable and very convenient in the beginning.
The cast were small, and some of them felt flat, like Himawari of Karen. But when they did have character development, I really like it, how their unfulfilled wishes and the contrast with the dream world made them who they are. In the end most of them were a little bit flawed, but none with bad intentions. I especially liked Souji by the end. The dream world reminded me of Dragon Quest 6 and the two versions of the world that also existed.
In the second paragraph, I wrote that something that lacked Ginka was a good Slice of Life. It does not mean that every vn should need one, but in this case it felt like they wanted to have one, but they reduced significantly in the end and what was left wasn’t the best one I have read either. Comparing it with Summer Pockets, they did write a great beginning, but the end wasn’t good, which is the contrary of Ginka.
Towards the end, it was emotional and almost made me shed a tear. The final outcome felt rewarding, it’s better for a story to lack a good introduction than a good end. For me it was a great visual novel, but not a Masterpiece.
Leaving behind the translation behind, I would qualify it as a great vn, I believe its purpose was to tell a bittersweet love story with supernatural elements, and in that aspect, they fully delivered. The part which did fell short for me was the introduction and slice of life part, which felt rushed and not developed enough. Also, there are many parts in which they had to go back in time to explain why something was happening, which felt like lazy writing; though, almost all the mysteries were explained in the end (I believe only why Gonka was special was not explained), and everything had a purpose. Another downside was that many occurrences felt predictable and very convenient in the beginning.
The cast were small, and some of them felt flat, like Himawari of Karen. But when they did have character development, I really like it, how their unfulfilled wishes and the contrast with the dream world made them who they are. In the end most of them were a little bit flawed, but none with bad intentions. I especially liked Souji by the end. The dream world reminded me of Dragon Quest 6 and the two versions of the world that also existed.
In the second paragraph, I wrote that something that lacked Ginka was a good Slice of Life. It does not mean that every vn should need one, but in this case it felt like they wanted to have one, but they reduced significantly in the end and what was left wasn’t the best one I have read either. Comparing it with Summer Pockets, they did write a great beginning, but the end wasn’t good, which is the contrary of Ginka.
Towards the end, it was emotional and almost made me shed a tear. The final outcome felt rewarding, it’s better for a story to lack a good introduction than a good end. For me it was a great visual novel, but not a Masterpiece.
While the narrative is not as original as I was hoping (especially coming off Atri), it is nonetheless a competent and enjoyable romance. Production values and art do not disappoint.
Nah sorry this could be less than 10 hours.
It gets really boring halfway through, and the story being average, as well as the characters, doesn't help in the imersion.
The prose is nothing worthy either, but the music and the art is cool tho.
It gets really boring halfway through, and the story being average, as well as the characters, doesn't help in the imersion.
The prose is nothing worthy either, but the music and the art is cool tho.
GINKA being the new VN from the same creators as the acclaimed ATRI inevitably gives it certain expectations, but thankfully I've always managed them. Because GINKA is not ATRI, it doesn't try to be, and I think that's absolutely fine.
I had a lot of fun reading this VN. It mainly focusses its relatively short (15-18ish hour) runtime on the titular character. And she's great. Adorable, multi-layered, properly fleshed out. The rest of the cast is fun but not quite as in depth.
I think GINKA is strongest narratively when it's about its main two characters and their longing for the childhood relationship they had before fate drove them apart, and how they cope with the consequences of the sacrifices they've made.
The main plot itself (which I can't say much about without spoiling) can occasionally get too convoluted for its own sake, and the amount of flashbacks interrupting scenes does hurt the pacing somewhat. Despite that, it did a good job keeping me engaged throughout.
I think my favourite thing about this VN other than Ginka herself is the art style. The CGs, character designs and background art are absolutely gorgeous. I love the music too, but that seems to be a given for the medium.
GINKA is not a masterpiece, it's nothing exceptional. But I think that's okay, it's a thoroughly enjoyable and beautiful looking VN about a bittersweet childhood love that overcomes the most difficult of hurdles. And that's about all I wanted from it.
+gorgeous CGs, char designs and art
+Ginka being a great and lovable character
+Music
+Fun bittersweet summer romance story
-Overly convoluted plot.
-Structure feels all over the place with its flashbacks.
-Some side characters feel underdeveloped.
-Ending feels a bit too convenient.
I had a lot of fun reading this VN. It mainly focusses its relatively short (15-18ish hour) runtime on the titular character. And she's great. Adorable, multi-layered, properly fleshed out. The rest of the cast is fun but not quite as in depth.
I think GINKA is strongest narratively when it's about its main two characters and their longing for the childhood relationship they had before fate drove them apart, and how they cope with the consequences of the sacrifices they've made.
The main plot itself (which I can't say much about without spoiling) can occasionally get too convoluted for its own sake, and the amount of flashbacks interrupting scenes does hurt the pacing somewhat. Despite that, it did a good job keeping me engaged throughout.
I think my favourite thing about this VN other than Ginka herself is the art style. The CGs, character designs and background art are absolutely gorgeous. I love the music too, but that seems to be a given for the medium.
GINKA is not a masterpiece, it's nothing exceptional. But I think that's okay, it's a thoroughly enjoyable and beautiful looking VN about a bittersweet childhood love that overcomes the most difficult of hurdles. And that's about all I wanted from it.
+gorgeous CGs, char designs and art
+Ginka being a great and lovable character
+Music
+Fun bittersweet summer romance story
-Overly convoluted plot.
-Structure feels all over the place with its flashbacks.
-Some side characters feel underdeveloped.
-Ending feels a bit too convenient.
guy whos entire bit is loving white haired anime girls loves another VN about a white haired anime girl
who would have thought
while its definitely worse than ATRI, I still enjoyed the vibes and it was a fun read and I'm going to go cry now because I wish it was longer
who would have thought
while its definitely worse than ATRI, I still enjoyed the vibes and it was a fun read and I'm going to go cry now because I wish it was longer
it's Holy MID. Extremely badly executed and boring narrative after halfway, disappointed.