I played Akiba's Trip H&D pretty much immediately after its... successor AND predecessor (yay localisation issues), Trip U&U, and I'm unpopular in saying I prefer this entry. However, I just can't deny how great the plot and characterisation of H&D is! The narrative is mostly light even with its tackling of some mature themes, with a faction war at the centre of both the story and the branching endings. This setup allowed for some good old themes of coexistence and acceptance, and boy does H&D get it right. The characters are all absolute treasures (even the villains and random NPCs!) and I found myself incredibly attached to everyone by the end. This is definitely aided by tanu's amazing sprite work throughout the story's cutscenes.

The gameplay is generally serviceable and nothing more, however I actually prefer the system for obtaining clothes here to U&U and the option to buy different move types was a godsend. How U&U didn't have moving or area attacks is beyond me. The graphics are also mostly serviceable, but to be totally honest after seeing what they were in the original PSP release they're a definite upgrade, jesus. Audio quality can be a little strange on VA in the early game, but due to H&D's production coinciding with covid lockdowns this isn't something I hold against the game at all.

Given the whole concept of H&D involves you learning stripping techniques from a shady dancing woman who lives in a pink mansion on an Akiba rooftop, it would be easy to assume it's mostly fanservice and not much plot (not that fanservice is a bad thing per se). But not only is fanservice a minimum, this story is one of the most welcome experiences I've chanced upon in a game.