Back in college I went through a pretty major identity crisis revolving around my ADHD. I quit my meds due to depression, but as my grades slipped I realized medication had filled many, many cracks in my life. How much of my academic success was me? Was I doing well, or was "I" just my medication the whole time? Did people prefer me more like that? Did I? Should I sacrifice some happiness just to get by?

My personal life events have absolutely nothing to do with Little Busters itself, but it sure as hell has something to do with my reflections on it. We sometimes miss acknowledging the force of timing in our observation of texts; certainly in this site's attempt to catalogue our perspectives, there's at least one game you hold dear to your heart because it reached you at an impressionable time over a describable objective quality, no? As much as we strive to find agreement or objectivity in our feelings, our opinions can mirror our personal biases of a work itself.

When we do acknowledge that we may be fond of works due to our vulnerability or relative youth, though, we don't need to concede that work to nostalgia. Something like Little Busters or Clannad may not have the greatest or most unique writing, translation, or prose; they're often limited by the crack fan squads trying to bring these translations over to us without the budget and rigor of a full localization team. But I think we should still vaunt a work's capability of affecting us in the right way at the right time. I don't think I have the traditional analysis chops to give you a good thesis of why - but personally, and put simply:

Mio's route shot through walls I put up for myself. Refrain helped me clean up the rubble.

That's it. I love Little Busters dearly, and I can't thank Maeda and company enough for reaching me and getting me through a really rough time in my life. Maybe it was because I was young that it affected me; but maybe when we're young we need a special kind of story to talk to us.

I find Little Busters to be stellar YA. If you're not going through that period of your life, then Little Busters is still warm, funny, and genuine. It has a fantastic soundtrack, a wonderful cast, an addicting minigame to shake up the common route, a sense of humor that bridges the language barrier, and a giant heart holding it all together at the center. And for those who going through something rough or vulnerable, this may be just the little extra you need. Even when it's goofy or melodramatic - like everything by key - I can promise that it'll do its best to give you a hug, a pat on the head, and a nudge off to where you ought to be.