Slow Damage highlights how much Fuchii Kabura has grown as a writer since the first visual novel she wrote a scenario for, Togainu no Chi. It’s a fantastic game about memory, trauma, the parts of ourselves we try to hide, and, well, scars, both physical and emotional. Towa is an enthralling protagonist, easily the most interesting one a N+C game has given us. A sadistic and calculating painter who longs to capture his subjects' most disturbing thoughts is certainly something new compared to other N+C protagonists, who are typically either upbeat or demure. On top of this, Slow Damage feels like it pays homage to its predecessors in many ways, the most literal being that songs from the prior games’ soundtracks play at certain points so annoying people like me can say “hey, that’s from Lamento”. However, Slow Damage also borrows aesthetics from the other games– Togainu no Chi’s sadistic streak, Lamento’s lengthy and in-depth routes that gave a profound understanding of each character, sweet pool’s transgressive beauty, DRAMAtical Murder’s lively and colorful yet dystopian city– and combines them to make one hell of a BL game.
It’s interesting, because obviously Nitro+Chiral is known for its high-concept games, and while Slow Damage does have a unique setting, it feels far less mysterious than previous entries. Not in a bad way at all, just a more realistic approach. For example, while the ever-cryptic narrative of sweet pool can easily be interpreted as an abstract portrayal of gay coming-of-age in a conservative environment full of repression, Slow Damage just straight-up shows the effects of homophobia and rejection on one character. Sweet pool is definitely the most avant-garde of Kabura’s works, so this may not be the best example, but I feel like basically every prior game used some sort of fantastical or allegorical tactics to convey the backstories of the boys… this one really doesn’t. This is a shift for sure, but Kabura handles it with a lot of elegance.
There are four routes in the game, and I think each of them are well-written in their own ways. The first two are Rei and Taku, then there’s a third route that unlocks after Taku’s, Madarame’s, and finally there is the true route, Fujieda. If I had to rank them, I would probably say Fujieda>>> Rei > Madarame >> Taku. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Madarame and Fujieda are route options despite the fact that they unlock later because they’re in the opening and also… If you’re playing a game with romantic routes, you’ve probably already looked up who all the candidates are. Lol.
Rei’s route is such a powerful character study of him, his identity as a gay man, and his upbringing and past traumas. As a gay guy who always stuck out in school, was noticeably feminine, and experienced some hard to cope with rejection and homophobia when I came out to my family, I really felt for him. Out of all of Kabura’s characters from any of her games, Rei feels the most real to me. I love him. Honestly, it feels like I know him and his friends. Kabura handles his route with such a degree of care and nuance it’s honestly impressive. And to keep spoilers minimal, she picks a hard fucking set of topics to talk about with him. Like, some very tricky to discuss but honestly pretty real things I think a lot of queer men struggle with. I never expected anything like it in a BL game. Despite a… interesting new look in his final scenes (I DID do a double take), I love Rei’s route. It’s very touching. It’s also just refreshing to see both him and Towa just… be openly gay. For much of this game, it strays from the common BL trope of “if it’s you, it’s fine”, that I’ve gotten used to, but still find exhausting at times. Just a nice thing to note.
Taku’s route is probably the weakest for me. I still think it’s good, ultimately, but I think it falls into the common VN-with-multiple-routes problem of “it just feels abrupt, it obviously isn’t the true end”. On top of this, he’s sort of in this weird situation where I feel like I understand him more after completing the later routes than I do in his own route. However, his route still offers an interesting look into the motivations and hidden complexities of the seemingly moral doctor. It just feels somewhat rushed compared to the other routes.
It’s a bit harder to talk about Madarame and Fujieda’s routes without getting into spoilers, but Fujieda’s in particular is extremely poignant, and is, to me, probably the best thing Kabura has written thus far. In it, she creates a miasma of fear, sorrow, and pain so powerful that it can be overwhelming. Not wanting to remember, because ripping off the metaphorical bandaid and confronting the past can often be the hardest thing you can do. What results is an ultimately very kind and tender finale that is kind of… peak boys’ love, really. On the other hand, Madarame’s route explores the darkest impulses of Towa, and in many ways, Madarame is the best partner for the person Towa is– they both cater towards each others’ depraved needs perfectly. This is another thing I enjoy about Slow Damage–all of the routes feel so wholly different. The two initial routes involve Towa staying relatively stagnant, albeit opening up to his partner near the end. The third route has Towa embracing parts of his past, but not truly digging deep, and embracing the most sinister parts of himself. Finally, the true route has Towa accept every part of himself.
In conclusion, I laughed, I cried, I watched hot anime boys cut each other up in a pseudosexual trance state, and I’d do it all again. I really hope that this game gets a fandisc similar to DMMD, because I’m desperate to see more of these characters. I loved them all. I do also hope that the side game, Clean Dishes, gets some form of localization or translation, though I’m unsure how likely that is in the near future since Lamento and DMMD reconnect have yet to be localized. But yeah it’s uh… a good visual novel! If you love seeing guys fuck well this is for you!
It’s interesting, because obviously Nitro+Chiral is known for its high-concept games, and while Slow Damage does have a unique setting, it feels far less mysterious than previous entries. Not in a bad way at all, just a more realistic approach. For example, while the ever-cryptic narrative of sweet pool can easily be interpreted as an abstract portrayal of gay coming-of-age in a conservative environment full of repression, Slow Damage just straight-up shows the effects of homophobia and rejection on one character. Sweet pool is definitely the most avant-garde of Kabura’s works, so this may not be the best example, but I feel like basically every prior game used some sort of fantastical or allegorical tactics to convey the backstories of the boys… this one really doesn’t. This is a shift for sure, but Kabura handles it with a lot of elegance.
There are four routes in the game, and I think each of them are well-written in their own ways. The first two are Rei and Taku, then there’s a third route that unlocks after Taku’s, Madarame’s, and finally there is the true route, Fujieda. If I had to rank them, I would probably say Fujieda>>> Rei > Madarame >> Taku. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Madarame and Fujieda are route options despite the fact that they unlock later because they’re in the opening and also… If you’re playing a game with romantic routes, you’ve probably already looked up who all the candidates are. Lol.
Rei’s route is such a powerful character study of him, his identity as a gay man, and his upbringing and past traumas. As a gay guy who always stuck out in school, was noticeably feminine, and experienced some hard to cope with rejection and homophobia when I came out to my family, I really felt for him. Out of all of Kabura’s characters from any of her games, Rei feels the most real to me. I love him. Honestly, it feels like I know him and his friends. Kabura handles his route with such a degree of care and nuance it’s honestly impressive. And to keep spoilers minimal, she picks a hard fucking set of topics to talk about with him. Like, some very tricky to discuss but honestly pretty real things I think a lot of queer men struggle with. I never expected anything like it in a BL game. Despite a… interesting new look in his final scenes (I DID do a double take), I love Rei’s route. It’s very touching. It’s also just refreshing to see both him and Towa just… be openly gay. For much of this game, it strays from the common BL trope of “if it’s you, it’s fine”, that I’ve gotten used to, but still find exhausting at times. Just a nice thing to note.
Taku’s route is probably the weakest for me. I still think it’s good, ultimately, but I think it falls into the common VN-with-multiple-routes problem of “it just feels abrupt, it obviously isn’t the true end”. On top of this, he’s sort of in this weird situation where I feel like I understand him more after completing the later routes than I do in his own route. However, his route still offers an interesting look into the motivations and hidden complexities of the seemingly moral doctor. It just feels somewhat rushed compared to the other routes.
It’s a bit harder to talk about Madarame and Fujieda’s routes without getting into spoilers, but Fujieda’s in particular is extremely poignant, and is, to me, probably the best thing Kabura has written thus far. In it, she creates a miasma of fear, sorrow, and pain so powerful that it can be overwhelming. Not wanting to remember, because ripping off the metaphorical bandaid and confronting the past can often be the hardest thing you can do. What results is an ultimately very kind and tender finale that is kind of… peak boys’ love, really. On the other hand, Madarame’s route explores the darkest impulses of Towa, and in many ways, Madarame is the best partner for the person Towa is– they both cater towards each others’ depraved needs perfectly. This is another thing I enjoy about Slow Damage–all of the routes feel so wholly different. The two initial routes involve Towa staying relatively stagnant, albeit opening up to his partner near the end. The third route has Towa embracing parts of his past, but not truly digging deep, and embracing the most sinister parts of himself. Finally, the true route has Towa accept every part of himself.
In conclusion, I laughed, I cried, I watched hot anime boys cut each other up in a pseudosexual trance state, and I’d do it all again. I really hope that this game gets a fandisc similar to DMMD, because I’m desperate to see more of these characters. I loved them all. I do also hope that the side game, Clean Dishes, gets some form of localization or translation, though I’m unsure how likely that is in the near future since Lamento and DMMD reconnect have yet to be localized. But yeah it’s uh… a good visual novel! If you love seeing guys fuck well this is for you!