Merits of the dating sim genre

Well, I write about what’s on my mind, and since I’ve been playing a dating sim a lot, guess what’s on my mind?

What is a dating sim? The best way to describe it would be an RPG without all the violence. Instead of leveling up stats like attack and defense, you level up stuff like intelligence and charisma (although being buff is helpful, it’s not nearly as important) and the goal is (usually) not to save the world, but instead win the affection (well, some NC-17 versions exist, but I don’t really play those) of some (or all, for the pimp machines out there) person in the game. While this is not as action oriented as a lot of games out there, it plays quite similarly to the talking portions of games from Bioware (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate, e.t.c.) or like the non combat portions of Persona 3 or 4. It should be noted that a well crafted game in the genre should top sitting around and chatting in those games, because you usually can’t take out a longsword and bash some skulls in because you’re bored. If you feel that desire in most dating sims, that’s a strong sign that game isn’t very good.

Anyways, there are a lot of things that make the genre unique. Most importantly, it’s the blend of anime and video game elements into a unique experience. While the story telling is similar in style to an anime, the video game elements allow a bit of interactivity, preventing the mind from stagnating and just letting the screen do all the talking (not that I object to that, that is what makes anime fun) while not being too demanding on the reflexes.

This makes the genre great for non gamers as well as beginning games, as the play style does not actively demand knowledge of how to play video games or tons of technical ability, as many video games do (Alright, I’ll admit, I remember learning to play video games as well as I remember learning to walk, but some n00b gamers I’ve met have trouble with some of the most basic things…) meaning that a new person can pick one up and know what their doing quite quickly. Most of them require the reading ability and comprehension of an online chat room anyway.

This is not to say that advanced games cannot have fun with the genre. I know that although I’ve survived some of the most hardcore games and told tales about them, the lack of difficulty doesn’t bother me.  This is due to the anime esque aspects, which take focus away from the gameplay which might not be very challenging. From this perspective, the genre becomes more like an anime you have some control over.

Well, if you’re interested, this site has a link to download a lot of freeware to try the genre out. If you want to commit to something, professional companies work on games with higher production values. I wanted to write at one point (Well, it was going to be less of a dating sim, and more of a Captain Kirk sim) but am actually being a beta tester for one at the moment… Pretty fun, I posted a review HERE.

Note: Ren’nai is just the Japanese word for visual novel, dating sim, or whatever. I feel that the English terms suffice and are easier for my tongue to pronounce.

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The Big Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 2

<-This has nothing to do with this season at all. I just like gothic lolita a lot. 

Ugh, this will definitely go down as the low point in Haruhi’s history. I’d say they couldn’t do worse if they tried, but the problem is I know they TRIED to do a bad job with this. (more on that later) I’m going to assume you’ve seen the first season of this series and are familiar with the characters because this one is not going to attract any new fans.

This season consists of approximately 3 arcs, two of which are good, and one that is so horrible that somebody needs to be fired for green lighting it. The season starts out nicely with an episode where Kyon winds up being sent into the past in order assist Haruhi in a prank she pulled at the school 3 years ago, which for some reason affects the time space continuum in a way that Mikuru (from the future) approves of. This is a nice episode that shows promise for the season, and had me exited for the next ones…

I highly recommend you just watch the first episode (Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody) then go watch the movie, since it discusses critical plot points in the movie. When people discuss the rest of the season, I suggest you cover your ears and go “LALALALALA I’M NOT LISTENING” until they shut up.

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again. 

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again. 

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again. 

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again. 

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again. 

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again. 

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again. 

The next eight episodes consist of an endless time loop known as “Endless Eight.” They don’t call it endless eight for nothing. This is an entire eight episodes of the cast being stuck in an infinite time loop doing the same thing again and again, until Kyon figures out how to break the loop. For some strange reason, the studio decided that they would blow most of the budget on this, by taking the time to re-animate every episode with extraneous detail, even thought it’s the same plot and events over and over.

Anyway, after the studio established that they have enough money to smoke their top grade weed in rolled up hundred dollar bills, (No really, think of the animation costs, production costs, and network backlash… that took serious spine to pull off) they get to a few episodes regarding the creation of the movie shown during the first episode. The first couple of these are boring as hell and not much happens. The last three have some back stage drama and philosophical lectures that flesh out some characters. Some of this is quite interesting to watch, and almost made up for the rest of the season. Almost. The plot doesn’t get advanced that much though. Overall, there are about 4 good episodes in this season, making it an overall disappointment.

Oh yeah, I should probably mention that the ending and opening songs for this season pale before the ones in the first season. I’m probably biased because I actually know how to do the Hare Hare Yukai, but it’s a noticeable downgrade. Thankfully, they wised up and used “Bouken Desho Desho” for the opening credits to the movie. Animation quality is very high throughout this season, even during episodes that really don’t deserve it.

Should you watch this season? No, probably not. If you really insist, watch the first episode and the last five, and if you’re really hardcore, the first and last episodes of Endless Eight. The only good part about this season was that it laid some groundwork for the movie…

Speaking of which, the movie manages to prove that the people behind this project still have their artistic talent that made the first season good, they were just holding out on us this season.

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Anime in Focus: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 2 episode 14

<- The last episode of a season is always a great time to introduce a talking cat

<-Previous Episode

Well, we end this season of Haruhi by having the characters discuss philosophy and the finishing touches on that movie plot that’s been going for the last few episodes.

This episode starts with Haruhi picking up a cat to be Yuki’s familiar in the movie project the SOS brigade is working on. Unfortunately, Haruhi’s powers cause the cat to talk, leading the cat to engage in conversations about philosophy, kind of like Brian from Family Guy. It’s rather interesting as we attempt to see Kyon try to convince the cat that it’s special that he can talk, and that he isn’t just creating an illusion of language.

Like a lot of philosophical lectures, neither side is really convinced, so they just wander off and buy cat food. Kyon explains to the cat that cats say “meow” and wonders home. We then learn that Mikuru’s and Nagato’s factions both hold theories that oppose Itsuki’s, creating a aura of tension among the SOS brigade members. Furthermore, Itsuki explains that the movie is creating issues with the space time continuum, causing reality and fiction to meld. This leads to Itsuki suggesting that they do something to ensure that Haruhi KNOWS that this is a movie, and prevent her from subconsciously causing the movie’s reality to meld with the real world.

Then there’s a montage of the character’s finishing off the movie, which is the least exiting part of the episode. The interesting part about this ep. is that if you pay attention to Kyon’s mannerisms you’ll notice he doesn’t really seem to care about the reality warping as much as everybody else. While everybody else is panicking, he seems to just take everything as it happens, not seeming to care, as long as Haruhi lays off of Mikuru. This is really interesting, as the mindset is what leads into the movie’s plot, where we see some actual growth in Kyon’s character.

Although a good episode, this is a very weak climax to a weak season. If more episodes are produced, I certainly hope their better than this seasons. If I hear anything about it, I’ll report it here as soon as possible.

Although this is the end of the show as of now, there's still The movie

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Anime in focus: School days episode 11

<-Previous episode 

Almost to the conclusion of this series. This episode shows some flashbacks giving us a general idea of just how far the series has gone since it’s first few episodes, and how it went from a cutesy high school love triangle to the most depraved drama I’ve ever seen.

Ah, well, Itou hasn’t slept with everybody yet. There’s still Katusara and that girl on the basketball team. There were a few other gilrs, but he sleeps with all of them at once in this episode, just to show us that he’s going to grow up to act like Glen Quagmire.

Meanwhile, Itou’s actions start coming around full circle in this episode. To start Saionji reveals that she missed her period…

DUN DUN DUN

On the other side, Katsura’s been talking into a dead cell phone while in a rather creepy trance.

And while it is implied that Itou had a filthy foursome in this episode, his various flings start ignoring the bastard after word about Saionji gets around. Poetic justice really. Itou’d grown cold and heartless over the episodes, and no longer cares for the women he sleeps with (still don’t see what they see in him.) At the end, we’re given a flashback of the beginning, back when he cared. It’s kind of sad really. Not sad enough to make me emphasize with somebody who gets that much sex, but you know, sad. I’d punch him in reality of course. He has turned into a major dick after all. Like Light Yagami from Death Note, but instead of becoming numb to killing people, he’s become numb to sleeping with them.

Now then, I’m going to watch the last episode. Can’t wait to see the climax to all of this, because there is no way this will end well.

FINAL EPISODE ->

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BryAnime Presents: My top 10 AMV's

<-Previous top 10: Top 10 most attractive Video Game Females

After attending a few AMV contests, I decided that AMV’s would be a relatively solid place to go for my “Top 10” segment, because there are many things I can rate besides the attractiveness of fictional women. While I do know this is not a comprehensive list, I do not accept arguments that do not come with evidence (links)

10.) Chibi’s that kill: This one gets a lot of concept points, just for having a bunch of cute characters beat up some more serious ones. Also, the edits look nice.

9.) Mindless self Indulgence: Warning, lyrics aren’t safe for work. This video’s biggest merit is the simply concept that it explains how hardcore Pikachu is. Indeed, this kind of silliness is a great way to get my approval. It should be noted that the author probably had to go all over the place to find all these clips, and Pokemon has a lot of episodes.

8.) Be a Man: One of my favorite Gurren Lagan AMV’s based solely on how in character everything is. Makes me wanna go watch that series because of how manly the AMV is. Unfortunately, this one’s not on youtube, so you’ll have to use this link.  

7.) Skittles: Classic AMV right here. Famous mostly for the lovely effects and bright colors. Also, has a lot of really nice editing.

6.) Setsuna of Arabia: A finalist from Anime expo 2010’s AMV contest. Although I voted for Alchanum to win, I still found this one to be quite exiting. Sadly though, I haven’t seen the Gundam this AMV is from, meaning I should probably watch it again later.

5.) Code Roll: No, I haven’t seen Code Geass yet. I might, someday, when I feel like it, and haven’t seen a raving fangirl for three months or so. This is from the time during the 2009 AMV contest when a person had the iron resolve to attempt a Rick Roll on the AMV contest. The fact that it managed to get so far really says a lot about the video’s quality, and how the characters match the song.

4.) Robots: One of the better AMV’s to come out of the contest back in 2009, this one tells about what robots are going to do after they slaughter humanity. It contains the best version of the song I’ve heard, and the animation compliments it very nicely. I give in an entirely unemotional sign of approval.

3.) Bustin’: This one’s main sales point is the news articles that appear throughout the course of the video. Without those, this AMV would be just good, but with them, it provides a near constant stream of laughs, just because of what they say. It helps that they crafted a logo for this one. I first saw this one at the AMV contest at AX 2008, and had a major struggle inside of me whether to vote for this or “The Harrassment of Kyon”

2.) Alchanum: Winner of best of show at the 2010 AX AMV contest, and the one I voted for best of show. Notable for being epic and being a rather interesting retell of Full Metal Alchemist. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the version shown at AX 2010, alas, if you skip the ending portion, this one contains almost as much meatiness.

1.) The Harrassment of Kyon: While I do hate yaoi fangirls, I do not in fact have that much of an issue with Yaoi. This leads me to this AMV that I saw at Anime expo 2008, which I find both well made and highly amusing. Also, from seeing the series, seeing these scenes taken entirely out of context adds to the fun greatly.

Another thing that makes this AMV great is that I normally LOATHE the song “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavine, but in this context I find it catchy and amusing. Furthermore, it further stamps in the conclusion that everybody in the SOS brigade want’s Kyon, even the guys. Sorry Yuki, I haven’t seen any Kyon x Yuki videos that beat this one. Kyon x Haruhi? GET OFF MY INTERNETS!

After discussing this with some people, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are enough solid AMV’s to do a follow up report on this topic, so I’ll be glad to consider any recommendations for the next edition. All rankings are solely my own opinion.

Please Comment and Subscribe!

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<-Previous Fan Letter: Being the male lead in a slapstick comedy is painful

Dear BryAnime,

Hello, I’m about 15 and about to get into some serious dating, but I feel nervous. I’ve been practicing my skills a lot with some Ren’nai games that I torrented (hey, they aren’t allowed to sell those to minors, lol.) and I’m pretty sure I know what to do.

Hypothetically, I’m supposed to go up to the girl in order to buy her presents until her affection towards me increases to a point to where I can ask her out. At this point, all I have to do is be nice, and that’s not hard, since all the options I need to say appear right in front of me, and it’s always obvious which one needs to be said. This means I should have no difficulty winning them over at all!

But this doesn’t explain why I’m so nervous about asking out this girl who sits next to me in class. I mean, it should be obvious what to say, right? Because whenever I talk to her, I choke up. I’ve tried hitting the gym a few times in order to increase my attractiveness stat, but it hasn’t seemed to have helped. Do you think there’s a condition I have to fulfill before I’m able to talk to her?

Thanks,

Ren’nai addict

Dear Ren’nai addict

Well, from your letter, it’s really obvious that you’ve been sitting in front of your computer playing porn games way too much. Could you at least spend your time going to a dating advice forum or something? There you can meet people with actual EXPERIENCE or something. This is because in reality, it is in fact you who seem to lack exp, as you seem to assume that actual options are going to appear that make sense. The harsh reality of it is that it takes practice to know exactly what to say.

What’s that? What do I suggest? I dunno, try option 3 (see above pic.)

Sincerely,

BryAnime

NEXT LETTER: I'm stuck in a love triangle with myself

Get Featured in a fan letter! Email you're problems to DarthSomebody@yahoo.com, or post it in the comments section, and I just might respond to you!

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Anime in Focus: FLCL (Fooly Cooly or Furi Kuri) Episode 3

 <- In this episode we get a bit more focus on outside characters, like this chick in the front.


<-PREVIOUS EPISODE

Well, this episode wasn’t quite as good as the last two, which were pretty solid. Unfortunately, this one keeps up the same pace, which is bad, since I’m used to the pacing of the show by this point. Furthermore, there are fewer surprises throughout the episode, which makes it much less interesting.

In this episode Naota has started growing cat ears for some reason. While they do not appear nearly as phallic as the horns that have been growing out of his head in the last couple of episodes, he is aroused when people touch them, ensuring that they remain just as prone to double meanings as the gigantic horns do. While he has these silly cat ears, he is required to play Puss in boots in the school play, while being bossed around by the class president who appears to have a crush on him. Or maybe it’s all symbolic of something. I can’t really tell.

The characterizations in this episode manage to be relatively easy to understand, making this one the oddball of the episodes I’ve watched in this series. While it has not turned me off from the series, it does not get me as exited for the next episode. However, I would like to believe the next episode will pick up the pace that was left behind in this episode in order to allow in more craziness.

Please comment and Subscribe!

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