The medium of the visual novel as eluded me for quite some time. Nearly every day I see various pictures, references, and discussions of this phenomena, I had never tried it out for myself. One day I finally decided to cast away my ignorance and began my search for which visual novel to play through first. So sit down and let me tell you the story all about my firsthand experience with Saya no Uta.
Saya no Uta starts as the story of a guy named Fuminori Sakisaka. Fuminori lived a pretty average life as just another medical student until he was the victim of a horrific car accident. Not only do both his parents die in said accident, but he is mentally traumatized to the point where he can no longer perceive reality normally. To him, the entire world is a disgusting mass of rotting flesh, organs, and monsters who were once people. This new world causes Fuminori to loathe everything around him and develop a distinct hatred towards those he was closest to.
Hey, you’d be a little pissed too if you had to sleep in a bed like that.
During his stay in the hospital, however, Fuminori encounters a girl who appears completely normal to him. He quickly befriends this girl, Saya, and quickly grows an immeasurable love for her. There’s a great deal of mystery surrounding Saya, and the story becomes significantly darker as more is discovered of her past. Nevertheless, Fuminori is endlessly determined to continue his life with Saya, no matter the cost.
Saya no Uta certainly masters the elements of horror and psychological drama. The sheer vileness of Fuminori’s new world greatly begins to alter his perspectives on life and love. Although the nature of Fuminori’s condition is completely unfamiliar, his thoughts and actions throughout the story seem far too real and relatable. This visual novel manages to perfectly suck you into the scenario and provoke a great deal of thought and personal reflection. Also, the various twists and turns of the story end up building a surprisingly beautiful and touching true ending, so I feel greatly satisfied by the story’s architecture. I feel this was a refreshingly new experience, and can now see why Saya no Uta has earned its popularity.
This VN is particularly graphic in nature. After all, violence and depravity are essential themes and drivers to the storyline. Should you be offended by any of this, you probably should not even get close to this title. As for the rest of us, prepare yourself for a very intense experience of emotion and thought.
As far as surface elements, while this may sound a bit paradoxical, I feel that Nitroplus produced some very beautiful art and CG for this visual novel. Music, a very important element to works of this genre, is very well done and successfully drives your emotions appropriately. The voice actors all appeared to fit their given characters well, and none in particular stood out as annoying or offensive. All in all, I feel Nitroplus executed this visual novel very well on all fronts.
So, reader, should you be new to the world of the visual novel like me, Saya no Uta may be a good place to start. There are only 3 available ends on this VN depending on two different choices you have to make throughout the story, so having to re-play to see all available ends isn’t all that difficult. This, combined with the great production quality, made an enjoyable experience for me, at least. Still, if you’re looking for something a bit more PG-13, avoid this VN at all costs.
With this, I plan to pursue the reading of visual novels. I have already started reading Sekien no Inganock long before I tried Saya no Uta, and I intend to finish it soon. I’m also looking to read at least one Type-Moon title this summer. Also, as soon as translations are available, I greatly wish to read another Nitroplus work titled Full Metal Daemon Muramasa, as it looks incredibly awesome.
So, anyone else have any VN recommendations or tales of a similar nature?
My first and only VN adventure was with Clannad. Finished Kyou’s route and I must say I quite satisfied. Attempted Tomoyo’s route but for some reason I couldn’t get past a certain part. Would recommend though, tis most grand.
[Reply]
Nice to know that you’re getting into the VN genre. Saya no Uta is great, but it’s not exactly something that I would recommend as an introduction to the genre. I’m going to start by giving you a site that has a pretty good listing of visual novels, especially ones that have been translated to English (if that’s relevant to you or not.)
http://vndb.org/
I’ll try to give my own short takes on my recommendations.
Narcissu (2)
This is a VN that I usually recommend as an introduction to the genre. It follows the lives of some terminally ill patients in a hospital. It’s not necessarily the best VN out there, but it’s pretty good and it’s (legally) free, something that matters to some people.
Tsukihime
Fate/stay night
The
[Reply]
Gah, that posted before I wanted it to.
Tsukihime
Fate/stay night
These are the two most famous Type-Moon VNs that you have probably already heard of. Tsukihime deals with vampires and insanity and maids, as well as lots of other fun stuff. Fate/stay night follows the adventures of one guy that somehow gets himself involved in a battle royale for the Holy Grail. That battle royale involves heroes that have been summoned from throughout history, and it is epic in what might be the “true” sense of the word. I might recommend going through Tsukihime first because it’s the older one with somewhat less polish, but it’s your call. They’re both very good.
Ever 17: Out of Infinity
You can choose between two different protagonists in this VN. An accident occurs when you visit an underwater theme park, you’re trapped with no apparent way to get out, and you have seven days before the walls collapse (as a result of the accident). Often onsidered to be one of the best VNs ever written, a sentiment that I happen to agree with. For various reasons, though, I might suggest that you hold off on reading it until you have a bit more experience with the genre.
Well, this is taking a bit too long. Think I’ll just put a list of the rest of my recommendations here.
Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo (+Yuukyuu no Shounenshoujo)
Cross†Channel
Phantom of Inferno
Yume Miru Kusuri
Crescendo
Kikokugai – The Cyber Slayer
Widely recommended by others:
Higurashi
Umineko
Clannad
[Reply]
I was gonna post Tsukihime too. xD The concept seems similar. :)
[Reply]
PLANETARIAN. GOOD GOD, READ PLANETARIAN.
You haven’t been spending enough time at BBL if you pose that question without tacking (save Planetarian) to the end.
Really though, besides Planetarian, where are you going to go looking for a decent PG-13 visual novel, right.
Is the middle image link broken, or am I hallucinating again?
Saya no Uta is both an awesome place to start and a very unorthodox pilot to one’s VN experiences, because you’ll never read anything quite like it ever again. The heavy psychological implications along with the feel of Lovecraftian mythos – excellence of the highest vintage. The BGM was suitably chilling too, with ‘Saya no Uta’ and ‘Glass no Kutsu’ being one of the saddest BGMs and most memorable BGMs for me, respectively. Saya’s dandelion remark haunts me to this day. Oh, t’was so beautiful…
So, Planetarian and Nasu’s ingenious works aside, give Yume Miru Kusuri a try, very clever writing and scenarios in that one. I really only suggest the older pieces :p
There’s stuff like Majikoi if you look towards more recent times, but I don’t believe the justice lies there.
[Reply]
Ohmahgawd, missing image has been fix’d. Super embarrassing.
[Reply]
Pretty artz… I’ve never “read” a visual novel, but from what I wikied, it’s a game?
It’d be interesting to try, when I’m feeling less lazy.
[Reply]
Well, it’s mostly just reading with background images and music. The key difference is that nearly all VNs require you to make choices which obviously create different outcomes for the game.
There are a few VN-esque games like Sengoku Rance that have strategy RPG elements to them, but that’s rarely the case.
[Reply]
I see.
Reminds me of those Goosebump books with alternate endings. xD I always made a point to read all the possible outcomes.
[Reply]
Glass no Kutsu, or Shoes of Glass as I know it, was one of the most phenomenal tracks I’ve heard from any game ever. It certainly made the best end even better, no? Sure hope to play more VNs with such masterful musical direction.
So, my current VN queue includes: Planetarian, Planetarian, Planetarian, and then Tsukihime. I’ll probably then be morally obligated to play Clannad, as I’ve had it on disc for some time.
Also, thank you much Whatev, you are a gentleman and a scholar.
[Reply]
hi my name is jasmine
[Reply]