UGHGHG why has this been so hard to write. Anyway.
If you’re looking for an urban fantasy VN about blood-sucking creatures, mystic eyes of X perception, repressed memories, inappropriately-timed sexual innuendos and weird incest implications (plus, as a free bonus, pedophilia implications!), just go play Tsukihime. If you’ve played Tsukihime and loved Ciel so much you want a palette-swapped version of her in a knockoff story that also incorporates elements of Higurashi, you’ll probably get some mild enjoyment out of Aoi Shiro.
“Mild enjoyment” describes my experience with Aoi Shiro. I finished the whole thing and was interested enough in it, but it wasn’t really great and I don’t think I would recommend it to anyone. It was pretty heavily flawed, mostly beset by a bizarre route-railroading system as well as some obnoxious anime stock characters and serious, serious pacing issues. Mother of God the pacing issues.
I thought the long digressions into food preparation in Fate had prepared me for any food porn. I was wrong. (more…)