Aoi Shiro Review
For our
next review for Halloween 2011, we’ll be taking a look at the all ages yuri VN Aoi
Shiro, released by Success on November 21, 2008 as a PC port of the previously
released PS2 version (released May 15, 2008) that was given an English patch
September 18, 2009. It apparently has some popularity considering it’s spawned
a manga adaptation of Nami’s route, a web novel adaptation of Yasumi’s, a manga
sidestory and a drama CD. If you’re looking for a very good horror/dark fantasy
story set in modern Japan that draws heavily from Japanese mythology or just want
a good introduction to the (sadly niche) yuri genre of VNs, then this is
certainly a game worth checking out.
Pros: Good story especially if you’re into Japanese
mythology, excellent cast of characters, splendid artwork, great music.
Cons: Some story elements may fly over your head if you’re
not familiar with Japanese mythology, not all heroines are winnable.
WTF?!: Someone should check to see if that fourth wall needs
fixing, I think she sees us.
In Aoi
Shiro, you play as Shouko Osanai, captain of Seijou Academy’s kendou team. Said
team is staying at a temple in a seaside town for a training camp, but soon
after they arrive strange things start happening at night and some may be supernatural
in nature. Your choices will reveal the mysteries of these occurrences and how
they tie to the people Shouko knows or comes to know, as well as long buried
memories of her own.
I’ve always
had a fondness for stories that draw from mythologies, especially if it’s set
during modern times and Aoi Shiro certainly delivers that and for the most part
does it right. You’re introduced to the basic myth that the game’s story draws
from and it does help in making the story accessible to those who aren’t that
familiar with the mythology, but the writer for the game actually utilized
these myths well in telling the story for each route by including something
different connected to the myth in each of them, which really helps in making
the story diverse (the game has 56 different endings).
Now the
mythology isn’t the only element of the story that makes it so good; another
aspect would be how good the writer did in establishing an atmosphere for all
the scenes. Of course the creepy horror atmosphere is well established when
night falls and we start seeing hints of a supernatural presence, but we aren’t
shown that right away as the game takes time to build things up as Shouko is
left to wonder and find out whether or not the supernatural stuff is real or
just the result of imagination or coincidence and I would say that the payoff
is worth it. It isn’t just the horror part though, the scenes showing Shouko
and co. doing ordinary things during the daytime hours does generate a more
relaxed atmosphere, helped by both the characters interacting and the music and
the scenes in the place where the climax of the story takes place does a good
job do a good job in depicting a sense of mystery and wonder as it’s at that
point that the fantasy elements of the plot are in center stage.
Naturally
what helps in making the plot so effective are the characters, and I’d say
they’re well written. Shouko is pretty as our main character as the game does a
good job in portraying her as a normal and down to earth girl and she makes for
a pretty competent heroine throughout the game. In fact, the writer helps to
introduce that by showing how she takes her responsibilities as her school’s
kendo team captain, which also gives credence to her having martial arts skills
and the willingness to use them to fight the monsters that show up later on. Relating
to that, the writer did make sure to keep her skills limited in that while she
can put up a good fight, most of the heroines with the more advanced martial
art skills still outclass her as do the major antagonists, which also help in
making the fight scenes more effective and awesome.
Now
concerning the winnable heroines (click here for profiles), I have to say each one is awesome in their
own way from how badass Kaya and Kohaku can be to how Yasumi can surprise you
with what she can do through her own determination. Each heroine develops an
interesting relationship with Shouko and each one is unique in how it’s
portrayed. We see a more traditional romance from Yasumi’s (who I’ll admit is
my favorite heroine in the romance standpoint), a more rivalry based one from
Migiwa’s, and an admiration based one from Kohaku’s. Kaya’s I found to be
interesting in that it isn’t really a romance route (at least from my
perspective) but focuses more on a familial relationship instead. All these
routes (and to an extent the various normal and bad endings) serve a purpose in
their each revealing something storywise before Nami’s route is unlocked
(didn’t say anything about that one to avoid spoilers) and then the True Ending
is unlocked and it manages to tie all those story elements together well
enough.
As good as
the story is though, there are a couple of flaws to it. The biggest, to me
anyway, is that the story is so heavily steeped in Japanese mythology you may
end up not getting a few things if you aren’t familiar with it, especially in
Kohaku’s route. This doesn’t by any means ruin the story or make something not
make any sense, but it is something to keep in mind. Then again if it gets you
interested in checking out more about Japanese culture and mythology and
subsequently gets you to learn something maybe it isn’t such a flaw. Anyway,
the second flaw is that not all the heroines are winnable, and while I admit
you don’t feel much of a detraction in this case considering how awesome the
winnable heroines’ routes are storywise, I still liked both Momoko and Ayashiro
and it would have been interesting to see if they’d been pursuable
romantically.
In the area
of presentation, Aoi Shiro scores really well. The artwork for this game is
fantastic with each CG and background looking like it was a still from a good
quality anime. The character designs are great too with not a single character
looking alike and that the portraits are animated similar to Edelweiss is a
good added bonus. The music is also excellent be it the opening theme or the
regular themes that partner well with the writing in establishing the intended
atmospheres throughout the story. Finally the voice acting is great too as the
voice actors, which include big name ones like Noriko Hidaka and Rina Sato, do
a marvelous job in portraying their characters.
In Conclusion:
Aoi Shiro
is definitely the game to look for if you want a good blend of fantasy and
horror set in modern times as well as a very good introduction to the yuri
genre of VNs. Its great cast of characters really help in making the story an enjoyable
read, even if the Japanese mythology elements may be difficult for some to
understand without familiarity with it, and it’s certainly appealing on the
visual and audio level with its artwork and voice acting.
Final Score: 8/10 Awesome
Recommendation: Buy it now.
If you really want to see what this game has to offer before
buying it, then simply download the demo here:
and the English patch for said demo here:
Now you may have more luck finding a copy of the PC version
(the site I got mine from went out of business), but if not then you should be
able to buy it from the Japanese dlsite (google translate is your friend) as
the copy should be compatible with the English patch.
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