Himawari Review

Himawari Review
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This VN tries to do everything, but ends up kind of flopping at most of it because of the lack of focus. I really appreciate the premise, near-future, on the verge of finally mastering space. But it's totally squandered by spending half its time on the most bland main characters and his dumb bland high school life.

The way Himawari is set up is you do a boring Slice of Life route, then you get some ACTUALLY DECENT scifi / drama / mystery stuff starring a much more interesting character. But then that builds up to almost nothing and you go BACK to slice of life routes with the boring main character again!

The final segments are even more disjointed because they bring back the mystery parts...but it's a completely different mystery this time that's brought up out of nowhere!

Then, the final slap in the face is that the last story is a straight up murder mystery on a closed off island. I guess just because he wanted to write a scenario like that? It explains almost nothing and introduces new plot points that aren't resolved.

The whole thing ends on a cliffhanger about alien life forms infecting humans, but who knows if the sequel story will ever be translated.

+ The setting is interesting
+ The 2048 route (2nd route) is well-written and entertaining

+/- I've never been more confused by a story, so things stayed interesting. However, this was because the plot started to pull bizarre soap opera plot twists and because any female character acted like an unpredictable, unstable lunatic.

- Mysteries that go no where
- Bland main protagonist
- Forced slice of life routes, this should have just been the beginning and then dropped
- Random mysteries at the very end, not worked organically into the story at all

One point that needs special mention is just how INSANE the girls act in the 2nd slice of life route onward. They're all willing to throw their lives away or like tear each other apart over some bland boy that they don't really know or have some trivial crush on.

To some degree, all VNs with romance feel a liiittle like this, but usually they don't go this crazy for no reason at all.

I have to show some clips.

https://clips.twitch.tv/TenaciousCogentLyrebirdPRChase
https://clips.twitch.tv/ShakingBeautifulPassionfruitGrammarKing
https://clips.twitch.tv/TenderAntsyOtterEleGiggle

I can't think of another VN where I've just been beyond EXASPERATED by the stupid developments of a romance plot that I audibly react to it. This VN was doing it to me like every half-hour.

It's like an awful soap opera!

tl;dr I WANTED TO LIKE THIS BUT GHHHAAAAAA