Spoiler
This is a re-write of my Mahoyo review, as I lost the old one as it was being posted to my blog software shitting itself. Like an hour 1/2 of work and 2,000 words gone, so that was lovely. But anyway, I had a great time with Mahoyo. It's a title that's very hard to criticise; while I do have issues with it, there's little you can point to that seems like a clear cut flaw. The game is sure to leave a very striking first impression on any prospective reader, in large part thanks to it's exorbitant use of pseudo-cinematography to enhance scenes.
There's some actually great directorship on display with this game. This isn't just animated scenes being thrown in haphazardly; it is seamlessly blinded into the environment and sprites themselves. It sort of reminds me of how Osamu Dezaki had to work around the limited frame rate by making incredibly memorable captures and scenes but also of Monogatari in it's regular use of silhouettes and general approach. It has a purpose beyond providing style to the game too. The usage of perspective shots and other such tools cut down on the verbosity of the script and also help portray the character's emotions to a greater degree than it's peers.
When you think of the advantages that visual novels as a medium have over print literature, what do you think of? For me it's their ability to construct an atmosphere; in every moment you can see exactly what the characters look like and their facial expressions. The added cinematography enhances this strength greatly, and coupled with fantastic art which fuses together the anime styles of the 2000s (hair vents) while also infusing in a more modern 2010s look and you have probably the most visually striking novel that I've yet seen in the medium. This title puts the "visual" in "visual novel", an absolute titan in this respect; an exemplary showcase for what the medium can offer when backed by a respectable budget and talented staffers.
The action sequences are TOP NOTCH and really add so much to this game for me. An issue I had with Fate was having to visualise all of the action, but with Mahoyo's presentation you get to see all of it from the game itself. Even if you have a great mental image, you're not going to be able to acutely remember the battles because you don't know what they truly looked like in Fate save for key CGs. With Mahoyo you can remember just about every bit of the combat almost like a DBZ fight, it's awesome.
The prose is probably the best I've seen in any visual novel, Nasu nails it. Compared to Fate, the writing here feels much more mature and refined. Every line brings to mind vivid imagery and would not appear out of place in an 18th century poem. The translation work is fantastic too, the text at times could pass as though it were originally written in English save for a few rare cases of stilted wording here and there.
The narrative itself is a bit smaller in scope and more slice-of-life than other Type Moon works are. Your time will mostly be spent with three characters; Soujyuro, Aoko and Alice. All three of them fit into traditional Type-Moon archetypes but certainly have enough individual flare to be compelling characters. Alice is a solid character, though it feels like the game cuts off before we get to see her character arc anywhere near concluded. If I were to criticise one thing about the title, I suppose it's that it didn't keep going; you can certainly tell that we were supposed to get more of this story and it will leave you wanting more.
Aoko fits much more into the brash tsundere archetype. Strong-headed and capable, she is most clearly characterised by an unbreakable will. This creates a great dynamic between her and Soujyuro. Soujyuro treads into very unfamiliar territory for the storytelling that I am yet familiar with. He is a boy who is wholly out of place in modern society, having been born and raised in an isolated mountain community which was devoid of basic necessities such as running water or electricity. His lack of identity and aimlessness in city life creates a pretty fascinating contrast with Aoko, and the two's personalities bounce off of each other very well. Soujyuro's ignorance igniting Aoko's quick temper is a constant source of comedic relief throughout the title, and it does not get old.
Based on the review up to this point, you may be wondering why exactly I "only" gave the title an 8/10. Well first of all, 8/10 for me is a genuinely "great" experience. But besides that, one thing that docks some points to me is that I actually feel Soujyuro's character is a bit unrealistic to how someone from those circumstances would act. I can speak from experience as someone from a more culturally distinct rural area that, when you spend time around people from other places or from the city, you become much more aware of your own cultural peculiarities. This ultimately manifests to form a part of your identity.
Yet with our main guy all of that is seemingly absent. He never really reflects, we hear next to nothing about his backstory or family save for vague anecdotes at the very end. In general his past life seems to be portrayed almost as universally negative, with Aoko outright saying this towards the end and him not biting back at all. Maybe he truly does thing that the city life is better, but it is possible for him to think that while not wholly condemning his old way of life. I think there are positives that come with this sort of highly rural lifestyle, namely in their tighter knit communities and self-sufficiency. I think that the game would have done better if it instead attempted to contrast the rural and urban life in a more nuanced and balanced manner. It's a really interesting theme that few things have ever touched on, and I found it saddening that the game sort of wasted this potential. Oh well, gives me an idea to use for my story that I'll never actually write.
It is worth mentioning that Japan is a much more urbanised society though, so this could well be a cultural difference. But yeah, I had a pretty great time with Mahoyo. Would highly recommend it if you're looking for a more moderate length (20~ or so hours) read.
