Just finished Aoi's route in ToHeart!!! Ahaha, I've been really focusing in on the things I'm reading lately...? I don't entirely understand, but I will take advantage :D
Ahhhhh she really is so cute though...~~~ When she first showed up I just had to have the protagonist go help her out, and then the story just unfolded so naturally I found myself on her route even though I was planning on doing Serika first...! But she's sooooo cute and polite and sweet and heartwarming and also she could beat Everyone up :DDDDD
It's kind of a rare character type for a heroine, I think? Usually the tomboyish types are more down to earth and friendly and familiar. Instead, Aoi is kind of shy (when she's not gushing about mixed martial arts) and doubts herself too much and is so very proper and formal and Follows The Rules and pure-hearted and Earnest...!! I really really like characters like that, especially when they're not a generic Main Heroine patient childhood friend type! And I also really like sporty and hot-blooded types who believe in all the sorts of things they say in shounen anime!!! So it's no wonder that I loved her so much :D (...come to think of it, doesn't everything in this paragraph describe Best Boy Kanzaki Souma, too...? <333)
And the romance felt really natural once we got into it, too!! The protagonist of this game has a lot more personality than I expected? And sometimes he can be pretty teasing or grouchy about school and the like rather than being purely just a nice person. (Though I don't mind protagonists like that!) He was clearly drawn to Aoi from the beginning, and he did have a little pre-existing interest in martial arts, and he wanted to support her and help her achieve her goals just as much as I did...!
It's also kinda funny to me that in a lot of ways he was basically her cheerleader? Or, like, the cute sports club manager type character...? I mean, he did end up training with her after a little while, but it's still very clear at the end that he's got a long way to go to beat her :'D But I thought it was interesting that in motivating her and trying to be sensible when she wants to train too hard and the like - stuff I more associate with female characters - she described him as being, like, Steady and Reliable: like her Rock. Very masculine!!! Not complaining: just thought it was an interesting thought, heh.
And it did capture well that overall sense of like... youth, and making bonds, and young love. :) It's entirely generic in its content, bar the surprise factor of this cute little kouhai being a mixed martial arts fanatic, but who cares?! Young love is a wonderful theme which deserves to be written about an eternity of times...! And this is a good example of it: mundane, and idealistic, and a little comedic at times, and impossibly sweet. <3
I also still really love the art style...! It really is immersive, the way they utilise the camera angles (but they're also not afraid to cut away or try more poetic shots from time to time) and it just - adds a bit more visual interest...? I think that's part of why I could concentrate on it so easily! They add a lot of nice lighting effects that really ramp up the idyllic atmosphere, but don't go overboard IMO! And I love how the eyes are so starry...~ And ahhh, Aoi's hair is such a perfect shade of periwinkle in the sunlight...!! <3
Next up, I should proooobably go back and do Serika properly, heh. (Even if I already feel bad at the prospect of not helping out Aoi... :( ) I don't think there's anyone in the cast I'm not at least somewhat looking forward to reading? I definitely want to check out Multi at some point - she seems to be the most iconic character from the game (and the easiest to find merch for!) but she's similar in several ways to Aoi so I want to mix it up a bit first. (And of course I totally veered around the really popular character to the not-so-popular one instead, ahah... n.n;;)
germansingergirl
amandla
snowghoul
izzy806
prguitarman
jacobvanloon
tangentwithtanner
