ユーフォリア

this year marks the 11th year since i first played euphoria and it left me such a deep mark it's been my favorite vn ever since! things have surely changed a lot since 2014 (well, back then there wasn't even any english translation and the fandom was like. five of us) and nowadays i even see people talking more about euphoria

talking about what euphoria means to me (as someone who literally grew up liking it) is kinda hard because first, i'm not eloquent enough to start describing my feelings about it and second, if i tried it still wouldn't do any justice towards the game. i'll give it a try because, you know what? i'm 25 now!

liking euphoria as a 14-year old back on 2014 was challenging because people immediately assumed the worst of me, and called me so many nasty stuff... ofc, as a 14 y.o i was really sad and felt kinda alone. euphoria helped me understand sexuality better, overall and for myself as well, the game talks about so many topics on its 31-hour gameplay (such as mental illnesses, fetishes, life itself, relationships, codependency) and even if i tried to deny the sex scenes and say they aren't relevant to the plot at all, they are!

euphoria is a nukige, so it means a good part of the game has sex scenes. even a few years back i tried to say "oh you can skip allll h-scenes they aren't relevant at all", but my vision has changed since then and now i understand that denying the game its most defining part is as if i didn't really liked the game itself; as if i were trying to force myself to like it. why does everything i like has to be clean and easy to show others? who am i performing for? am i trying to experience something or am i trying to fit in?

but even as a young teenager, when people tried to call me out for liking this game, not even once i backed down or tried to lie about it. i always owned up the fact that this is my favorite visual novel - if you play it, then maybe you'll get it, maybe not, and it's fine if you don't! we can always talk about it respectfully and try to understand each other.

many people still call me "performative" or "trying to be edgy" for even talking about euphoria, but what i find most performative is calling people out for liking media that isn't suited to your taste. i mean, hey, sorry i'm not up to your squeaky clean standards and the stuff i like has controversial topics - it doesn't automatically means i'm a bad person. nuances are a thing, and it means not everything has to be black or white; that is, if you're willing to be mature enough to let go of this puritan idea that every media has to fit a certain standard.

it almost feels misogynistic how people shame me for liking a visual novel that has a lot of sex scenes; and even if people try to justify and say "well, but it is a misogynistic game!" i have no doubt most people would just look over this fact if i was a man. it would be quirky, even.

i feel like i'm talking a lot lol but i just wanted to get those thoughts off my head and on to something :')

sorry for disappearing every year, life's been tough but euphoria is always on my thoughts! i even listen to the ost on spotify sometimes <3

Byakuya Rinne A new religious leader bound by the delusions of their deceased mother Junk Para of "Sleeping Beauty".

Mother's curse A pitiful child who was hated and abused by their mother as a failure, then later became an orphan and suffered abuse from nuns at the orphanage where they were placed. Memories of her childhood with her living mother are vague, and the persistent abuse and words of hatred from her mother have never made her doubt that she’s the "daughter of the Savior's father (Keisuke)". Rinne's fixation on being the Savior is partly due to her mother's conditioning, but fundamentally it stems from her desire for her mother's recognition and her hatred to prove herself superior to her mother. The occasional limping in the story is due to the slight physical impairment caused by the abuse. It doesn't interfere with daily life, but running is difficult for her. This should have been explained at some point.

Rinne and the followers Rinne's followers, who hid in a cave, are mainly composed of volunteers whom Rinne had previously belonged to or brainwashed. Rinne never intended to brainwash them, but her strong conviction and charisma led to the emergence of followers. Unstable students and some teachers who were drawn to clinginess joined her in the death game, and as a result, even the prohibition on worship was esotericized. Rinne herself seemed confused about this situation. However, the weakness of the followers may have strengthened Rinne's sense of mission, as it became clear that she cannot guide and teach them. By the way, there are science teachers among the followers who have created a device to remove the collars, and they play a central role in the group.

Rinne as the "Sleeping Beauty" Rinne, who became an experimental subject of the organization during their childhood, possesses functions as a supplemental part of the "Sleeping Beauty". She’s like an HDD from a few years ago, something like "keeping it just in case", about 100GB in the era of TB. The reason why Rinne's ending had her alone with Keisuke is because of Rinne's low specs. If it were Nemu, she could have simulated a school without being connected to "Paradise", but for Rinne, it was the limit to manipulate Keisuke's perception when they were alone. Choosing to stay with the organization in the True Route is because she can create "Paradise" (the ideal world) and become a guiding presence, a true savior. The reason why she was so excited in the ending was for the same reason. She had thought that by fitting into the role, she would produce a loyal disciple, but she became overwhelmed with the realization that she herself can become the savior. But Rinne's true wish is to have an ordinary everyday life with the person she loves. If Rinne hadn't found Keisuke's mark, such an outcome might have been possible.

I asked Mr. Imanaka for the background of this CG. They designed it to be cool and mechanized, but due to the bokeh effect on the distant view, it became nearly invisible. It's a shame. The reason why Rinne ended up with such a design after losing their limbs is probably the preference of the responsible researcher. In short, it's Asao-san's taste.

Kanae Hokari A genius scientist and a novice entertainer. A cold-hearted mastermind who knows nothing of love.

A sadistic and perverted cruel woman She only sees others as pawns and has no emotions towards Keisuke beyond annoyance. However, she enjoys seeing those pawns cling to her for forgiveness or help, displaying her twisted nature. It may be briefly mentioned, but she is not even the same age as Keisuke. She can drink alcohol(it means over 21 yrs old according to JP law). The reason for her distorted personality is likely influenced by her upbringing. During the operation to seize "Paradise," Kanae was abandoned by her parents and suffered near-fatal injuries. She was then picked up by the current organization and raised to become an entertainer. It appears that she made painstaking efforts, endured humiliation, and established her current position. On the other hand, Nemu, who became the cause of Kanae's bitterness, is treated as a princess without having to do anything. It's understandable why her personality became twisted, and it's not surprising for her to hold a grudge against Nemu. But even from the beginning, she seemed to already possess qualities recognized for being an entertainer.

What is the organization like? In simple terms, it's an "evil secret society that does anything entertaining and profitable." Entertainers are essentially planners of the organization, responsible for planning, executing, and providing entertainment. Although there may be entertainers who manipulate everything from behind the scenes without participating in the execution, it's unlikely they can advance in the organization without being exceptionally skilled. This job cannot be continued without being a twisted person who doesn't mind things like being a virgin or tearing off soiled underwear. Some people even enjoy scenarios where they face death, but Kanae hasn't reached that level of enlightenment. She is twisted but, in a sense, she still behaves like a human.

Kanae within the organization Kanae is a novice as an entertainer, and the Death Game at Rokukeikan Academy was her debut work. She demonstrated considerable skill in not only showcasing the killing but also simultaneously planning and executing various experiments and completing "Sleeping Beauty." She had also planned to use an underground unlocking game utilizing the stage of the Death Game. Initially, I believe the participants of the unlocking game were not meant to be Nemu or Keisuke but rather surviving ordinary students. However, the plan was changed due to Nemu's plea for mercy, and while waiting for Keisuke's recovery, she made minor adjustments to make him a resolver in the game. All the H-scenes created in the game were devised by Kanae. The reason why the H-scenes with Nemu are relatively harsh while Kanae's are relatively lenient is because of that.

All the hatred is directed at Nemu Kanae looks down on and despises others as insects or garbage, but she hates Nemu from the bottom of her heart. We should have explained this more in the main story. She had put her through immense suffering and even thought about (faking accidents to) killing her. However, she couldn't find an opportunity to do so without tarnishing her own reputation. That's why she proposed a gamble with Nemu, hoping to make her suffer more before reaching the point where she couldn't be touched anymore and, ideally, kill her. There may have also been some indulgence stemming from the joy of a successful debut project and demonstrating her talent. Personally, I think it would have been better to conduct the unlocking game using ordinary students without greed, as it would have yielded higher quality as a spectacle and received better evaluations from the organization. It probably would have led to even more gruesome developments, and seeing the despair of the students after escaping and reaching the school, the audience would have been thrilled. This part is lacking in detail; it's still youthful.

What happened to Kanae? The reason why Kanae fled with Nemu in the epilogue is still not clear to her. In the moment when she was about to hand Nemu over to the hostile organization, she impulsively ran away and regretted it. However, she couldn't turn back and ended up living a life on the run. Although she could have left Nemu behind for more agility, she judged that if she stayed with Nemu, the organization would avoid dangerous attacks, and ultimately, she got cornered and felt the limits of her situation. In order to leave Nemu in Keisuke's care, she reluctantly left hints. Why? I think it's because of her youth, naivety, and human-like nature within her cold and despicable personality. If I were to say that to her, she might torture and kill me.

The frightening flashbacks depicted in the basement were initially not part of the plan. However, the scenario repeatedly demanded "flashbacks of cruel acts towards Kanae in CG," and although I wanted to protest, in the end, it was decided that the dissection scene in the cruel route was a realization of Keisuke's delusion, giving birth to that CG. By the way, event scenes are generally based on real events. The only exception is the intimate scene with Nemu in the classroom. As for why the excellent Kanae was abandoned, it was judged that "it would be more interesting" and "there is no value in saving her at the expense of disrupting the game." It may also be a form of punishment for Kanae, who couldn't control the game as intended.

To torment Nemu, they engage in excessive romance.

a lucky user was able to buy the official lorebook and Ecne at vndb was kind enough to translate the pages, so i'll share with you guys as well :)

Manaka Nemu The Sleeping Beauty clone, The next-generation organism in the "Paradise" project.

Despite being created as a part and treated with respect, she had no freedom and was continuously exposed to the ugly and cruel reality in order to be completed as the "Sleeping Beauty" once she grew up... Despite her unfortunate upbringing, Manaka is a decent and good-hearted child. The influence of Keisuke, whom she met during her childhood, is significant, but I believe her innate personality is kind-hearted as well. When she thought she was about to lose Keisuke, she became desperate and made a decision to become a villain who would resort to any means to save him. However, she still had thoughts like "I want to minimize sacrifices" and "It's only natural that I would suffer." I was a bit worried about how much of her goodness and purity could be conveyed to the users when the truth was revealed, but fortunately, it turned out to be unnecessary concern. Being quite sentimental, I have fond memories of adjusting the climax script with tears in my eyes.

And then there's the act of feeding f*ces to Manaka. The H-scene situation was decided by Asao-san (the author of the game and novel), Hamashima-san (artist and character design), and Akutsu-san(the author of this lorebook), who simply liked (wanted) it. Among the various ideas, when Asao-san suggested including the "human t*ilet (eating the protagonist's f*ces)" in the planned scenarios, I had my doubts. I assume that sc*t fetishists are attracted to the gap between a beautiful girl and excr*ment, as well as the embarrassment they display. Moreover, instead of an unidentified object of excrement, the fact that the protagonist pulls out f*ces live... I ultimately made the decision based on Asao-san's strong desire and the expectation that "there won't be many opportunities for such a situation in the future." I think it was quite challenging for Kanae to hold back her laughter during that scene.

In each ending, Nemu erases her own memories. This is done to live a happy life in Paradiso. She had already made up her mind to abandon the real world when Keisuke was on the verge of death in the Death Game, and her determination never wavered. The reason Nemu regressed when they reunited was also because of this. Initially, there was only one assigned CG for that scene. Asao-san requested prioritizing the image of them passing by each other, but it was not possible to progress the preceding conversation in a blackout screen... After much deliberation, I decided to allocate two CGs by cutting from elsewhere. I also struggled with the timing of playing the theme song. Whether it should happen at the moment the world breaks, or when they start walking in the dark, or when they find the door... It was a difficult direction to determine. Nemu's uniform is a specially made plain design. She wears a silk petticoat under her skirt. We decided not to mention the word "petticoat" in scenes where she receives medical treatment(Because Keisuke didn’t know about that word back then). The design also included her wearing a one-piece dress with her hair down for when they reunite in the ending, as it had already been decided since the character design phase. Regarding her childlike appearance, I requested a design that "could make her look somewhat different from Kanae if sepia is used." However, the use of sepia was only for a moment.

As for underwear, I requested a design that conveyed a "high-class and elegant image."

We received instructions such as "burning with a soldering iron is not allowed" and "if it must be included, use a separate CG for a gang 🍇 scene." Since we couldn't increase the number of CGs, we decided to prioritize the gang 🍇 scene after consulting with Asao-san. ※NG... is a form of self-regulation.

We were also told that having a branding iron in the gang 🍇 scene was not acceptable, so we turned it into a stamp. It became a stamp. Also, it was discovered just before the master-up that Nemu was not wearing a collar in the earthly sequence, so Grachief PONSUKE kindly removed the collar at the last minute. He also helped us with various specification mistakes. I couldn't sleep with my feet pointing towards him.

Where is it...

the year of our good lord 2024 marks 10 years since i began this blog! it began on the very end of december 2014, where i had barely finished playing euphoria on a time there was no english patch or translation - all i had was a simultaneous translator, a dictionary and a dream. and also i was about 14 so maybe i should have waited a bit more to play it but uhh let's not get too deep into it lol

when i created this blog, euphoria had basically a non existent fandom because it was just a non-translated nukige known for its shocking and extreme anime adaptation. i was interested to know more about it and after finishing the true route, i NEEDED more people to talk about this game. and thus yuuforia began!!

my journey to spread euphoria around and let it be known that it goes beyond weird fetishes and it's actually a very well written game with deep themes never stopped, and even though i stopped posting for a few years euphoria is still my very number one vn. :)

so it has come to my attention that in the year of 2024 (well, december 30th 2023 actually) euphoria content is still being released and we (not actually, just japan) got an euphoria FAN BOOK⁉️‼️⁉️

i don't know how old is this question so first let me apologize for a late answer, and second – this is a interesting question! whether you're still in the fandom or not, i hope you feel welcome 💜 there's like, five of us in this fandom.

euphoria is not for everyone, and i'll repeat it as many times as needed. the content is very shocking and hard to digest, there's this review by Annie Gallagher that sums up my feelings about it. i recommend giving it a read because Annie is way more eloquent and a better writer than i'll ever be, haha.

you do have the choice of skipping the scenes if they make you uncomfortable in any way, they're not exactly vital to the plot (which sounds absurd since this is a nukige we're talking about) and they can seem repetitive after a while. nowadays it's what i would do, honestly, considering my mental health isn't the best and hasn't been for a while

the second point is something i'd like to talk about! euphoria is a very controverse anime/visual novel and its plot doesn't really helps either, for a long time i hid the fact that i like it so people wouldn't attack me over it – but as i grew older, i realized what the fuck: this is just a game. hannibal is one of my favorite series and do you see me supporting cannibalism and murder? obviously not.

sure you can tell people euphoria actually has a plot and probably they'll laugh because sounds like a dumb justification, but anyone who finished the main route can tell you it's indeed a beautiful game with a good plot hid under a pile of shocking content and fetishes. it's not easy to convince people about this since the game is indeed known for being shocking/extreme, though

i guess it takes a certain amount of maturity to talk about this game? you don't really have to justify yourself to anyone who'll attack you over liking a controverse media without at least trying to understand the reason you like it. i spent years trying to tell people that i'm not into scat and neither i support sexual assault, and some people i know actually played the game and realized i was serious about the plot lmao

controverse media has always existed, and so have problematic characters. which reminds me of this tumblr post:

calling out people for liking something you don't really like is somewhat weird, in my opinion? and accusing people of supporting s/a or anything related just because of what they like does more harm than good. you can take this anger and fight for actual irl causes, you know? donate to charities and people who are in need instead of arguing online because "omg tumblr user yuuforia likes a controverse and shocking visual novel" imo

this is getting too long so i'll tl;dr it – euphoria is a hard novel to read, has a shocking beginning and it's not easy to reach the true ending since the road is paved with possibly triggering content. if it does not makes you feel comfortable, no one would judge you for it! always put your mental health first.