Hey y'all. Welcome back to my impressions of KoiChoco. Just like with my previous posts, I'm not documenting my full playthrough but instead staggering my play in four hour sessions and then talking about my thoughts on what happens in the last two hours. That way I don't spoil the entirety of the game's content. Let's Jam!!!
Context Needed Stat
This entire scene immediately happened after a very entertaining horror Anime spoof section. During the political encampment, the Shokken decided to run a Test of Courage (see Kimodameshi) where one of Non-chan's machines would terrorize them as they travel the halls of Takafuji Academy late at night. I have never seen what the developers did as a joke before but I was shocked.
What's happening here: Yuuki and Isara (been calling her Aomi due to Yuuki calling her that prior but could see confusion from here on out) were one of the pairs for it and just returned holding hands to the absolute horror of everyone in the club. As someone who hasn't held too many hands (sadly have a skin condition that most are afraid of), I don't have the full experience or understanding of why this is such a big trope, but here it is. It's made very clear why this was such a big issue soon after (some of my fears from the previous session were confirmed).
Alright, I am a Bit Annoyed Here
One of the running, very tasteless jokes throughout the latter half of the run had been Yume Oboro being gay, and it being gross and weird. That's the entirety of the joke; no thought or nuance put into it. It's just something that's been made a big deal and got annoying. This gag did redeem it some, though. No earthquake could save Yuuki from his body pillow hold on him. My own culture and beliefs do not need to be put into a work of fiction from another culture (when it doesn't apply to the original work), but that doesn't mean I can't be annoyed with it.
Chisato Pissed Me Off Here
After the earthquake, Yuuki went for a walk and Chisato confronted him about his feelings for Isara. This was one of those situations where I feel the story hadn't set what was happening well enough and kind of dropped her feelings and jealousy about it on me without having much prior context. I knew it was coming because of how she was acting in previous scenes, but it wasn't set up well enough to be satisfying for me. These two have been childhood friends for most of their lives with both of them knowing each other's thoughts and feelings quite a bit better than most of the times this trope came up in other works. Here, Chisato was dictating Yuuki's feelings but his inner thoughts and everything that lead up to this point somewhat contradicted that.
Yes, Yuuki was spending too much time "courting" Isara (by my choices as the player) instead of focusing as much on saving the Shokken in the election. Yes, Chisato always thought he would be with her forever and they would become lovers (it's shown in one of the first scenes way back at the beginning). And, yes, he would not have had as much interest in the Keitoku problem if he wasn't interested in Isara. I feel that Chisato should have made a move at the beginning of her becoming suspicious and then just accepting his thoughts.
This was very much a rough spot for me that I'm wondering may have been a byproduct of removing the Chisato route lock for the first play in the HD Remake. I'm getting the impression that the devs may not have adjusted the routes that much to accommodate for the different presentation, which could possibly make it a lesser experience for other people. Now, it's also very possible that this problem may just be an issue for me; I'm pretty invested and am looking to finish.
Non-chan is Still Top Girl (The President has Some Words)
The President has returned to the club after being gone for a few days and Non-chan is just being herself. They were both classmates and friends for a good while, so he gladly played along with her antics for a bit. It was nice to see him acting more casual than he had prior, even if it was only for a brief few lines of dialogue.
Even though he was acting cordial, that last line would come back around as an early threat against her; he's very much a politician. He "wanted" to help the Keitoku but they were still beneath him and mostly a disposable issue if it didn't benefit the election. He wasn't complimenting her tea but instead pointing out her status more than anything. It's a bit chilling how the writers set this all up.
I kind of think Yuuki should have taken this advice to heart. The President wasn't against him solving the Keitoku issue but without a solid plan, there wouldn't be a way implement or get people on board with it. Politics are not a fun topic!!!
Yuuki is Both a Dumbass and the Smartest Guy in the Club at the Same Time
How this scene and series of events played out (in terms of presentation) were gripping. I won't be showing everything but will be talking about it nonetheless because I was left a speechless with how this was setup. The storyboarding and color work here were what caught me the most.
Isara was literally in the twilight of her youth here. She was also on the edge of the screen while everyone else was in the center while they took turns discussing the matter at hand. I haven't spoken much about it, but the position of the characters and how they slide across the screen in various different moments has been a big part of the storytelling in this despite how limited the animations were otherwise.
I love how he asked for help here. The issue wasn't going to solve itself on its own; he wasn't equipped to fully figure it out by himself, so asking his friends was understandable. However, he could have asked what everyone's thoughts were on the issue before asking for help from the general group.
Chisato officially leaving was something I was afraid would happen. For the next 15 - 20 minutes, the club was at odds. I don't think Chisato was wrong here but she's been unfair and had been putting her own feelings above her duties as the campaign manager just as much as Yuuki had been following his crush on Isara (to my whims). It was a nice bit of contrast between the two.
He had a vision that meant something to him that fit his beliefs. She was being selfish and only wanted him. Again, she pissed me off earlier but this time wasn't as wrong or out of place with her views.
Non-chan x Yuuki. I really do ship it hard, now. She, Yume and Hazuki (the teacher) were honestly the best parts of this whole ordeal. They all were the voice of reason and attempted to save the club but didn't attempt to force anyone to stick around. Non-chan initiated it with no hesitation; her voice actress dropped the cute voice she was using most of the time, letting loose an older, slightly deeper one instead. It was a bit startling even though it had briefly shown hours before in a joke.
Self Harm is Never the Answer
After everyone left the club for the day, I wanted to give Isara a hug and headpats. She didn't deserve any of the hostility from Chisata, Mifuyu or the two monkey girls but was torn up. Instead of just crying, she slaps herself hard enough to leave marks. Yuuki was rightfully concerned about it and was as scared as me. What made this scene terrifying personally for me was when she smiled, laughed and asked to go for a walk to the dam by the school.
What are My Concerns Now
My mother was a devout Catholic. In that doctrine, suicide is considered a sin. I'm not of that belief but am not opposed to anyone that is. I don't know Japan's beliefs about that subject well enough to speculate (and really don't want to at all without having concrete data to back it up), but I'm terrified that she will attempt to jump and this route itself will be a full blown bad ending. I can see exactly why the Anime didn't go into this aspect as deep as they could have now. If she does attempt it (and possibly succeeds), I will cry. I hope for the best.
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts here, and I'll be continuing to post in the future as I go. What were your thoughts? Are you also playing this? Leave your comments below, vote and reblog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful night.