Criminally Heartwarming: [Various] Yorunohitsuji’s Loliita Series + Extras

Foreword: One of the major reasons why I’m so headstrong on trying out doujin titles (even if they’re made with engines like RPGVX) is because while it provides the new environment of a different engine (aside from the ADV we’re used to seeing with VNs), some also provide gameplay which entertains me for a while or as with this particular series, it’s very thought-provoking.

With my bias for lolita aside, these titles are extremely well made (as you can see one of the titles not containing that niche element). The reason being that the writers were able to keep most things like the environment simple, but make the character themselves much more complex. As I’ll discuss in the main body of the review, this is really how games should be written and created, so I actually feel bad right now I’m lumping all of these 5 titles into one (4 plus a sequel); it almost feels like I’m disrespecting the game which is the last thing I want to do.

There is one more game from this doujin group. The problem is that title is MUCH darker and is actually an NTR title, making it somewhat unfitting to be placed in this review.

Titles:

• ゆびきり婚約ロリータ (Pinky-promise engagement Lolita)
• お泊り恋人ロリータ (Sleep-over lover Lolita)
• 相思相愛ロリータ+生活 (Love each other Lolita + Living together)
• 彼女、甘い彼女 (Girlfriend, sweet girlfriend)

Producer: 夜のひつじ
Getchu Link: http://www.getchu.com/php/search.phtml?search_brand_id=74929
Game Type: Reality-set kinetic novel revolving around stigma of “lolita”  and socialism

General Explanation: Each title is actually quite short and thus giving a summary would essentially spoil the game. While the last title do not follow the same theme of “lolita”, it is well made, displaying an ideal form of romantic relationships as well as displaying some sociology viewpoints. Each of the other titles displays a young man in his 20s coincidentally meeting a young girl and after interacting for a bit they find something within each other which allows them to fall in love.

Mako from the first series, and also the only one currently with a sequel

Story Length: Short (10 hours)
Complete Story Clearing Difficulty: N/A
Comments: Short kinetic novels. Pretty self-explanatory. This is a game that will require no effort whatsoever to read.

Character Design Rating: 7/10
Story Rating: 6/10
Game Quality: Low
Overall Rating: 6/10
Rating Comments: So the biggest thing about this game are the characters. Despite how it really only displays the protagonist and the single heroine in each title, the depth of each character is quite fabulous. Even with the game extremely short (roughly 10 hours at most), there is plenty of narrative to describe the protagonist’s mind allowing the reader to empathize with him, which is usually his negative emotions towards life in general such as fear, pain, anger, and uncertainty.

It’s really normal for all of us to experience these negative emotions. The thing that’s difference is that some might have support from friends or at least in our series, loved ones

The “loli” heroine in this sense plays the role of innocence, of that character who is shown to seemingly need the protection from the protagonist. The plot twist is that in all of the games, while this is true to a certain extent, the heroine herself is already very mature due to her own problems early on and capable of communicating her thoughts properly with the protagonist, often providing the comfort for the protagonist that he was unable to acquire anywhere else. This in turn with how heroines were considered to be young, it worked to create that sense of affection in the readers that the protagonist might have felt for the heroine.

This sense of “comfort” that the heroine provides is explicitly portrayed to the readers, making this a huge plus. It is often accompanied by various symbolism such as “I love you. I’m sorry” or “Half-happiness is the greatest happiness”. All of these phrases have a specific context within the story with its own rather-adorable reasoning which I enjoyed reading.

Both the reasoning for such catchphrases and the loli itself were adorable

The entire game has a feeling of calmness which I appreciated quite a bit. There wasn’t anything fancy to stand out; just two characters who have problems of their own, and they each find someone who can alleviate the suffering they might have had up until that point. It makes some implications regarding the unfairness of society for the protagonist, as well as how girls like the heroine might be suppressed by multiple things around her such as family corruption. How the heroine was able to properly understand the protagonist and/or sympathize with his problems was the biggest “hit” and the greatest element this game had to raising its quality, especially considering said problems may be those that we (players) face in real life on a daily basis.

Having a loli on top of you shouldn’t be a problem though

Sexual Content: High

Comments: Right. I’ve been generous in explaining the goods. Let’s get on with the not-so-goods.

First off, the games are way too short. The transition was good enough but not extraordinary. Most of the later portions are filled with the sexual content so it’s not like you’re getting much of the protagonist-heroine interaction (ironic though, since the entire game is about this very interaction). While I can’t really speak for what the writers had in mind when creating games like this (they might have been trying to make a serious and deep game, or they could have just been appeasing the loli-fans), I would’ve really appreciated more characters, more depth to the environment, and more about the heroines, especially because most of the information about the heroines within the story was how they each don’t like their current lifestyle. The lack of information thereof to avoid bullshit elements works only to a certain extent until it becomes bland, and these games came dangerously close to it.

At least titles like Girlfriend, sweet girlfriend there was “almost” nothing besides H-scenes, which was quite strange

The other rather awkward trait, as strange as it sounds, there was absolutely no reason for these heroines to be “loli”. Sure, it checks the box for players with a niche fetish like me, but the writers could have just as well presented all the symbolism and other contents with normal high-school students or even adults. On the other hand, it is EXTREMELY likely that the use of “loli” was intended to give the impression that the heroines were relatively pure and unscathed from the harsh reality, then show otherwise (via how mature they are) to build sympathy and gap-moe. There’s relatively little taboo regarding this as well, which I found to be a bit more on the disappointing side.

In terms of the last title which did not involve “loli”, titled Girlfriend, sweet girlfriend seemed to lack the strong symbolism or catchphrase that was present in the other titles and thus had less impact. It was even more simple than the “lolita” games and therefore lacking a bit in both quantity and quality… though that could be simply my own imagination.

So in a sense, this was a strange outlier. Needless to say it was really cute to read the couple’s interaction

On the flipside, the entire series has a warm but 切ない (This word is very difficult to translate into English; roughly translates into painful/heartbreaking) atmosphere as you are presented these two characters who are almost made for each other despite their differences. Their romantic relationships are often really adorable which assist the reader to become even more engaged in their interactions.

I’ll say this again; this game doesn’t have a definite story; you’re mostly reading the interaction between two characters which is rather deep and complex if you take the time to dig through it.

Affection for the Characters: High

CG Score: 5/10. Adorable CGs but lacking in quantity. Backgrounds are also blurred images, though it worked for this kind of atmosphere
Music Score: 7/10. Slow acoustic music consisting of various string instruments perfect for environment like this.

Addictiveness: High. Strangely enough, these games might be just what you need when you’re having a hard day and you just need some emotional support. On the other hand holy crap this makes me lonely

I need Kotae to console me in this hour of loneliness

Conclusion:

Pros:

• Relatively complex character interaction within the game which serves as the main storyline
• Heroines are unnaturally well designed and have a lot of charm by themselves
• Beautiful music designed to relax and ease stress

Cons:

• Game is too short, lacks impact, and can be seen as boring to a large majority of the audience.
• Due to the lack thereof of a story, players can again be repelled from playing this game or trying to understand its true meaning.

Overall, the Loliita (not a typo; they elongate the pronunciation of the “i”) series from Yorunohitsuji is one of the prime reasons why I even bother with doujin titles in the first place because I would consider them gems in a pile of coal. At the time of playing the games I was also playing Kodomo no Asobi and commenting how shitty a commercial producer can fall while a doujin writer’s skills far surpasses them. I sincerely hope Yorunohitsuji continues to produce this series and/or sequels, or at least somehow gain publicity. Aside from my bias for lolis, the Loliita series are very well written and should be a default on your list to play.

Pinky promise?