The Spoilers in this review are all written in white, so whenever you come across some red text saying “Mark text to see spoilers“, just do as the text says and mark the white area below to make the text visible.
Title: Kindred Spirits on the Roof [Okujou no Yurirei-san]
Developer: Liar Soft
Translation: MangaGamer
Genre: Yuri, Romance, Adult, School Life, Ghosts, Comedy
Length: 10-30 hours
Buy it on Steam
Story: 9/10 and Characters: 10/10
One day, during lunch, Yuna Toomi, a rather antisocial and quiet girl, encounters two female ghosts on the roof. After getting over her initial shock, she finds out that these two are a couple and have been haunting the school for decades now, trying to find a way to leave this world without having any regrets. After a little persuasion, the two ghosts, or rather the kindred spirits, as they force Yuna to call them, succeed in getting Yuna to help them in their quest to built a “Yuritopia” in their school, meaning that they need her to assist young girls in love with other girls.
Or in short:
While Yuna—more or less willingly—plays the role of a yuri cupid, she encounters numerous girls that either secretly or openly share feelings of love for other girls in school. And even though she doesn’t really understand this kind of love between women at first, she soon realizes that her quest to yurify the school holds far more joy than she initially thought it would.
First of all, let’s make one thing clear, while this game doesn’t include any male characters and focuses on the numerous relationships between the female characters of this high school, it still doesn’t mean that every character is into girls, and it especially doesn’t mean that being lesbian is viewed as the most normal thing in the world. Don’t get me wrong, but as a lesbian myself, I rather enjoyed seeing each and every one of the girls have their own little struggle to accepting their feelings. And despite this game involving ghosts, I’d say that many, if not all, of the relationships we are able to follow had something quite realistic.
Watching each and every couple slowly getting closer and taking their first steps together is seriously something that not only Yuna and the two kindred spirits found rewarding. I also found myself being unable to stop playing during certain parts, completely forgetting about the time, and eventually ending up missing quite a few hours of sleep. Well, I guess I can’t help it. This Visual Novel is just so well-written, so rich in variety, and simply so entertaining thanks to the many different characters that it’s no wonder you’d get addicted to it. There is always something new and interesting you come across, and even though you already know how this game will eventually end, how things played out still never ceased to surprise me. In short, the pacing is perfect. It just doesn’t feel rushed, nor does it seem like things are unnecessarily being dragged out for too long.
And if we now take into account that there are numerous pairings with many types of different characters, I’m pretty sure that everyone will find something they’ll enjoy. Even touchy subjects like a student-teacher relationship are involved, and trust me when I tell you that each and every of them is done in a splendid way, involving both cute and fun moments, as well as a certain amount of very well done drama.
If I had to name a favorite couple, I’d actually go with the student x teacher couple without a second thought. I’m usually not a fan of these themes, nor do I like age gap that much, but this couple is just so irresistible that it’s hard not to love them~
Gameplay: 8/10
I guess I can’t really say that much when it comes to the gameplay. Well, I haven’t played that many Visual Novels so far, so my knowledge is limited, however, I felt like the ideas they used in Kindred Spirits were quite nice. Especially how they arranged the single events in a calendar where you can choose which route you want to experience first. It’s also nice that we experience the story from a lot of different perspectives, though, this often leads to certain scenes being displayed twice, just so you can see it from another point of view. I guess this can be nice insight on some characters, but for me, I usually skipped what I had already read. The only scenario where I’d really see an option like this as something useful would probably be for sex scenes.
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| That’s how the “Planner” or calendar looks like |
Other than that, I can only say that I ran across some minor problems with the game, since it sometimes just froze up. Well, closing and starting the game anew usually solved the problem, but since it happened quite a few times, it bothered me a little.
Music/Sound: 9/10
The background music for Kindred Spirits really is nice, intensifying the mood of each and every different scene perfectly. I guess I’m also happy with both the opening and the ending themes, even though I can’t really say that I like them enough to actually buy the songs.
The voices, however, are something far more important in my opinion. They either make the characters more enjoyable to follow around or absolutely unbearable to listen to. Well, in the case of Kindred Spirits, they certainly did a great job. All the girls have just the kind of voice to make it exciting to follow their stories. I’m actually pretty sure that some of the girls were even voiced by the same voice actresses as some of the SonoHana characters, like Seina and Matsuri being voiced by the same girl as Eris, which was pretty exciting for me~
Art: 9/10
I guess the words that first come to mind when trying to describe this certain art style are gentle, cute, and warm. It’s fitting for the whole feel of this Visual Novel, and it sets the mood just right. The characters also look absolutely cute, with their many adorable expressions. The only negative thing to say here is probably the fact that for a Visual Novel of this length, there were probably too few event CGs. That’s especially bothersome if we take into account that the characters were usually only voiced during times the event CGs were displayed.
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| I’d also give the art style a thumbs up~ |
H-Scenes: 10/10
Mark text to see spoilers – Don’t be fooled. Despite the fact that this game looks extremely cute and innocent, there are quite a few sex scenes involved as well. In fact, each and every couple gets one of them, while some are a little steamier than others.
Well, first of all, I loved them with all of my heart. It’s just so different from anything I’ve played so far. And with different, I mean that it’s tamer, sweeter, and it actually really feels like a scene like this could play out just like that. These scenes mostly display the couples’ first time, which is why I absolutely love that they take a slower and even unsure approach to the whole thing. Hell, some of these “sex scenes” only involve the girls touching each other above the waist, which just makes you realize that this game doesn’t focus on the sex. It’s just something that accompanies the girls’ relationship, a natural step, you could even say, and that’s exactly what’s so nice about it.
I know giving this a 10/10 might be unreasonable for some of you, but I just can’t help but love how amazingly beautiful and tender these scenes played out, and especially how fitting they were voiced. You really can’t even compare this to Sono Hanabira. It’s just so different.
Total Enjoyment: 10/10
What can I say? Ever since this game was released, I’ve been pretty much addicted. The game started out without any boring intro and got right to the point, keeping me interested in the most crucial time of the game – the beginning.
From this point on, it just added the right amount of drama and fluff, and even sex to just make this the perfect experience. Furthermore, I just couldn’t stop myself from falling in love with each and every one of the displayed characters, loving some couples to a quite unhealthy degree even.
Mark text to see spoilers
So all in all, should you buy this game? HELL YEAH! What are you still waiting for?!
YuriReviews and More 
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I'm still in the middle, so can't say anything final, but even in the place in the story where I am now, I can already be sure of some things. So, in short:
– I love it ! It's Awesome ! It's addictive (always “just one more scene”).
– the planer thing is nice and fresh (remind me of the way you choose routes in Majikoi)
– don't know how things gonna end in the story department, but start is ok (well, it's not SonoHana – “good morning, hello, take your pantsu off” ;p surely doing student-teacher better too)
– really liking characters, yeah, most of them are rather known types, but still very likeable (Hina and her “thumb up” is thumb up from me =D )
– nothing against music, voices are ok (mayby some, and i'm not sure, are not ideal for their character) and yes, often familiar.
– love art style
and are hiding spoilers is possible in comments, or should I better not look at them ?
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I bought it.
Even if there will be a hacked/free download version of this soon, I'd like to encourage everyone to just buy it. The more that actually buy this game, the more games like this we'll see in the future. Or that's what I think.
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I actually don't know how to hide spoilers in the comments. Though, I'd actually just encourage the ones that are not done with the game and don't want to be spoiled, to just try to block out all comments that are not theirs 😛
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I swear, I'm getting more and more hyped about this game by the minute. And I haven't even had the time yet to play the demo.
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I need to get through my catalogue fast.
Trying to juggle my games with school work is not fun.
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An excellent review to a game i have been hearing is nothing short of amazing! I want this so bad on Steam cant wait to get it! was looking forward to your review and it was worth it. nice spoilers by the way! 😛 Valve made yuri history with this game. Releasing this almost makes up for the fact they have yet to release Half-Life 3…….almost. looking forward to more reviews! 🙂
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This is definitely the best Yuri Visual Novel I've played and maybe the best overall, though I've honestly only played a handful of VN's. It's going to have to take some miracle to top this, at least in my books. The background music does get pretty repetitive, especially during long playthroughs, but that was my only “issue” with the game, everything else is pretty much perfect.
On a side note, I pre-ordered the game and first played it from the download on Mangagamer and had no technical issues at all with that version, but the Steam version had all kinds of framerate issues and the like, though it never froze for me.
[Spoiler Stuff]
Also, my favorite couple is probably a tie between Sasa x Umi and Youka x Aki. I loved Sasa's simple confession to Umi, their “rocky” progress as a new couple, and the scene where Nena gets pissed and gives the two a lecture was one of the best scene to me. And their first time with each other was so cute and amazing, it might just be my favorite “sex” scene of the entire game; well, behind Yuna and Hina's first time of course (though I guess technically their “second time”, maybe?). I knew from just reading about Youka and Aki on the character pages that I'd love them. Youka's spectacular confession to Aki is probably easily the best confession in the game.
Sorry for going on and on, but I've just never been in so much love with a VN. I'm on my third “fresh” playthrough myself. I'm hoping Flowers will also be worth the same hype I had for Kindred Spirits since last year.
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i agree with you. even though there are free versions of many things out there on the net and we all may partake of them its always best to buy official releases whenever possible to support the creators of said content so that they have a chance to make more. i do this with a TON of the yuri manga i have downloaded, i also bought official English releases to supprt it, even imported some stuff. i cant wait to buy this game very soon. looks so amazing and have heard nothing but great things about it! great review by the way!
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Make sure you go into the Sound Test (headphones from the planner menu) after Youka's confession scene.
You actually get to listen to the song “A, A, Ai!” and read the lyrics (which you don't get to do in the main game, for some reason), and I'm shocked by how much more I enjoyed YoukaxAki just because of that.
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The longer you wait until you'll finally play the game, the better it will feel 😉
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Take your time, it's like I said up there, the more you'll wait, the better the experience will be~
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Thanks 🙂
This game was really hyped from the very beginning, even though I believe it was for all the wrong reasons.
I think many people just got the game, because it was the first uncensored sex game on Steam. I guess that means that many people bought it, though I fear that they didn't get what they were hoping for.
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Don't stop, do continue, I really like reading this, since I can really feel the hype behind your words, which is amazing.
I couldn't agree more. This is probably the best yuri VN there is. I both feel happy and sad about that. Sad, because I fear that there just won't be any other yuri VN capable of topping this one.
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Thanks a lot! I didn't even know there was a version with actual singing, and now I even found out that Youka is voiced by no other than Rita herself.
How awesome is that, and the song is amazing too~
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If this won't convince your genin to pick the game up now or maybe during a discount, nothing will.
You already know my thoughts on the game and yours differ very little from mine.
This game rules, simple as that and it is a must play for ANY yuri fan who isn't picky.
PS: “NOOOOOOOOO! Why didn't SHE see the light!? NOOOOOOOOO!” I bet that thought still fills you with sadness. You know who I'm referring to.
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well ill be buing it for all the right reasons. to show my love and support for yuri no matter what! plus this game seems to deliver on its premise! 😀
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great review, im really looking forward to playing it when i get it along with flowers
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Amazing game.
Best scene was probably Maki going nuclear.
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Why didn't she see the light? What? Did I miss something again? 😛
Side note: I'm still not 100% finished with the game 😛
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Oh, planing a double purchase? That will leave a bigger hole in your wallet 😛
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That was so amazing! Her voice completely changed, and oh god did I love hearing her swear like that~
Yeah, put her in her place Maki-chan!
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Well, yeah… it delivers 😀
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You know who I'm talking about. One of the girls who did not become gay, yet won your heart.
Anyhoo I await your 100% completion so we can continue the discussion at the usual spot.
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I actually feel like the kissing scenes were enough and the game didn't even need the sex scenes. I mean they were, well…simply beautifull but removing them wouldn't even feel like a big loss. The story and the characters are simply that great in my opinion. Best yuri-experience ever ^^
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ya i know but in the end it will be worth it >:O
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If that's who you mean, the answer is still yes, yes and yes… the more I say it the worse it feels… 😛
Well, I kinda got used to the idea of you know who being with you know who.
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Very true, the sex was probably not really that necessary, if it wasn't for Sachi and Megumi's more or less personal lessons 😛
Though, I love that they added them. They complete the whole thing and I'm so freaking grateful that scenes like these actually exist, it's hard to put it into words, so let's just say that I've never ever played anything quite as good when it comes to H-Scenes.
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I loved this game, this was the first visual novel I've played (I don't really count the Phoenix Wright games) and I gotta say, VN's are a unique kind of story-telling! I hope that they're all as interesting a read as this one was. I think the best scene in the game is the potato peeling scene, so much emotion, and it all felt really genuine.
On a side note: Yuna looks exactly like the main character of the show I'm developing, so the ending was really weird to read. It's even weirder because she's in the background on my second screen, looking at me the entire time. Judging me.
Anyway, good review, and thanks for recommending such a good game!
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Hey, Lena.
I've been really curious about this game before when you were mentioning it in your other reviews, but now i really want to get it! Trouble is, I've used up my budget for this month, so I'm trying to be a responsible adult and wait until April. It's tough. =P
Also, is it just me or is it cheaper on the steam store than directly from manga gamer? Steam translates the amount into local currency but comes out to about USD 19.00, while direct from MangaGamer it's USD 34.95. What gives? It is the same content, right? I'm not going to get the all-ages version or something from Steam will I?
Anyway, great review, and hopefully I can start playing this game when I get my paycheck next month. =P
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Haha, I can understand why that specific last scene would make you feel a little weird 😀
Though, glad you liked it~
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Oh I feel your struggle. I also had to wait until the last moment to get this game, though as you can see, I'd spent hundreds of dollars to get something just as good as this one.
I think the price on Steam should be the same. 19 dollar doesn't sound right, around 30 is more like it. I just checked again a few days ago and I think the price was the same as on Mangagamer.
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Hey, Lena!
After waiting patiently for half a year, I’ve finally purchased and finished This VN! I must admit that I’ve lost more than a couple of hours of sleep because of it and even pushed back some work deadlines because of it. So much for “responsible adult”. =P
Once again, your review was spot on. I also really appreciated the treatment of the “H-scenes”. I’ve played other games where these scenes kind of cheapen the story (if that makes sense), but not so here. They were beautiful and sensitive and really added to the story and the characters.
I just finished the first play-through and, while i was rooting for YunaxHina (but still, Kiri-chan FTW), I now kinda wanna see YunaxAno. Hopefully, there is a YunaxAno route i can unlock. =)
Also, bought it on steam, btw, and it was strangely, cheaper than straight with mangagamer… maybe it had something to do with my location. Anyway, I spent about USD $19.00 on this. Worth every cent.
I will definitely be checking out other VNs you recommend! =D
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Glad to see that you enjoyed it so much 🙂
This is definitely the best VN I’ve ever played and I can’t even begin to list all the reasons for it.
Though yeah, how the H-scenes just added to the story instead of just being there for sex is definitely one of the best things about this VN~
Also, we need the Yuna x Ano!! 😛
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SPOOOOILERS
Well, I finally gave it a read/watch/play/what, and it was mostly enjoyable for me. The art was different, but fit the VN as a whole. Whether or not that's from me getting used to it, I'm not sure, but nonetheless, it was nice. BGMs were also pretty good, and since I'm a sucker for some guitar, I found myself getting into that repetitive soundtrack at times over the story just because the guitar riff had to kick in.
That being said, as much as I love Yuri, it's really hard form me to get truly engaged with as many characters as their was with how much the perspective changed. Now it's not the VN's problem, it's my problem. In the beginning, I found myself enjoying Yuna's little bubble and the story that was unraveling, but I think it was somewhere around the Youka x Ariu, I started to lose interest in a lot of the later pairings. Across all types of entertainment, when you have so many characters and changing perspective as often as the game did (which it forced you to do), I just become bleh. The storytelling was still great, but it's just my opinion on the “gameplay” or whatever you want to tag it as.
Favorite Pairings:
1. Kiri x Tsukuyo
2. Seina x Miki
3. Sasa x Umi
Everyone else kind of fell off the boat for me. I was really liking Yuna until the end, in which I was begging the game to give me the option to say “yes” or “no”, or a “choose your own route” ending, because I just wasn't a fan of it. If I had the option to choose Ano, I'd disregard every other option on the list, even if one of them were to give me infinite wealth.
All in all, it was more or less enjoyable. Kiri was the MVP for me for keeping it real, Seina for having the “cajones” and Ano because Ano.
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little update, after finishing everything:
Yeah, It's great ! In my top 3 favourite VNs (and number 1 yuri).
Really, really like the way that relationships are progressing, it's quite realistic. Everything have proper pace. Characters are growing nicely (particularly Yuna) and I love how they struggle with this new feeling in their live.
Sex scenes are good. Or mayby more than that, they fit to the tone of story. They are not the standard wild actions and playing like crazy with genitals. They are warm and comfortable, full of love. The first one is probably my favourite first time scene in VNs! So sweet and realistic =D
top characters : Hina, Kiri, Youka
top pairs: Kiri x Tsukuyo-chan sensei, Miyu x Matsuri
I was a little disappointed that Youka song wasn't really there (we didn't hear it during that scene), but then found it in music library, so it's good. I'm happy.
The extra scenes were nice, and there was a lot of them ! The best – those ones from Hina, Ano and Aki perspective, and those about Hina x Seina friendship + interactions between girls and someone other than their pair.
2 extra CGs were nice addition
9/10 from me
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Good choices I have to say, I'll talk a little more about my favorites in one of my upcoming posts as well. It sure is nice to talk about this VN, huh? 😛
Also, nice endrating, I approve~
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Your choices are nice as well~
Actually, I believe we have quite a similar taste when it comes to some of the characters, which is always nice to see 😛 Well okay, I loved all of them, though Kiri certainly was MVP. Same goes for Ano, she was awesome in her own way.
Well, I'll talk a bit more about the game an my favorites in all kinds of departments, so I hope I'll see you around on this post as well~
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After I finally posted a few months ago, I just kinda entered lurk mode again because of the lack of Yuri over the past ~6+ months. I feel like we've had a drought of good Yuri, and as far as anime goes, the Spring season isn't looking much better…. Still waiting to see how Flowers is going to turn out, as it's either going to be a very big one for Yuri as a whole, or just another “meh” to add to the pool. Hopefully it's the former. At least Citrus is giving us something, whether it's just a small taste of the Yuri we're yearning for, it's better than nothing. There's also been a few Yuri manga/douhinshi that have popped up here and there, but none that really stick out to me without going back and looking through them.
As far as Kindred Spirits just started out strong, but ended poorly for me, as I've already stated. Even after having thoughts about the VN as a whole (the characters, the story, the progression of gameplay, etc.), my stance still stands as just okay, not having any kind of change of heart over any of the pairings and the characters themselves.
I'm gonna try harder to stop being a butt lurker and actually post more. Looking forward to more posts and more interacting with you and the group!
– Anthony
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We're looking forward to that as well~
I have to admit, after having finished Kindred Spirits, I was kind of lost. Since this anime season had little to no yuri shows to offer, I basically didn't know to satisfy my growing hunger for yuri. Though, like I always do, I found my remedy in manga.
“What Does The Fox Say”, as well as “She, Her Camera and her Seasons” are my top picks right now. I've hyped about both of them to an extend I myself find unhealthy even. So yeah, sometimes you just need to look around elsewhere to find new things to enjoy~
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Heard about this from the petition post and super excited wondering if any other good yuri games are on steam since it’s an easy way for me to get games.
Excited to share opinions since the few VN’s I’ve played I haven’t really shared.
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Click on the “News” button right beneath the header. There are plenty of yuri games waiting to be released right now~
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ooh thanks for the info reading it now. Just got done with Ga Rei… Really needed some sort of yuri thing for the end…. too much sadness and they both seem to like guys >.> Really good show though.
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I love age gaps. Age gap yuri is awesome. My fav is still Yuuna+Hina tho~
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Urgh, Yuna x Hina…. 😛
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SPOILER-Y TYPE REPLY
I would be happy with either Yuna x Ano or Yuna x Hina, so long as Yuna was happy and put at ease, so I found the way the authors changed the tone in the way Yuna spoke to Hina after their first time to be particularly powerful. I liked the way how Yuna’s familiarity with her childhood friend made her blind to the person her friend was becoming, and how Hina grew stronger and more courageous as a result of the awful “date war,” and turned the unfortunate incident into an opportunity for growth for both herself and Yuna.
However, since I doubt you’ll be persuaded by this, here are links to fan-art on Pixiv I think you’ll enjoy:
http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=26177890
and this one by 西UKO/UKOZ, who draws Collectors and the heartbreaking となりのロボト:
http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=33559145
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Aww, the fanart is always nice, and I gotta admit, if drawn well, I don’t really mind reading about Yuna x Hina as well, especially whenever Hina is drawn to look a little more mature~
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at first I like both hina and ano equally, though halfway the game I become infinitely like ano better. yeah I wish there is a choice for this.
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ALMOST FULLFILLED ANIME ADAPTATION PETITION!!!
https://www.change.org/p/liar-soft-make-kindred-spirits-on-the-roof-into-an-anime
Please sign and share!!!!
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All done~
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In response to RTV’s review of Revolutionary Girl Utena, I watched the first episode of the television version, and then the first 15 minutes of the movie RTV reviewed. Even though I was well prepared by the excellent review, I never know how I’ll respond to something until I experience it, and without elaborating, I think I am done with RGU. So why am I posting this here? Well, to make myself feel better after the RGU experience, I watched again the sequence from KS when Miki dabs the dust from Seina’s arm and Seina falls for Miki. Maybe this will be my new yuri purification ritual?
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Didn’t intend for that to be a reply to All done, but it sorta makes sense
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Awww no, Rock would have loved to get a comment on his review, especially one saying that it was a fantastic review 😛
Better reflect on that 😛
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Not true. 😛
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Really? I had already started one, too…this is how it starts:
At Lena’s suggestion, I have reflected on my posting behavior and seek your forgiveness for failing to thank and complement you for your most excellent review. 🙇
Should I finish it?
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Nah, that’s already much too much~
I’ll just pretend that today is International Sarcasm Day. 😛
Compliments and I aren’t on friendly terms. 😀
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Well, I’m sorry about that, but I completely understand. Please let me know if you and Complements make up. I’ll keep my positivity to a minimum until that time ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ oops, sorry, this might take some practice
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compliments, not complements. Argh.
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