Spoiler Warning!
I know what you guys are thinking: “Why is she putting up yet another post about Kindred Spirits?” Well, that’s really easy to answer. Even if I already posted my review of this wonderful Visual Novel, there is simply plenty more for me to say. And while I tried to hold back my inner fangirl in my review, I’m letting it all out in this one. So be prepared. It’s gonna be a loooooong post~
This post is going to feature the following aspects:
– My favorite characters, couples, SFW scenes, and NSFW scenes
– Things I didn’t like
– Things I’d like to see in the future concerning this VN
1. Kiri
There is no other character who entertained me like this one. Her constant hunger for cute things, as well as her unrestrained behavior when finding said cute things, were both adorable and hilarious to watch. Now if we add in the fact that she just can’t understand that she’s plenty cute herself, that makes it all the easier to understand why Tsukuyo, as well as I, just couldn’t help but fall in love with her.
2. Ano
Despite the fact that she’s unfortunately not romantically involved with anyone, she’s still quite the Yuri supporter. Even though she seemingly doesn’t really understand real-life yuri, she’s eager to help out young women in love, as well as talk about fictional romance between girls. Though, her top selling factor is definitely that gap between her oh so open and fun-self and her easily embarrassed-self, whenever she’s the center of attention.~
3. Sachi
I think you could say I’m a big fan of these types of polite, reserved, Yamato Nadeshiko-like characters. Though, it would have been boring if that was the only important character trait to name here. What’s even more important is the fact that her perfect image always crumbles whenever she’s so eagerly talking about the Yuritopia they’re going to build in this school. Cuuuuute!
1. Kiri & Tsukuyo
I’m usually not a fan of age gap, nor do I get a kick out of these forbidden student x teacher kind of relationships. In this case, however, the whole concept of it just made these two irresistible to me. Kiri being head over heels for her oh so cute little teacher, and Tsukuyo first fretting about all of this, but then totally going into girlfriend mode, despite their risky situation…. HNNNGHH. I just can’t take this. It’s like they are pressing all the right buttons for me with these two!
2. Aki & Youka
To be honest, at first, I just couldn’t imagine these two getting together. Like at all. Though, that’s their main selling point, don’t you think? Such opposite personalities finding their way to each other, especially with characters such as stoic and unapproachable Aki and easygoing and little dorky Youka. Thanks to these huge differences, their conversations never cease to entertain me, especially when a certain someone just couldn’t keep her hunger for Youka under control~
3. Matsuri & Miyu
Unlike most other couples, these two had been together for quite a few years already and simply know how relationships work. Though, despite the long experience—or maybe especially because of that—the two just can’t stop fighting, which was simply put, pure entertainment. Though, that is not all. What also added to my enjoyment was the fact that sexually frustrated Matsuri just couldn’t keep her hands off of her easily to enrage girlfriend~
1. Finding out that you’re gay in a bathroom stall
I have easily played this one scene over 10 times already because it’s just so freaking funny and cute. Little or big Kiri sitting on the toilet, sweating heavily, and going completely nuts over the possibility that she might actually be gay for her teacher. Also, you gotta love the fact that she simply started off with stating everything cute about Tsukuyo, then drifted off to calculating whether it actually makes sense for her to be gay, only to arrive at the conclusion that there is no helping it.
2. Seina going berserk
I don’t know why, but I just love this scene so much. It’s not cute, it’s not funny, and it doesn’t involve any yuri actions. It’s just Seina going completely berserk, putting one of her senpais back into place. Though, the way she does it, the way her voice changes so drastically, the way she uses all kinds of swear words, and the mere fact that such a cute little girl could do something like this… awww, I just can’t help it. She’s cute no matter what she does, and for some reason, her enraged self is pretty appealing too, especially when we take into account why she was going berserk in the first place.
3. Aki having her way with Youka
I guess that short description sounded lewder than intended, though, that scene was plenty hot in its own way. Not only does Aki actually have her way with Youka, pushing her against the wall, kissing her over and over again, and basically talking her into having sex with her right then and there. It’s also pretty damn cute and funny how Youka reacts to all of this, especially their little comedy act, with Youka stating all the facts why it might be a bad idea to do it in school and Aki simply crushing all of them with, at least more or less, reasonable answers. That was fantastic~
1. Kiri & Tsukuyo
Well, Kiri is leading this list yet again. I’m actually surprised at how much I must love her…. Anyway, this scene literally took my breath away. First of all, Tsukuyo is actually topping Kiri?! Who would have thought that?! Also, starting out with that wonderful line of “Sensei is going to teach you.” God, are you trying kill me here?! And don’t even get me started on how perfectly this scene is written. They are certainly doing a little more than what we saw in the previous sex scenes, though the mood is pretty light, since they have an adorably cute exchange of words about porn midway through. I guess it’s a little unfortunate that Tsukuyo didn’t agree to snuggling up while sleeping after that, though falling asleep hand in hand after having sex is already plenty cute~
2. Seina & Miki
I really don’t know where to start with this scene…. They became girlfriends, then kissed, and midway through, they realized that their bodies felt so incredibly hot that they just needed to do something about it. I just love how naturally they both agreed on doing this, and especially how Seina even begged for it to happen, not even knowing what it was she was begging for. Oh, and did I already mention how freaking nice this scene was voiced? Well, you could say I’m not that fond of “too loud” H-scenes, so this was really pleasant to listen to, to say the least~
3. Matsuri & Miyu
Admittedly, I love reading about characters’ first times, since I just think that these are the most magical moments. Though, despite running into the risk of sounding extremely lewd, I also enjoy sex scenes that happen after a big fight, or some that simply happen after a long time, with both parties getting totally frustrated about it. And that’s exactly what happened in this one. They got into a fight, partly for not having had sex for months, and at least one party was openly telling us and her girlfriend that she was sexually frustrated. And so the sex that eventually happened was just too good! Also, this is the only couple with experience, so their scenes were extra steamy, though still not over the top, which is the perfect mix~
As mentioned in my review, there is one big thing that bothered me throughout the whole Visual Novel, though I’ll let Yuna speak for me:
Or that’s how I’d like things to go…. I guess I just can’t get over the fact that Yuna actually decided on Hina. I know, I know. There wasn’t really anything to decide on anyway, and after reading their story, it kind of made sense to pair them up. Though, I really can’t get over the fact that I just can’t see Hina in a relationship. She’s the perfect little sister for Yuna, but that’s it. Ano, on the other hand, is the perfect girlfriend material here. Why couldn’t Yuna just see it that way as well?!
Okay, I got it out, so I’ll stop complaining. That’s actually the only big thing to really name here anyway. Of course, they could have voiced all the scenes, and of course they could have added a few more CGs, though, those are just minor complaints that didn’t really affect my total enjoyment, so let’s end this little section right here.
Well, since Ano wasn’t paired up with anyone, why not have her as the main character of a sequel? Since she can see, or at least feel, spirits and ghosts around her anyway, she would be like the perfect main character for another Visual Novel of this kind. They could be 3rd years, or even better, university students, and we could simply experience how she ends up in a similar situation Yuna got herself in. They could add in all kinds of new characters, maybe even some more with “experience”, since they’d be older in this one anyway, and they could even have characters from Kindred Spirits make cameos. Imagine it. It sounds totally awesome, and I sure believe that Ano would make an awesome main character~
Though, I already know a lot of people are shipping Ano with Nena. I guess that’s mostly because they are the only two that didn’t end up getting into a relationship. Though, I liked it that way. The two don’t really match up, at least in my opinion. Ano is probably better off with someone like Yuna, since I got the feeling that she’s into the more cool and collected type of girls.
Well, what I’m trying to say here is that I’d really like to see a sequel, and I’m pretty damn sure I’m not the only one. It’s probably quite hard to come up with a fitting follow-up story, though I believe I already came up with a pretty good idea myself, don’t you think?
For now, I guess we’ll have be content with what we already got and what we might get sometime in the future. What I’m talking about here is the drama CDs that were released back in 2012. The translation is already on its way, which is awesome~
YuriReviews and More 
Oh I completely understand; I never thought a V.N. could envelop me as much as Kindred Spirits has. The big downside is that it’s going to take some miracle of a Yuri V.N. to top this one, and from I’ve seen that’s coming soon so far, it wont be anytime soon.
Character-wise, Sasa was easily my favorite with Youka and Ano following close behind. My favorite couple would also easily be Sasa & Umi with Youka & Aki also following close behind. I wish I could have seen more interactions with Sasa & Umi, I didn’t think they were featured as prominently as the other couples were.
For the scenes, Maki’s meltdown was certainly a favorite, but my favorite “SFW scene” is where Nena gives a “stern talking” to both Sasa & Umi about their relationship and behavior; and let’s not forget Youka’s over-dramatic, but amazing “official” confession to Aki. As for the “NSFW scenes”; my absolute favorite would be Sasa & Umi’s. It wasn’t anything special, but I just loved how cute and innocent it was compared to the others
As far as the future for Kindred Spirits goes, there isn’t really much you get use to have an entirely full sequel game to. However, the two Official tankobons seem to expand on different characters and couples, with almost everyone from the game present in one way or another. I bought both a few weeks ago, not that I can read much Japanese, but it’s nice to own (I wish I could get the Drama Cd’s as easily). I hope both get fully translated eventually, along with the current one in progress. And like almost everyone else, I’m hoping Kindred Spirits can see an anime adaption in the near future.
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I think I’ve never heard the term tankobons, but a quick google session helped me out. I guess you’re talking about the doujinshi by Hachi Itou.
In this case you can already read them online:
http://dynasty-scans.com/series/kindred_spirits_on_the_roof_side_a_another_yuritopia
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Yeah that’s what I meant; one volume (“Side A”) was made by Hachi Itou, which is mind-blowingly awesome to me, and the other (or “Side B”) was made by Fumio Aya, whose only other Yuri work is “Goodbye Kastor”, so I don’t know what to expect with that one. They both are official though, so they are canon to the “Kindred Spirirts Universe”.
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Hey, It’s never too much of Kindred Spirits, so write even more if you want, we will read =D (Of course Drama CDs are good excuse, so you know … right ? … ;p [ughh ! I can’t wait ! They said 1st in April …])
On favorites topic, I will repeat myself from review comment:
characters
– Hina – I just like this type characters ? she doesn’t talk much, her “Mmm” is cute, she is more perceptive than shows
– Kiri – You said it already
– Youka – her Rock soul ! she is lovable goofus
couples (we agree here completly)
– Kiri x Tsukuyo
– Miyu x Matsuri – I will add, that I like some level of maturity in their relationship (thanks to being couple for years), how they realistically plan their future together =D
– Youka x Aki
Yeah, Kiri toilet scene is very memorable. Youka confession song with that kiss on the stage is nice too. And scene from the last CG (2nd extra) – how it shows all those bonds build by Yuna.
NSFW – I will go with Sasa & Umi first time. It’s so sweet, tender, warm, fidgety, full of love.
Kiri x Tsukuyo is enjoyable too, that porn moment ;p
You know what ? I don’t need that Ano route, but I would welcome it ver very happily. Mayby not with Yuna, I’m too much for Yuna x Hina.
Of course I would love to see anime adaptation in future ! Can you imagine that ?! It’s awesome even without h scenes, so it could totally work in tv.
For now, I will impatiently wait for Drama CDs. Reading their description is giving me justified hope for more fun xD
But we can’t forget about “official spin-off manga sequels” – Okujou no Yurirei-san Side A and B. First have most of it tranlated already, and it’s awesome ! (love Itou Hachi) It’a taking place year later, so you have your 3rd year Yuna and others ;p Cameos, bigger or smaller, are always exciting ! More of this, more !
Sequel for this VN would be fantasic news, but i will not get my hopes up (though I will shut up and give them my money if it ever appear).
Let’s hope that it isn’t the end of this franchise.
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Itou Hachi is surely amazing, I couldn’t agree more~
Though, I would have loved to see other artists writing/drawing about this as well.
Just imagine some of your favorite artists picking this up, drawing your favorite couples in numerous steamy and not so steamy situations. Yeah…. I’d love to see more~
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Hmm … Miyu x Matsuri in university by Amano Shuninta … xD
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We already had a small chat about this, but we’re pretty much in agreement with everything you said.
As much as a sequel for a Yuri VN be good for the genre as a whole, not sure I’d want another one of kindred Spirits. If they drastically cut the cast down, or at least focused on one couple all at one time (a la Sono Hanabira), as well as have much more voice acting, I could MAYBE get behind a sequel. Heck, like I said a while ago, if there was a choose your own route/pairing, I’d be all up in that.
I’m kinda lost at the moment as to what I should be looking forward to regarding Yuri content. Flowers is the only VN that I can think of that’s coming out soon, and since one of the main translators for the Sono Hanabira series isn’t translating anymore due to him officially working on one of the previous SH VNs, he won’t be releasing anymore of the translations in hope for it being localized. Official Yuri manga feels almost non-existent outside of Citrus and some lesser known ones that are slowly updated, with a few doujinshi here and there, and as far as Anime goes… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Oh, I know that crushing feeling…
I still have my hopes up for FLOWERS, though I doubt it will be able to top this one. I guess that’s something that’s really hard to do for all future Yuri VNs.
It’s sad, yet I’m super happy that we got a masterpiece like this.
As for yuri anime…. oh well, I guess we’ll have to wait for a little while…
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It might be time to marathon some past anime to fill the void then..
You ever consider watching things alongside the community members? Kind of like “movie night”? Not sure if people would feel awkward about watching it, but meh, if everyone likes it, no reason to feel so. Then again, if it’s borderline hentai………. Things could be a bit awkward.
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Weirdly, I can’t comment directly to your comment, so let’s do it like this:
When you say watching it alongside the community, do you mean something like streaming it and placing my face while watching it somewhere in the frame so everyone can watch me watch the video?
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I’m constantly thinking about this game, so an excuse to talk about it again is very welcome.
My favorite characters were probably Youka, Aki, Nena, Kiri and Ano. They were probably the most entertaining characters of the bunch. I really looked forward to the next time they each showed up.
My favorite couples were definitely YunaXHina and YoukaXAki. Yuna and Hina were just too fucking cute together, and while I at first felt they were better off with a sisterly relationship, I became very invested in them by the time I finished the game.
Youka and Aki were just plain unpredictable. I honestly couldn’t guess where the story was going to take them and I loved the unexpected turns with them. The reasons why they love each other is just so cute and fluffy…HHHNNGGHH!
I have three favorite scenes I can name off the top of my head. The first is Youka and Aki’s confession. I just fucking loved the emotions going through them throughout that entire day.
The second is when Youka and Aki get called to the principal’s office for kissing on stage. I honestly didn’t see it coming and was expecting them to get split up or something. Luckily Tsukuyo-sensei was there to back them up and defend their actions the whole time (Gee, I wonder why XD).
The third is when Yuna finally answers Hina’s confession. While it was pretty obvious that Yuna was going to say “yes”, I felt the way she tortured herself for weeks was very in character for her. Yuna was always someone to think things through (maybe sometimes OVERthinking), sometimes planning ahead and choosing the best course of action to take. It seemed very natural for her to consider the consequences for accepting Hina’s feelings. Will they’re parents accept them? Will people at school find out? What if it doesn’t work out between them? All of these questions and more were very normal and realistic things to think about for her, especially after all the drama she’s witnessed at her own school. It just seems so fitting that the game would flip the tables on Yuna and have her deal with her own romantic feelings with another girl. I also really loved how patient Hina was with Yuna. She never questioned Yuna, pushed her, rushed her, or even treated her differently while waiting for an answer, even when it was obvious Yuna was hurting herself. She’s such a little saint. I kept expecting Hina to tell Yuna that she changed her mind about her feelings and to forget about the confession in order to stop Yuna’s suffering. But she never did.
I also think Seina’s berserk scene really was cool. She’s such a badass.
Haha. It’s amusing to know you are still disappointed in the lack of YunaxAno. It’s a really cute pairing I’ll give you that. However, I am currently all aboard the AnoXNena ship right now. I honestly don’t think them being together is much of a stretch either, to be honest. We already know Ano and Nena are good friends. They hang out together, play games together and even NAP together sometimes! Early in the game when Ano and Nena fell asleep in the classroom together (during Sasa’s confession to Umi) I honestly thought it was hinting at a romance between them (but nope).
There’s very little I personally disliked about the game. I did feel like some scenes dragged on a bit, like the chase scene between Yuna and Kiri. Reading through it once was okay, but having to do it again in Kiri’s perspective was a little too much for me.
Honestly, this game is the best yuri ANYTHING I’ve ever come across, and I look forward to anything else that involves these characters. ESPECIALLY AN ANIME ADAPTATION!
Thanks for the chance to talk about this again. I gotta go back and play the game again now. XD
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So many Yuna x Hina supporters around, I’m actually surprised no one left a hate comment for my constant complaining about these two 😛
Though, Ano x Nena…. that’s so hard for me to imagine. You’re right about them having a good basis to start things off, though in case of Nena, it’s so hard to see her with anyone. She’s the type to get totally annoyed with anyone who might be interested in her, or that’s how I see her at least 😛
But good idea, I think I haven’t played the game in almost a week, time to change that~
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Another great in depth post! always love reading your analysis on great yuri stuff like Kindred Spirits! sadly i have yet to play this masterpiece as funds have been in short supply >.< but i hope to rectify that very soon! reading your thoughts as well as everyone else's on this visual novel just makes me want it more! can't wait until your next post! 🙂
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Aww,, thanks, comments like this make me want to work harder 🙂
I think someone told me that there is a big Steam summer sale happening every year. If you’re lucky Kindred Spirits might get a little cheaper as well~
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yeah they do have Summer Sales every year. I will be on the look out to see if it does go on sale. but even if it doesnt go on sale i WILL get it! it is worth every penny! 😀 I also keep seeing and hearing of new yuri visual novels being released on Steam. Steam is quickly becoming our source for yuri in gaming.
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Yeah, I’ll admit that when I first looked into this title it was because of the adult content, and the press releases for Steam’s uncensored release. But then I started playing it and thought, OMG the story is actually amazing.
I was likewise really bummed out that Yuna didn’t end up with Ano, particularly because I didn’t know that the in-game decisions had no real impact. There was that one scene where Ano asked, “Who’s more your type, me or Hina?” I thought I was picking my route…!
I also totally recorded A, A, Ai! and listen to it on my phone. 🙂
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Haha, that’s what I though as well. I was so sure that this question would enable Yuna to actually go for Ano, but oh well, I guess many people were fooled by that 😛
A, A, Ai is amazing by the way, Rita is a great singer and a very fitting voice for Aki~
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The only impact the in-game decisions have is in getting all the extras. If you pick every route possible get them all.
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Oh god Lena…your one of those Ano fangirls…
No offense to you, but if you frequent /u/, trying mentioning Yuna x Ano, expect a masssive flame war thrown at you. People are just sick of it….
I’ll take autistic, midget girl anyday.
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Oh yes, I am and I am proud of it~
So far, no hate at all, just fellow yuri fans peacefully exchanging their favorite couplings and such.
Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect people to disagree with me, though that’s not holding me back in the slightest.
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Btw does anyone know an avenue/forum to discuss this game? I can’t seem to find the subreddit you’re referring to…? Thank you.
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If you can’t find anything, you can always do so on its Steam page~
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First of all, let me say thank you for such a wonderful review. I just completed the game yesterday and am already suffering withdrawal symptoms. Being late to the party, its hard to find places and people to discuss the game with so I was glad to come across this website. Its a happy coincidence that I share many of your opinions (albeit a few unpopular ones). Sorry if it feels like ranting but I really have so much to say about this amazing game =D
Fav characters :
1) Yuna – I have no words. She’s just amazing to me in every way imaginable. She’s pretty, responsible, cool, smart, thoughtful and of course great at cooking. She easy to talk to and some of her banter with Megumi is superb. But I guess what I liked most about her is how she has grown in the half the year that the game took place and in it she overcame the darkness in her heart and became a better person for it.
2) Kiri – Tsurugimine Kiri. Is it just me or does this name just kick ass? I love the way they drew her character, and I enjoyed her immensely in the scene where she got chased by Yuna (although I found it abit too long). I love how she’s a nerd who’s good at video games and of course she’s smart too. Her reactions are priceless whenever she tries to hug Sonou sensei and I particularly like the pose where she’s thinking (right shoulder on her left hand and two fingers to her head while closing eyes). That is freaking cool man!
3) Ano – I look forward to every Ano scene because I know it will put me in a good mood. On the surface she may look like a carefree. ditzy and happy go lucky girl but she is deeply emphatic of others’ feelings and she cares a lot for her friends. The scene where she went all red in Yuna’s room was hilarious but she also showed that she can be serious by giving great advice to Yuna later. I wish I could have a friend like her IRL. Oh and her “What” pose when she’s shocked is awesome too (like when she was asked by Youka to go on stage for her performance. Haha!)
Honorable mentions – Sasa, Youka and Seina
Fav couples
1) Aki X Youka – Just love everything about these two. What was particularly interesting for me that while most of the couples had one of the girls struggling to accept the others’ feelings initially, (i.e. Tsukuyo rejecting Kiri the first time) that was not so for these two. Aki probably had feelings for Youka from the start even though Youka was freaking out all over her! It all culminated beautifully with that confession on stage and who can forget ai ai aiiii…… And it was sinfully enjoyable for me to see Aki turn to the dark side even though she’s in the discipline committee and embracing this forbidden love.
2) Umi X Sasa – Though they are not my favorites individually, there’s something going on with these two that warms my heart. I guess it reminds me of my my first love (or in general) where both parties are not really sure what to do and being awkward and all. Umi, being such a hyperactive girl, can also go into moments where she does not know what to say really hits home. I adore how Sasa is so into Umi yet she has to act nonchalant around her while suppressing her feelings. The writing for the night after they were together and Yuna caught them holding hands was one of my favorite in the game but my only regret was that they didn’t continue their story line after that
SFW scenes
1) Yuna missing the spirits – I am 31 years old and I’m not ashamed to say that I cried with Yuna. No, I bawled my eyes out. The build up, the tension while they were walking down the road, and the release when Yuna cried without even realizing it was like someone stabbing me in the heart with a knife. It was made all the more poignant when it was revealed that Yuna was in such a state of shock when the spirits left that she was basically spacing out the whole time and only realizing it much later. We walked with Yuna through the whole game, doing things together with Sachi and Megumi, helping others, sharing laughter and tears together and then when Yuna said “But they won’t be on the roof tomorrow”….. At that moment, I felt like I was Yuna and I lost a best friend IRL. It epitomizes the friendship between the three of them and I am going to make a bold statement here that their friendship totally eclipses the one of love with Hina later on in the scene. It totally stole my heart.
2) Yuna, Sachi and Megumi sharing a cola on the roof – If the scene above took me to hell, this scene shot me to heaven. This was a feel good moment if there ever was one. It really showed Yuna’s thoughtfulness and kind heartedness and why she is my favorite character. She might act aloof with the spirits (especially Megumi) but she really really does care and treasure the two of them. The drawing of that particular scene was awesome too!
3) Maki pwning ass – You could really feel the love Maki had for Miki in this scene. Like the writer of this article mentioned, there was nothing special about it, but it just had that raw unedited feel that evokes admiration for this little tigress. When Miki walked in and the music changed, you feared the worst for her but then Miki hugged her and the world feels right again. This was a real emotional roller coaster.
Honorable mentions – Kiri doing math in bathroom, Youka’s concert at the festival, Youka getting demolished by Yuna about her lyrics
NSFW scene
1) Umi X Sasa – By far the most sensual scene for me. Sasa was absolutely magnificent especially playing from her POV and everything starting from the kiss to the finish was narrated perfectly. I actually had to stop playing a few times during the scene cause her voice was making my blood pressure rise too much. Will you marry me Sasa?
2) Kiri X Tsukuyo – What’s really funny for me was that Kiri was the initiator but realized at the last minute she actually didn’t know what to do. She then got flustered and tried to backtrack but realized it was futile after unleashing the lust of Tsukuyo. Dialogue was too hilarious xD
What I didn’t like (incoming rant)
1)Here is where I agree with you totally. Yuna X Ano 4eva <3. Warning if you are a Hina fan you might want to skip this. Ill try to explain my reasoning in several parts.
A) I don't hate Hina as a character. I really don't. I just saw her as a confidante and sister to Hina and while I did expect her to play a major part in the plot of the story, I hardly expected her to be the main love interest for Yuna. That was what it felt like for me at least for the first parts of the story.
B) Their pairing was unrealistic for me in the context of the story. What I mean is the moment when Yuna realized she developed feelings for Hina. I remember this part clearly because it left me stomach churning. It was during the summer camp when Yuna saw Hina and her senpais on her way to take a shower. Why do I say its unrealistic? First, they have known each other since they were born and for Yuna to suddenly have a crush on her while having only platonic feelings all the time before seems highly unlikely to me.
C) Hina has little to no character development. I feel that I could not connect to Hina as a character at all, even less than the other couples who had their own side stories. This though might be due to the pacing of the story since Yuna and Hina only became a thing in the last 3 months of the game. I felt that it was too rushed and Hina was just thrown in at the last minute. By the time Yuna and Hina became a couple I realized I hardly knew a thing about her (except that she likes to eat, is in track and her pet phrase is "mm"). I felt it would have been better to start their relationship arc earlier in the main story so readers like myself can get to know her more. I have to say though, my impression of Hina improved after reading through her extra scenes, So why not put some of these extra scenes in the main story? Better still, have some of the main story play from Hina's POV so we can know what she is thinking. I don't recall having a Hina's POV in the entire main game and it left me wondering what she was thinking when she says "mm".
D) IMO, there is little chemistry between them. I'm not sure if its the whole little sister vibe but something feels off when I see them together. On the other hand her chemistry with Ano, while it is still on a "close friend" level, feels more natural and likely to develop into a romance. The things they talk about, their interactions, the way Yuna teases her about her forgetfulness are all playful and enjoyable whereas those with Hina are more about her making lunch and track. Again, I'm sure I would love Hina more if they had fleshed her character out more.
E) Finally, it might be because that I adore Yuna so so much that maybe anyone in the game isn't good enough for her 🙂 All in all, this was a pretty huge dealbreaker for me. It left me feeling a little hollow and unsatisfied at the end of the game and actually made me hate Hina as a character at certain points. If the game was a 10/10 with YunaAno, then YunaHina would bring it down to a 8/10 for me.
2) I love Yuna as a character, but there is this one decision in the game she makes that bugs me and that is when she agreed to "lend" her and Hina's bodies to the spirits for sex. I think of her as an extremely rational person and I just cannot see her agreeing to that. I understand that she feels she owes so much to Sachi and Megumi so she's doing it to repay them, I really do and I admire her for that , but I just cannot convince myself that rational Yuna would do such a thing. I understand the conundrum of the game that they have to allow Sachi and Megumi to consummate their love for each other in some way but I wish they could find some other way to do it. Maybe they can find some way to manifest their physical form temporarily to do the deed before going back to their spiritual form. I don't know but I felt a little sad for Yuna after that.
3) Well this one is obvious. Have a Yuna X Ano route. The option was already present at some point early in the game right? They just had to enable it right? We are playing a visual novel after all right? Haaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………………..
Final thoughts and conclusion
I wonder if this game would be more popular if it was a "normal" game without the H-scenes, Because I really love the game and feel it should definitely receive more recognition than it currently does. Personally I feel that the game wouldn't suffer too much if it removed the sex scenes, since IMO those didn't really add much to the game. The relationships forged between the characters at the start of the game and watching these bonds strengthened over time was the true strength of the game that shone through for me.
I really don't know what else to say. This game left me speechless at times,The last game that I played that left me feeling this way was To the Moon (non yuri/non sexual game btw). Please support it if you can especially if steam has a sale! Sorry for the long long read/rant Let's build a yuritopia!
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Wow, you really like talking about this game just as much as I love doing so, huh? 😛
Thanks for leaving your thoughts as well, that sure was interesting~
What you just wrote about HinaxYuna is probably what I wanted to say but felt like I shouldn’t since I don’t want to receive numerous shitstorms from YunaHina supporters 😛 I guess I wouldn’t have gone that much into detail and there are certainly good things about this pairing as well, but all in all, it left me kind of unsatisfied by the end of it. Though, what can I say, the game is still a 10/10.
Also, as for the game possibly doing better without the sex, I actually don’t think so. What this or any yuri title needs is some type of hype that goes beyond our yuri community, something that gets an even larger amount of people interested. And thanks to this game getting a full uncensored release on steam, many, many people only found out about it thanks to this little scandal. Well, as much as I hate to see people ranting about this game not meeting their expectations since they bought it for the sex, it also provided a way to get new people interested, which is always nice.
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Lena, Thanks for keeping the conversation on KSOTR alive. I’ve intended to post on your blog since I read your review of the VN several weeks ago, shortly after I had finished my play-through. I agree with your 10/10 overall, and agree with most of what you have written. For me, it was all about the fascinating, complex, believable characters and the ways they fell in love with the other fascinating, complex, believable characters.
The character development was masterful. I liked most of the characters, including Yuna, Sachi, Seina, Miki, Ano, Kiri, Sasa, Nena, Umi and Miyu, from the moment they were introduced, and enjoyed learning more about them as the stories unfolded and they revealed or learned more about themselves. Hina was a cypher, but amiable, and I trusted Yuna’s judgment about her. However, some of the characters annoyed me when I first me them – my reaction was immediate and, I must admit, completely superficial. I was quick to judge Youka for her incessant posturing, Aki for her dour inflexibility and Matsuri for her wolfish behavior. Then, the stories unfolded, and the characters were allowed to reveal their inner “true” selves through what they said, thought and did, and the assumptions I made, based on the stereotypes I assumed the characters were intended to fill, were often wrong and almost always unfair, and in the end, I wound up loving these characters as much or more than the others. I came to love Matsuri when I witnessed her confusion, self-doubt, remorse and deep love for Miyu through her thoughts/self-talk during the “date contest,” and Youka as she agonized over her confession song, mustered the courage to perform it in front of her love and everyone else and showed everyone (and me) that she truly was a rocker when she began to perform after seeing her muse Aki. I may have been hardest on Aki, yet by the end, she was my favorite character (with Yuna a close second and Miki, Seina and Kiri not far behind). I LOVED every bit of her reaction to Youka’s unintended pre-cioncert confession, especially her growing anticipation and wonder about her own likely reaction to what was about to unfold, her concern for Youka as her performance was about to begin and, of course, the spontaneous, dramatic kiss. In contrast to the dour disciplinarian I initially assumed her to be, Aki is a young woman who knows and loves who she is, with a lust for life (and Youka). Further evidence of my mistaken characterization of her, and another reason I loved Aki, was, while she was in the initial throes of her torrid love affair with Youka, she indulged the rather undisciplined speculation that, if events unfolded somewhat differently, she might have fallen for Yuna rather than Youka — now that would have been a formidable couple! That I’m still thinking about these women almost a month after I finished the VN is a true testament to the quality of the characters.
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While reading your post, I can’t help but feel like you should have written your own review as well~
Also, I love the fact that this VN managed to completely change your view on some characters, making the one you initially disliked, your favorite character by the end of it.
Isn’t that just totally crazy, but something that just proves how freaking great Kindred Spirits actually is?
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I haven’t finished the game yet (maybe half-way?) but I’m loving it and I wanted to find out who Yuna ended up with before continuing any further. I suspected it would be Ano but a part of me was concerned it was going to be Hina, so I dug up some spoilers to try and quell my fears.
“Of course it couldn’t be Hina! She’s, like, Yuna’s little sister and she’s the most boring character in the entire story!”
Whelp, I was wrong! And now I’m kind of pissed!
As I said, I haven’t completed the game and I’m sure Hina will receive more development. I mean, I didn’t like Nena at first, but now she’s proven to be one of my more liked characters. However, at this point, I would probably prefer Yuna with just about anyone else besides the shortie with the bottomless stomach who just goes “mhm!” all the time. Yuna is an amazing main character, the one I identify with the most, and her and Ano would have been super great!
SUPER GREAT!
I mean, in all other respects, this has been, like, the perfect game for me. The tag-line is “Let’s Build a Yuritopia!” for Christ’s sake! They were words I’ve been waiting to hear my entire life!
“Yes. Let’s build a Yuritopia – one where Yuna and Ano can rule with loving fists of lesbianism!”
But noooooooooo, that would be too good to be true.
…sigh…
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I pretty much just googled ano and yuna to see if anyone else experienced my frustration and I’m glad to see I’m not the only one out there who feels like I do (although the majority of people seem to support the relationship for some inexplicable reason). It feels better to be irritated knowing other people feel irritated for the same reasons you do. I was able to avoid and skip over any spoilers surrounding the other relationships, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they all develop, as I’m super pleased with each of them. And now at least I could brace myself for the huge let down – I think I would have snapped if I found this out over the course of the narrative,
Thanks for writing this post! In our hearts, we know who Yuna’s true love is,
Ano4Life!
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Get it all out, I know a lot of people who think the same way (I’m one of them)
Though, we should be careful. There are also a lot of people out there who are sick of hearing us rant about our love for AnoxYuna.
Still, we need to stand strong, Yuna x Ano 4 Life!
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If they had paired Yuna with Ano, how do you think it would/should have happened? What set of events could induce deliberate Yuna or hesitant Ano to make the first move? 西UKO drew and posted on Pixiv one scenario I kind of like, but I wonder what the two of you (and any other Yuna x Ano fans) imagine.
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I think Yuna and Ano just make a great couple. See it like that: Yuna first doesn’t have many friends, though Ano is easy to talk to for her and they get along well. Ano on the other hand has a lot of friends, but she’s so shy and actually doesn’t like the attention, a cool girlfriend who gets her like Yuna is just what I thought she needed.
As to how they would get together, I see it similar to how Yuna and Hina got together. Yuna would slowly open up to Ano more, talking about what happened in the cooking club. Ano would then fall in love with her and the two spirits would find out about it. Since they wouldn’t be sure of whom Ano had fallen in love with, they would investigate and Yuna would slowly feel jealous of this person. And when they would find out about it, Yuna would probably shy away again, getting scared of all of it, but this time, it would be Hina to help her realize her feelings for Ano.
I think that’s plausible 😛
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I think you are right that Ano would respond to Yuna’s experience in cooking club with concern and greater affection…she sensed the auras of the spirits around Yuna and, using her peerless intuition, leapt in to help Yuna, without needing to know why her help was needed. Although Ano did deny any yuri tendencies, she didn’t reject any of the women around her who loved women, and she’d probably be able to recognize and admit to herself that she loved Yuna. I also agree that Ano’s and Yuna’s personalities complement each other – the authors tell us over and over how Ano relies upon Yuna’s extreme organizational and academic competence, but I think Yuna could come to rely on Ano to lift her spirits, to stop deliberating and start acting, and maybe even to act occasionally on feeling and intuition rather than logic and planning. Hina could be the bridge between Yuna and Ano, too, since she is shown to understand more of what is going on than you might initially think, and since she did give Seina a push when she needed it.
That works for me d (^‿^✿)
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i was playing this game as slow as possible. it was so good that i did not want this to end. i really liked first and mid part of the game. final part of the game was rushed in my opinion. overall story was really good. there was few moments that took me for surprise. like yuna X hina . did not expect that. little girl defending her loving senpai. that scene kicked ass. language in this scene was straight badass. i glad this game was uncut. my favorite pair is yuna x hina and math club lovers. teacher and student love story was not surprising for me but they make cute couple. i was rooting from the beginning for yuna to find someone. i am happy that was hina. some may say it was bad choice but yuna and hina grow up together they have this bond so for me that route was ok. 10 out of 10 is this game. in the end i would like to ask: is kindred spirits on the roof cd 1 worth the money and how far is the anime project?
NB! if anime version happens , how much is cut out from the game? nobody likes skimmed milk.
NB! if got some names wrong i am sorry.
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As for the first CD, I unfortunately still haven’t bought it. This year has been so full of yuri releases that I’m left with little to no money. Still, I’m pretty sure it’s awesome, just like the whole game.
As for a possible anime, we did start a little petition and we even got Liar Soft to notice it, though so far, no progress.
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For some reason reading this reply made me want to buy the Drama CD immediately lol.
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Nice to read something that’s about Kindred Spirits on the Roof. Seemed like most major sites just talked about it being the first uncensored visual novel on Steam (that’s how I found out about it though and it most probably created publicity so I guess that’s not a bad thing) and ignored or forgot about it after that.
I can’t think of much to say about KSotR at the moment, although I enjoyed it a lot, but I’ll just say that Hina was one of my favourite characters, but also my least favourite at the same time. She was really adorable and I enjoyed her presence a lot, but she also felt quite two-dimensional (she was cute but it didn’t seem like there was more to her personality than that) prior to her confession to Yuna and her extra scenes. I did find her really adorable though, especially with her “mm” and thumbs ups, and those qualities managed to make her largely endearing to me, although at the same time a part of me thought she was the most boring character in the VN.
I kinda wish there were more chapters/scenes about her earlier in the story so she would be more than just a cute face in many of her appearances and have her personality fleshed out more. I would love to see a longer side story that focused on her too, since I enjoyed her side chapters quite a bit.
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I’m still not sure if the initial hype about Kindred Spirits that originated from the fact that this is the first uncensored VN on Steam is actually a blessing or the opposite…
It created the hype the game needed to be spotted by people even outside of our yuri fanbase, though it also created too much of a hype, one that the game couldn’t live up to, simply because some really expected pure porn from this, which was simply not there.
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I love all the routes and I love all the characters 😀 It’s really hard to pick which one my favorite character, pairing, and scene -.- This game is just too perfect!
Yup. So I decided I have to give up on them and go with Yuna/Hina.
Since you guys are Yuzu/Mei fans, I’m really surprised that you’re not happy with Yuna/Hina. I understand that you prefer them to be in sister relationship. But then why support Yuzu/Mei? What’s the different betweeen Yuzu/Mei and Yuna/Hina? I’m just curios.
It makes sense to go with Yuna/Ano becoz they are in same age and Yuna is acting like a cool guy and stuffs. At the beginning I thought they will going to be pairing but then later I realized it’s too impossible. Why? Because Ano is always panicking when she heard the word of “yuri” or “lesbian” It’s like she’s freaking out and feel nervous. I don’t know why she’s react that way. And also when she asked me a question ‘which one you pick, Hina or me?’ and I answered her ‘Ano’ and she nervously replied to me that won’t happen becoz she’s not into yuri relationship
The thing I don’t like in this game is: work days T_T Take a example of Tsukuyo and Miki. All they do is work work and work. I didn’t find it fun to read, so I have to skip them all. And worst of all, it happened same thing on some days T_T I understand it’s school work but since it’s a visual novel, I was hoping to read something funny and fun.
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Hm, I don’t think I can really compare Yuna/Hina with Mei/Yuzu. Other than the fact that they are all girls and sometimes act like sisters, there’s nothing more (in my eyes).
Mei is a cool beauty, way too serious for her own good and not good at voicing her desires. I think you would compare her with Yuna, who’s also kind of cool, but she feels very different from Mei, since she knows how to act on her kindness and voice what she feels and wants. Then there are Hina and Yuzu, who I see as complete opposites. Hina, who is like a little dog, just being cute and eating a lot. Yuzu on the other hand, has far more of an actual personality to her. She’s the older sisters, she’s the one bringing them closer and she’s the one who’s actually working the most to make everything happen. A girl full of energy that can do anything on her own, very unlike Hina.
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I’m probably posting old news here, but Valve’s summer sale on Steam titles began on Thursday and runs through July 4th. For those of you waiting for a sale on KSOTR, the VN is 20% off right now, a discount that appears to apply for the entirety of the summer sale. Hard to predict if the VN will be discounted further as a daily special sometime during the course of the sale.
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Saw that a few days ago and was wondering what was going on. In times like these, I always start wondering why the hell I just can’t be patient and wait for opportunities like this to get the game 😛
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I know this is a bit late, but: Hey, Lena. Strangely, it seems that most of your opinions mirror my own! I too watched Kiri-chan figure out she was gay half a dozen times before moving on because she’s so effing adorable! And she attempts to use her math skills to do it! Priceless.
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Exactly! Kiri best girl!
So funny, so weird and just soooo freaking cuuuuute~
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i know right? I was hoping for ano x yuna the whole time! and they even bait us by giving us the choice of ano or hina!!! seriously, i just can’t pair up yuna and hina (maybe a bit after seeing them together for a longer time, i came to accept it….), i think maybe hina is too young? but actually she’s only a year younger= = and the huge thing is that she is too short for yuna! i really can’t imagine them as a couple but only as sisters or mother x daughter… this is why i don’t really have much feeling about kiri x tsukuyo. and the thing is ano blushes only when yuna is around her! everytime yuna said thank you or when i chose the choice of ano rather than hina.. that’s sooo cute! actually, i really like hina as an individual, her honest and blunt personality and that ‘Mmm’ is also a cute side of her, tho i think her voice can be a bit lower cause i think of her as a little boy actually XD but now, i’m in the process of accepting yunahina after so many intimate scene with them>///<, you can't help but fall in love with them a bit… but WHYY give me so much anoyuna in the extra!! its okay you get hina and yuna together, i'm accepting it but don't hurt me again in the extraT.T anyway, ano x yuna all the way!
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