Little Busters! Mio Route

Welcome to the review for the Mio route. Not only is this the first review in a long, long time, but it is the first to be written while reading the route and using only twitter. Technically, it’s a review in name only, but more of an observational thing on the Mio route as I go.

There goes KEY, throwing gorgeous explanations for things into stories. “Reality is…memory”.

“Wa-Wafuu!” “Wa, wa, wawawa.” Kud can’t translate. How sad

One thing KEY does very well is writing the sidekick character. I think they began to experiment…with it back in Kanon, using the character of Jun Kitagawa. Though it wasn’t until CLANNAD that they turned the…sidekick character into almost a main character, with Sunohara. Then, in LB!, you have Masato, who even has…his own mini route. I am anxious to see how they handle the sidekick character in Rewrite. If there isn’t one…then, KEY, consider yourself one less fan.

And this is why Rin Natsume is the best character in the history of everything.
http://yfrog.com/h0y4mtyj

Little Busters: Tanka and You (I am referring to the extremely lengthy discussion about the history of Tanka in Japan.)

If Masato were real, I’d feel for him. All this talk about poetry (tanka) is exhausting and a lot to take in.

I also think KEY does a great job of creating characters that everyone can see themselves in. Like, for example, Masato. Everyone can be stupid sometimes.

The Little Busters! Tanka Experiment: [In the blazing wind] [standing there right beside me] [here you are with me] [wearing those fierce red bloomers] [my great big giant] EPIC SHIT RIGHT THERE

And then, leave it to Riki to speak for all of us in saying, “I don’t want to see a great big giant in bloomers.” That’s another thing KEY does a good job of, having characters speak for everyone (well, mostly everyone) at certain times.

Little Busters! Tanka Experiment 2: [Certain battle] [Cute smile] [Eye Beam] [To Euphrates] [The cat won?]

The background art in KEY games has been getting better and better. Not counting Rewrite, Little Busters! had some of the best so far. Especially when the time of day is dusk and everything has an orange hue. Just…beautiful.

And the winner of the best one liner in the history of everything? Little Busters! Riki: I live It’s like sex to my writer brain.

“There were often people who hated us due to our flamboyance” What? Since when were Riki and Kyousuke flamboyant?

“How come fruit sandwich was that unpopular?” Well, you see, fruit doesn’t belong on a sandwich. It belongs in a salad.

Riki has mixed up the characters. Rin is the tsundere. Mio is the..would she be a kuudere? @PhleBuster , thoughts?http://yfrog.com/h4krvhwj

@masat01 I wouldn’t deign to categorize Rin as simply as a Tsundere! But Mio might be another type of Kuudere (Kurugaya being the other one) (phlebuster’s response)

Ah, voice actors, making bodily functions cute. #nishizonosneezed

I think that the writers at Key really understand the emotion of loss. They know exactly which words to use to describe that wrenching feeling one gets when one is away from someone they like. So sad. Then again, isn’t that one of the things a writer must be able to do? Describe emotions in words that aren’t that emotion? Like, loneliness as “I could not resist the urge to peek at her empty desk during class”.

Oh Kud, everyone knows that the first date is a trip to the girl’s dorm room.

Ah, I see now. Mio is Fuuko, but stuck in the Little Busters! universe…only, not in a coma. Wait, could Little Busters! be all in Fuuko’s head?

If I am ever written into a visual novel, I hope to be a Masato-like character…because I am. Just not as muscular…yet.

Nobutoshi Canna is one of my favorite voice actors. I couldn’t imagine anyone else as Masato. I’m imagining my life being narrated by Nobutoshi Canna. Oh god yes. WHERE DO I SIGN UP?!

One think Key does and does well is costume design. I think it’s Inoue-san who designs them right? #mioishotinplainclothesohgodmyboner

Books books books. These discussions on literature are getting overwhelmingly abundant.

“This place is where ends begin” Brilliant line. Though, now I am worried something sad is about to happen.

It’s lines like these that tell me something tragic is upon me. http://yfrog.com/gz730vyj

FUCK YOU KEY! PLAYING INCOMMUNICABLE MESSAGE AT THIS POINT. ONE OF THE SADDEST BGM ON THE OST.

“Because you like me?” I answered with what I hoped was the truth. My heartbeat quickened. Ah, I got itI had just realized something. The actual reason why I hoped so was… because those were my feelings for her. ”Naoe-san.” Her eyes captured me. I was afraid, I was afraid of the next thing she was going to say. I wanted to cover my ears so I couldn’t hear it. But I listened to her. Because I had to. “That’s not it.” DO YOU KNOW HOW LOW AND HOW FAST MY HEART JUST SANK?

Mio describes Riki’s feelings as pity. But…why? From my viewpoint, I’ve noticed very little pity from Riki. I mean, there isn’t much to pity save for the fact that she isn’t noticed all the time.

Little Busters! aren’t exactly allies of justice…but they are your friends. DAMN RIGHT

So, Mio seems to be giving her final words? What’s going to happen in the next 10 minutes?

What the fuck. Wow, I understand nothing except that neither character has a shadow. What could this mean?

Key just pulled another Fuuko route on me. They are pulling Fuukoes right out of their asses only with different plot twists

“You’ve got a cramp because you are dumb.” Yup, thanks Rin

“You’re an idiot, aren’t you? He didn’t give it to him; he had it stolen.” Riki: I never imagined that I would see the day come when Rin would correct Kengo… Watashi mo, Riki-san.

So, how stupid can Masato be? Well… “Why not meat and banana? Don’t you think niku-bana would work?” Wait…Kengo agrees. Maybe Japanese people like stra..nge…things……oh right

Ok, now the writing has become obvious that Mio is missing from the picture. I GET IT ALREADY.

The fact that the viewer gets what’s going on but Riki doesn’t is really hurting me. I mean, it’s okay when it’s obvious, but there IS such a thing as overdoing it. It was perfectly done when Fuuko disappeared in CLANNAD, but this is horrible.

Wait a second, was Kengo always as dumb as Masato?

Riki: Holidays were not supposed to be this quiet. You know, it’s lines like these that keep me reading Key works.

NO RIKI, YOU DON’T JUST SIT DOWN. AT THIS POINT, YOU GRAB THE GIRL, TAKE HER INTO THE HALLWAY, PIN HER AGAINST THE WALL AND SAY “BITCH, WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MIO?!”

I’ll be looking forward to this RIKI BECOMES A BADASS scene if LB! gets animated
I wish Riki would punch Midori in the face and yell, “yeah bitch, that’ll teach you to steal my friends!” nantoka…kakkoii dane?
Request to any artists following me. Draw Midori Nishizono being choked by Riki Naoe.

This route is drawing out too long

Riki: My hand curled into a fist.
IRL I’m sitting here yelling “DO IT DO IT!” Yet he doesn’t.

Kyousuke is one of the most beautifully written characters in the game

Riki is weaksauce, getting winded from a short kiss.

That’s what I like to see. A clever, thought out resolution where the bad guy, though still bad, helps out just enough. Though I bet Midori’s sex scene would have been hot.

Riki: Why can you be so happy Mio, why are you smiling.
>CG shows an unhappy Mio.
LOL OKAY

“It is snow white, your majesty” HOLY SHIT THIS MIRROR IS TALKING TO ME MOM WHAT DRUGS DID YOU GIVE ME

Oh man, I can see this scene being animated…or even filmed. (The one where Riki yells NISHIZONO-SAN and dives into the ocean)

Then, as Riki sank into the ocean he mutters to himself, “Well, I’ll be…seems this is as far as I can go.” He thinks to himself about how he should have exercised more regularly, and now he sees nothing.

I get to this point and, irl, I shouted “YES! YES!” The bgm (Haruka Kanata Instrumental) really adds to the feeling of triumph.http://yfrog.com/gz9jbwfj

And that wraps that route up. Glorious..no..Magnificient writing in this one. Definitely the most beautifully written route so far. I’m not sure who wrote this scenario, but they shuold be given an award. The choices of words and construction of phrases throughout the arc was magnificint.