Thank you all for the support and interest in this video! As a few notes, I am male and use he/him. There's also a small error where I misread Taku's age as 45 even though it's 46.
@@hellinahandbaschetwith4cats I don't have one. Since this is my first video, I thought it'd be better to make a patreon later if people showed interest. Thank you for asking though!
Personally I interpret that change in Madarame's route on Towa's part as a result of him not feeling like he fits in with his normal life anymore. He stays with Madarame and starts to see him as a lover because he feels like there is no other way left, similar to how abusers often isolate their victims to the point they don't have anyone but them left just in a more psychological sense. I completely understand your interpretation of the events though and wish the game would be a bit more clear about what made Towa change exactly. Also as a fellow CSA victim, I could not agree with your conclusion about the game more.
As someone who shamelessly likes a commonly controversial character such as Mink from DMMD, I was shocked by how much I couldn't stomach Madarame's route :( I forced skipped it almost entirely due to how triggering it was for me. I was so not comfortable with just how painfully realistic their toxic abusive relationship felt while reading his route. And Towa (a mc who by this time I came to care about, I rooted for him to find inner healing and happiness :'' ( ) just accepting said abuse back into his life, and submitting to it because he no longer felt like he had a place with his old support system ( with Taku and Rei...) was just yikes to me; it hit way too close to home. Which was extremely uncomfortable! and it sure took me back to the manipulation and mind games my own past ex pulled to make me stay with him. Ultimately, I guess it's in a way good writing since it managed to invoke so much emotion (even if it was repulsion, bitterness and disappointment) from me. Despite Madarame being such a shallow, one dimensional character experiencing his route, for me, felt like a series of raw punches to the face, repeatedly, until we finally reached the end utterly drained.
Same here. I like Mink and didn't have too much trouble with other heavy routes in Nitro+Chiral's other games (Shiki from Togainu no Chi and basically the entirety of Sweet Pool as examples) so I was surprised how much he affected me. The realism of Towa's character, his reactions to Madarame, and the context of the two routes before really makes it tough to get through. After replaying so many times I've become quite numb to Madarame's route but initially it was very difficult to read.
I just finished this game the other day and stumbled upon this video on my feed. I really wasn’t expecting to discover someone whose feelings so perfectly mirrored my own - not just regarding the game, but personal experiences as well. I am also a survivor, and I’ve long-since grown tired of the narrative that the only freedom people like us will ever get to experience is in death. Like you, I’ve also watched/read Banana Fish, A Little Life, Kaze to Ki no Uta, among many other works containing this trope. It is… disheartening, to say the least. Of course I always recognized these story elements as harmful and flawed, but I guess it never really occurred to me just how much it effected my own mentality until I played Fujieda’s route myself. I was honestly stunned to silence before crying like an absolute child. I just never expected a game like this to contain the message it did. I could honestly write a 100 page essay on this game, but I’ll spare your comment section of my ranting haha ^^ I just wanted to thank you for making this video. I initially felt a little silly for having such a strong emotional reaction upon completing the game, so it really is nice to know I wasn’t the only one. Your outlook is honestly such a breath of fresh air. I feel very grateful to have found your channel.
A simple thing I noticed at first glance is the contrast between Drammatical murder's flashy, unusual, alien-like, borderline ugly clothes designs (I remember Aoba and Noiz's outfits giving me headaches the longer I stared at them, but I grew to love them lol) to Slow Damage having way simpler choices in design and toned down colours that still stand out and are in tone with the environments. If anything, it makes it easier for the lovely cosplayers out there. Thoroughly enjoyed the well researched and explained review as well!.
This video seems to have been hit by the TH-cam recommendation Ray! I’m not done with the video yet but I’m absolutely loving it so far,the way you break down each of the chapters and segments is very well done! for a first video it’s really impressive, I hope that you make more stuff in the future!
This video is so well thought-out and I'm so glad to see more people talking about and experiencing Slow Damage and Nitro+Chiral as a developer. For all the flaws and shitty BL tropes their writing can fall into sometimes, they have some of the most poignant and impactful stories I've experienced in media and I desperately wish I could convince more people to love and appreciate them as much as I do. Slow Damage in particular serves as their peak in terms of overall story, with Towa being my all-time favorite protagonist for how complex and sympathetic he can be while still having many faults and unapologetic attitudes and traits. He feels so real and alive in ways that a lot of protagonists, ESPECIALLY BL protagonists, fail to really encapsulate as they tend to be vehicles for the mostly female audience to experience the story through. It's also really encouraging to see other transmasculine people engage with and relate to these stories critically, as a transmasc individual myself! Thank you for making this and thank you for showing up in my TH-cam feed randomly, this has really made my day.
I related to Towa realizing how much he wasnt enjoying life so fucking much at the end of the game. Being able to relate to most of his trauma, especially the stuff with Maya and the twisted love she had for him that only ever served to hurt him, made me dead set on working with a tattoo artist on a tattoo inspired by his scars and the game
I'm big baby booboo so I CANNOT read these types of VNs (a lot of Nitro+ works are like that for me unfortunately) but I can always appreciate when a story touches or resonates with someone in a way that lets *them* appreciate the text or the intent of the story. I'm glad that this story was able to help you during such a rough time, having to manage with medication that is supposed to help you but IS NOT working for you absolutely SUCKS. And I'm also very glad that despite all of the struggles, the main message is that you can go on, you can keep moving despite trauma and abuse, and that while the scars will never go away, that doesn't mean that life will never be worth living. There's always joy to be had and people who love you and want to support you. (Shoutout to that Kaze to Ki no Uta mention, that is a fucking hard read holy shit, I only found it because I was cruising for historic yuri and thought 'ah a BL from the same era as Shiroi Heya no Futari' and stopped reading after the side-story with Aslan bc well the scanlation had stopped there but also 'if I stop reading nothing else bad can happen h a ha, h a') On an unrelated note the primal fear that gripped me when I heard you say you were reviewing 'sweet pool' next, I've only read about that one bc I thought the art was cool but I'm *terrified*. That said I appreciate the way you handled the themes and topics of this VN, so I want to try to give the next video a watch! It is also really refreshing to have like. depictions of mental illness that are not vilified? Again like you said the POCD thing is like. The fact that it's confirmed as just like 'this is just what this type of anxiety does to someone, it doesn't make them any more likely to do something it's just that their brain's fire alarm keeps going off and hitting them over the head with 'what if' scenarios' Which is like. I can report that it's genuinely hell on earth, as someone with OCD who has experienced intrusive thoughts.
i have my own feelings on slow damage and how it deals with some of its darker themes; personally i feel like people choosing to completely ignore That One scene in fujieda's route does it a disservice because, while it makes the writing worse for the route in general, i think it could've made fujieda into an even more complex character had it been done right. i have more or less the same feelings towards madarame; my problem with his route wasnt so much the noncon stuff (as horrible as it is), but the fact that we as the audience are meant to be turned on by it. madarame in particular has the route where towa gets actively worse, but beyond some words in his internal narration iirc about taku and rei, we really dont feel like he himself knows this (and even then that can be interpreted as meta i guess lol) but i digress; this is such a lovely review of a story that also changed my life during an extremely difficult period in my life, and it makes me so happy to see that other people are enjoying it so much to the point of making content like this ❤
I just discovered this game but I love this video sm Also I love that in the end, when towa says that he cherishes his life he's by himself. Of course his loved ones definitely helped him but it felt like the scene was congratulating him for finally being able to value his life and that meant so much to me
I completely agree that madarame is an asshole and a shit, but his story have touched me the most. and yes, the relationship between Towa and Madarame is an example of HOW NOT TO DO in real life, but I am convinced that the game wants to show that in this regard, Madarame is the only one who can understand Towa’s craving for pain and violence and he is ready to give him as much as Towa is looking for this. neither Taku nor Rei can keep these urges in Towa (even before madarame appears again) and Towa was ALWAYS looking for these sensations.
Came across this video via a recommendation and even though I haven't played this game it really touched me. I struggle with POCD a lot in my life so seeing it acknowledged here (even though the game's depiction is definitely flawed) was a reminder that I'm not alone in it. Your conclusion at the end hit close to home and motivated me to keep trying to write about POCD and other forms of violent intrusive thoughts. Looking forward to your future stuff and also good luck with grad school.
I feel like I can’t properly express how nice it is to hear a guy talking about BL. I’ve never heard of this game (not a huge VN person), but you did such a compelling job talking about it, and I’m looking forward to your future work!
Slow damage is so far one of the, in my opinion, best visual novels I've played. I heavily agree with the Madarame part, I remember ranting about it to my friend while playing it but I'm so happy I pushed through and got to Fujieda's route. I sobbed so much TT. This video encapsulated exactly all of my feelings about it, great video 🧡
Interesting points. I personally really disliked Madarame's route and had a hard time sitting through it, but the idea that the different routes are Towa's different ways of dealing with trauma is a very interesting one.
I’ve been looking forward to this video since last week, and I’m happy that you go through the highs and lows of each route, because to me this VN has been one of the strongest experiences I had this year. Much like you, I bought this game with only DMMD as my only frame of reference with what to expect of Nitro+Chiral (other than Saya no Uta, but that’s just Nitro+), so I was just expecting a ‘good time’ with a little bit more of edge. And then it totally blew off my expectations. I think that SD is naturally more unapproachable to the average VN enjoyer given the graphic way it goes on to portray self-harm and PTSD. I personally appreciated how Towa was written as a survivor of CSA, because hypersexuality is kind of a hot subject a lot of writers have no idea how to tackle, and though I agree that the sexualization of self-harm is off-putting, I think that it lends itself to be interpreted as intentionally upsetting, because this is coming from Towa’s own mindset taking over the angle of the narrative. (On a curious side note: the English translation is written in first person, but in Japanese it’s actually on third person, but I’m still learning Japanese and I’m a very slow reader, so I can’t tell you exactly how much it differs yet) I'll be honest though: I liked Madarame's route (call it me having a penchant for trashy toxic relationships in fiction), because of how it works in contrast with other routes. Madarame is abusive and manipulative, that’s not ambiguous, but he is also someone who cares about Towa in his own twisted way. I think that Madarame consider’s Towa’s willingness to just take punishment and not fight back as a downgrade and works to restore that fighting spirit, to remake him as his ‘equal’ as he was back in their days as yakuza. Madarame is also quite the hypocrite on how he calls out Taku as a liar for wanting to keep Towa’s past away from him, but he also forces Towa to cast away the past and focus only on living in the moment, which is also kind of the same Taku was doing, but with more violence. (And I think that I’ll keep it like that for now, I could write an entire essay about Madarame and what I think of him in spite of being the most underwritten love interest, but well, I know exactly why he’s not well-liked). Overall, while not being perfect, I wholeheartedly agree that Slow Damage is a love letter for survivors of abuse and trauma, giving Towa, a messy and seemingly hopeless individual who still suffers from the aftermath of his abuse even years after it happened, four(three?) different good endings in which he is accepted and supported by his loved ones even if the fact remains that he’ll always struggle with these things. Though it’s not for everyone, not even for every survivor of abuse, it really means the world to me that a story like Slow Damage exists.
Thank you so much for such a long and thoughtful comment! It's a good point about how the sexualization of self harm can fit into Towa's mindset. That's another way that the handling of self harm in Slow Damage can be so complex and difficult to pick apart. The sexualization is definitely important to the story but it's also something that is difficult to approach. Towa's specific experiences and presentation as a survivor when it comes to hypersexuality was largely handled deftly. It's hard to depict so the fact they got so much of it is impressive, even if it comes with some downsides. I can understand the appeal of Madarame's route for some people. This review was done with the purpose of analyzing the game's overall messages regarding abuse and survival so I came at it from that perspective. But I also do like a few of Nitro+Chiral's more contentious love interests from their other games (Mink has a place in my heart, despite all his flaws). I'd be lying if I said I didn't like any scenes in Madarame's route. Your point about hypocrisy and him building back up Towa as an equal is excellent too. I didn't quite think of it like that but it's pretty clearly stated in the route. If you do ever write that essay on Madarame, I'd be interested to read it! A big part of what I like about Nitro+Chiral is how they can create characters people have such distinct reactions to. Thank you again for all your thoughts! It was great to read them and see what others think.
@@crowaes0 (Yay, another Mink-liker!) I'm honestly happy that someone did make the effort to make a video about everything that encompasses SD, since it's still relatively unpopular compared to N+C's predecessor. In spite of being a difficult story to sell, I still want more people to know about it and maybe find some of the comfort I did in it.
While I agree that Fujieda refusing to apologize is bad and that the scene is weirdly written and implemented, I do kind of understand the intention behind the scene. It shows Towa and Fujieda both at their lowest, after some horrible realizations. Towa falls back into old self destructive habits, of craving violence and enjoying pain. While Fujieda is slowly falling into similar habits, inflicting pain as an outlet for his trauma. It’s mentioned later on that it’s very possible for Fujieda to have end up in a similar state of apathy and hedonism as Towa did. I think what the scene intended to do is show how that could potentially happen, both of them falling into this trap when suffering under immense despair. I don’t think it’s the most well executed scene, but what they tried to tell is I think at least understandable. That said, because of somewhat wonky implementation I don’t blame anyone for finding the scene just repulsive entirely.
This video is exactly what I’ve felt and thought throughout the vn, im glad it exists since I don’t see many people talk about it to this extent possibly due its tropes and harmful ideas it sometimes falls into derailing it’s main premise as you said. Slow damage spoke to me in many ways especially the ending that resonated with me specifically as well as your final input stating many parents don’t seek to abuse their children, I haven’t found many pieces of media that encapsulated how I felt towards a mother who’s caused issues that would stay with me but also had her own issues that were some sort of explanation but not an excuse yet still make them human or not fully to be sympathized with. (I’m also looking forward to your thoughts on sweet pool since it’s my favorite out of nitro chiral’s releases slow damage being second)
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! The nuances regarding parental abuse and the way intentions don't change impact really mattered to me when playing. The pain of that relationship is something I think the game captured incredibly well, even if it stumbles in a lot of other areas. I hope you enjoy the eventual video on Sweet Pool as well!
It's really touching to know how close a subject this was for you, how tough it must be to share openly, and what the game did for you. I feel a little iffy on the masterpiece title since it seems so many of the routes romanceable figures go into nonconsensual actions or enact deliberate or attempted harm, but i'll chalk it up to the intense whirl of emotions the game is trying to put you on and the edge. This was very engaging to put on, even in the background. I havent watched a full hour of anything for a while, so i hope this video of yours does really well. many thumbs up man
I learned about this game cuz Towa got a nendoroid. I got him cuz I felt drawn to him and figured if I didn't like having anymore I could use his parts. But he's still one of my favorite nendos. After learning his story, I get why he's one of my favs now.
Wow. When I finished the game, I was really hoping to find a video essay that tackled Slow Damage and its themes and it really was such a joy to hear your perspectives on it. Slow Damage was such an incredible piece of fiction and I think, in some ways, it is due to the fact that it's willing to grapple with some more uncomfortable aspects of abuse and embrace the humanity of its protagonist. I know there were definitely nights (especially when I was working through Madarame's route) that were a struggle to make it through. I think you really hit the nail on the head about Taku's route, in particular. It just simmers so long as you wait for the other shoe to drop about Asakura and again with Towa's internment. It was already a route I felt mixed about given Taku's age and what's learned about his past relationship with Towa and the pacing just made it a lot harder to get through. I feel like some of the necessities of the route-based presentation of the story might have held it back at times. The romaniticization of the later parts of Madarame's route (even if I think another commenter brought up some good points on how that might be a matter of Towa's perception) and that particular scene in Fujieda's route similarly feel like relics of an adherence to a route-based narrative with good/bad endings and need for a certain amount of erotic scenes per route. Either way, I'm sorry for rambling. I just wanted to say very well done! I really enjoyed watching this and I'm looking forward to your future work!
I've been a fan of nitroplus games since ~2012, and seeing videos like this makes me so happy :) SD is one of, if not my favorite work of theirs, it's really amazing how much work and care they put into it...I don't even mind all the years we've waited. It's a game that leaves you feeling extremely empty after finishing it, and (at least in my opinion), has that trademark nitroplus way of changing the way you think about many things, and as it did to me in 2021, could possibly change/impact your life quite a lot. The EN translation hurts it a lot, and after finishing it once, i think everyone should play the JP original if they can. It's one of the few pieces of media that portray someone from a broken family well, and it's scary how relatable it can be to some, haha. There is so much that i could say (or rather...type? lol) about SD, but we've all played it and probably had similar thoughts and feelings after finishing it. Though, one thing that has me worried is the game reaching an audience it shouldn't. The glorification of mental struggles is rampant on online platforms, and while relating to a character who shares your struggles is perfectly fine, i don't think doing it in places and ways where children could possibly come across it is a good idea. I really hope SD won't become TikTok famous, because no child should engage with this sort of media (even if youre like me and cover your monitor with a sheet of paper when the porn kicks in :P). At the end of the day, I'm just really happy a studio i've loved for over a decade is finally getting the recognition they deserve, even outside of its niche :). I strongly recommend playing their other games, both from nitroplus and their sister studio. PS. If any of you haven't done so yet, go read the liner notes!
Hello, I just wanted to say that your non-spoiler section of the video got me to play Slow Damage and now that I have finished the game (and absolutely loved it, I may have cried once or twice) I get to finally to finish the video!! But anyway I wanted to thank you for this video and getting me to play a fantastic game that really resonated with me. I have already gotten at least 2 friends to watch this video with one of them for sure planning to play it at some point. I hope you're doing well, I look forward to seeing more of your videos! :)
I've been wanting to hear more people talk about this game ever since I've finished playing it. I was left utterly sobbing at the ending of the game and left feeling empty, so thank you for providing with a 1 hour video of probably one of my favorite VNs so far!
Okay, came here to say that I've finished the entire video. I really love hearing your review and how Slow Damage has impacted you (and I'm glad that it ended up becoming a positive esperience for you!). I'm really surprised to know that this is your first video too, it's super high quality! Definitely going to sub and watch your Sweet Pool video after this! Thank you for all that you do!
Im glad to see someone whos trans talk about transgender representation in this game! Also for the pronouns part. Some translators will have a hard time when localizing watashi or boku, especially for non gender conforming characters. A good example is Houseki no Kuni fan translations versus official. In fan many characters will use male centric language and he/him pronouns. For localization, not to confuse people and changing pronouns throughout, characters use they/them pronouns and more neutral language. Great thing to point out tho
I'm finally done with the game, and now I can watch the video in its entirety! I have not finished the video yet, so I'll be back to edit this comment once I'm done. Thank you for making the video! Edit: Wonderfully made. Honestly said, Madarame's route icks me so much while playing it, I had to read it in a comical voice to make it bearable. A bit of a personal story below. While I have never went through a toxic romantic relationship, I have had a toxic friendship that still hurts me til this day. The tactics that Madarame used was so similar to what that friend did to me, it's downright terrifying. The way he constantly claims Towa and him are "similar", it creates an "us vs. them" mentality, further isolates him from his support system. Or the way he just vaguely threats Towa with, "you will never fit in with them, the only choice is to be with me" too. I was very upset once I finished that route, I'm glad Fujieda's route healed me quite a bit. And of course, Fujieda is my favorite route. I love Rei's route too, his story resonates with me a lot since I struggle with my own gender identity as well. Seeing his euphoria ending gives me hope! Taku's route makes me feel a bit... off, to be honest. Both endings, really. I can't really figure out why, but maybe it's the age gap.
It was an amazing review, I just finished playing the game and I was curious of what could have been the experiences of other players Your analysis was beautifully executed, you talked of the pros and cons and still emphasized that this game conveys a very soothing message for survivors, calling it a "love letter" is the best way to put it into words About each routes, you've made me realize many details I didn't notice while playing, at first I didn't feel like playing the game a second time but now I've reconsidered and might do it later when I have the time because I loooove discovering little hints or foreshadowings I can't put this game as my favorite one because yes it is flawed in some ways but it's definitely one of my favorites and if I can I'll recommend it because I think it can help every person that suffers from traumas/PTSD or just help people understanding how it can feel to go though that I love games like these, that's why my favorite game is still Omori and I really recommend it whenever I can, it deals more with grief but is also really worth playing I wanted to thank you for making this video, I can't even imagine all the time it must have taken to make a video this long and well written Also, as slow damage taught me, I think we should all be proud of keeping on living with our struggles, so I wish you the best in your life
Thank you SO MUCH for going in-depth on not just my favorite BLVN, but one of my singular favorite pieces of media ever! This game was a journey I'm so, so glad I could experience as blind as possible, and I've been absolutely starved for a video essay analysis!
When I saw the thumbnail for the first time, I checked out the game without even opening the video, and now that I finished it I can finally enjoy this amazing review and thank you properly. Seriously, this game has utterly destroyed me emotionally in the best way possible, and if it wasn’t for this video I don’t think I would’ve ever came across Slow Damage (at least not in the near future given how little people seem to know about it), so once again thank you❤
I cannot wait to listen to another video like this from you! I share a lot of the same criticism of the game. I felt like Slow Damage fumbled with some message. Rei’s route about Violence and being manly. How he feels the need to change his way to speak to be masculine, when he can be masculine without needing to change. He can however he wants and still be masculine. I am not sure if I missed the point or what. Taku’s route is… well. I have complicated feeling in general about Taku because my issue with him are recurring throughout the game, but that’s because he is an amazing character. One of the best in my opinion. It’s not black or white. His lies. How he thinks he knows better than Towa what Towa should or shouldn’t know. The more you progress into the game, the more you realize he’s a liar. Madarame and Fujieda call him out on this eventually. Yay! I was happy each time because even in his route, it was obvious he was keeping things from Towa. He thinks he’s doing the right thing. It’s a white lie, but it’s still wrong. He’s too protective of Towa… like a father figure, which makes his romance worse because you realize he knows and cared for Towa since he was a CHILD. He didn’t save him or anything, he took care of his wound for him. The age gap isn’t that much of a problem once they are adult, but the fact that Taku knows him since he’s a little boy and it a reassuring presence in his whole life is icky for me. It feels like grooming. I do not like that aspect. Madarame’s route shouldn’t have been portrayed as this love story. It losts of its quality once it became clear this was turning into a “romance”… it started strong, but sadly the romance aspect felt forced for me. The route is amazing outside of that however and it’s an amazing jumping point for Fujieda’s route which is amazing. I simply act like the r*** didn’t happen in the park in Fujieda’s route because, as you said, it feels out of place and not in character for him at all. This route and Fujieda is all about healing, understanding and care. This scene just doesn’t belong there and feels like they just needed another S-scene for Fujieda. Fighting and tackling each other on the ground should have been enough. It went too far. I feel like their S-scene should have been consensual all the time because they have respect from each other as the route progress. Fujieda helps him when he’s at his lowest. It’s weird in an otherwise amazing and route about survivors and life.
I'd like to note about your comments surrounding the writing: the game was originally written in third person! It was the translator's decision to change it to Towa's perspective. I believe this change ends up harming a lot of the nuance within the game in addition to changing how certain characters are viewed - one big example of this effect is that Towa swears, which doesn't seem like a crazy change but it does a lot of harm to his character and specifically the way his demeanor is presented, instead of an apathetic person who is seemingly incapable of feeling strong emotions of his own he swears and is always giving his perspective on things which for me ruined alot of the mystery surrounding his character. If you ever revisit this game I highly suggest playing with a auto translator!! (there's a rather extensive guide on tumblr but it requires a digital copy of the Japanese game)
hey wait, i just checked and you only have 161 followers? count me the 162nd! this is so high quality and i love your review style! thank you for introducing me to an another amazing VN to add to my reading pile!
First of I loved the work you put into your review. It's so good to see/hear more about this VN, because it definitely deserved it. Personally, I was pretty sure I was going to like Slow Damage, but I didn't expect it to so utterly blow me away in an equally good and bad way. So Slow Damage is currently not only my favourite NC game, but probably also my favourite VN of all time. There's just so much detail and love put into it from the music, the art, the presentation, the writing, the gameplay to even the freaking menu/ui/title screen. Of course it has its flaws. Then again, I have yet to encounter something that doesn't. What makes it a masterpiece to me is once again the heart and soul they've put into this project. Not only that, but to me a masterpiece is something that manages its strong points so well, that its flaws seem/feel minor or unimportant in comparison. In the case of SD I even felt like its flaws seemed almost deliberate at times, or they made for an even more intense experience for me. It's weird how something can make you feel quite uncomfortable, to the point where you almost have to turn away, yet at the same time fascinates you so much you can't and feel cathargic at the same time. Slow Damage definitely isn't for the faint of heart, due to its heavy subject matter and yet it's strange how it felt like the most emotionally satisfying story I've read in a while. Even now the ending feels somewhat profoundly beatiful to me. "Beauty in the macabre" fits this VN best I think. Still it's definitely hard to recommend, but at the same time I want to, because I have truly never felt so invested in a world and especially its characters and I can honestly say that I enjoyed each and every route, even if for very different reasons. In the end, of course it's always very subjective wether someone enjoys or dislikes something and the way someon chooses to convey their stories. That is more than ok and needs to be repected. So seeing such a well put together video, with a mature way in handling your perspective/opinion on something that will probably always have a special place in my heart from now on, was a true delight. So thank you so much!
I just wanna to say thank you for making this review! I have been big fan of your fujitowas fics so it was really nice to hear your thoughts on the game as whole. My big opinion about the game is that I wish it wasn't an eroge with multiple endings. Unfortunately I think it looses a lot of its quality because each route needs to focus in one LI, and Towa's secret can only be revealed in the last route.
I hope you do more Nitro + Chiral titles, they opened me up to the BLVN world and I can appreciate the amount of effort they’ve put in every single one of their titles, Togainu no Chi would be a good one, although when I compare it to SD, you could tell how much the world has changed since they wrote their very first VN. I like it but it’s definitely aged
I'm planning on also discussing Lamento and Dramatical Murder at the moment! Though I have played Togainu no Chi, I found I didn't have much to say about it in comparison to the other games so for the moment I'm not planning on discussing it. That may change if/when I replay it though.
@@crowaes0 I get it, in all honesty TnC definitely didn’t age well especially compared to the other titles, but it also walked so the others could run. I do enjoy the story of it a lot with the apocalyptic and dark world that it’s set in, as well as the characters too, like I did feel that it was a really solid story. But I wish that they would do like a modern day reimagined version of it, I feel they could dive deeper with the characters and their stories. I will say though, Lamento and DMMD are Chefs kiss, I especially love lamento to because it’s LONG and full of content and story driven. While Dmmd is more character driven they both are great. I really do love looking at the N+C catalogue to see how far they’ve come since the old days and the evolution is so crazy I love it That being said I am excited to see your reviews on those games
i'm really glad i found this review video! i've been meaning to play this game sometimes ago and just got back to it around the time i watched this. one thing to be commended(?) about n+c games is that they never shy away from the painful realities of life and trauma and though not perfect, i was very surprised at the amount of emotions they managed to evoke out of me. Fujieda's route as a whole and him talking towa out of self exit is... very cathartic and beautiful-written. his route is almost a balm to the soul after madarame's abusive one. although madarame is my least favorite route, i guess the one good thing in it for me was how in the last interrogation session no matter how much towa tried to dig, madarame's desire was simply him - towa- and towa cannot manipulate him into answering any other. i guess its kind of fresh because there was minimal euphoria manipulation from towa's side in this route (but a hell lot from madarame). thank you for the wonderful and insightful video, i hope to watch more 😊
incredible video essay! i just finished slow damage and it left me laying ill in bed while my brain was being beat like eggs -- in that i had so much to think about and no idea how to coherently talk about any of it -- and this video really put to words the Concotion of feelings i was having about the game in all its good and bad. you also brought up a lot of things i hadn't even considered much before (especially with the music. as someone who absolutely knows Nothing about music i loved hearing your analysis of the bgm) and it's given me so much to think about. i can tell you really poured a lot of love and thought into this and it was a great watch... thank you for posting this
THANK YOU OMG. I hated the part from Fujiedas route in the park. It just felt so SO forced and out of place 😭 I loved the game and especially this particular route but that scene just kinda ruined it for me a little
Thank you for this beautiful review of this amazing game! I can't even imagine how much time consuming it must have been to not only write but also record, edit, add subtitles and timestamp all the chapters to this video but thank you for this! Overall i feel like our opinions on this game, its aspects and its characters definitely align, and i won't lie but there're a few scenes that you didn't discuss in as much detail that i would love to discuss with you bcz after listening to your opinions for almost 2 hours it's like a sense of familiarity grew into me and now i kinda want to discuss the whole game with you lmaooo but anyway more seriously your arguments and reviews were beautifully written and i think your overall conclusion regarding this game is absolutely right. I actually ended up kinda crying towards the end of your video i won't lie. But anyway i repeat myself again but it's definitely an amazing video and im really happy that you shared all this work with us! if you do end up posting more reviews on the future i will gladly watch your videos as this one is the proof alone of a very dedicated and serious work. Have a nice day/night! ♡
while playing madarame's route i found myself kind of bored during those hours of gameplay when he was kidnapped, but now I'm realizing that that whole time my "boredom" would be broken when towa finally went home, I wanted to see him get out of there. I still didn't really enjoy that part of his playthrough but I do agree that it showed the toxicity of their relationship greatly, I guess I never dwelled on it too much because the more I thought about it the more upset it made me. I started enjoying his route a lot more after he was finally freed from the collar, and I wouldn't say I disliked his euphoria ending, i'm very conflicted on it actually. the first part really upset me but afterwards i liked it. Idk, madarame you confuse me
Im sorry but this is way too well edited and just.. genereally so greatly put together for someone with only basically 300 subs???? This was a very interesting video. Hadnt heard of this game before but i kind of want to check it out. Gonna watch your other video once im done with this one but youve got my sub. This is a nice video dude.
What a wonderfully written video essay that goes into great depth for a VN that I had only a passing interest in, but was genuinely happy to have sat through your entire synopsis on. Lots of great points, careful treatment of sensitive topics, and bravery for willing to trudge through some of these dark hallways to find the warm light on the other side. I definitely feel for you re: the non-con stuff in Fujieda's route, as it can be hard to tell in eroges whether poor writing or the mandatory inclusion of risque H-scenes are to blame. In either case, it always sucks when you have a glaring blemish like that mucking up an otherwise excellent story about survival and bonding. Thank you for the 1:42:00 of enlightment, crowaes-you got your thoughts & emotions across excellently.
I'm happy that youtube recommended me this review! I really like Slow Damage and it's one of my favourite visual novels till this day. Without getting into much unnecessary detail, and while i don't agree with many of the points you made, i do appreciate you taking your time to organize your thoughts and video very neatly! I love to see more people getting into Slow Damage
ahh im so glad a video like this showed up! i love slow damage and (while it's not /perfect/) it blew my mind when i played it. straight up the peak for me EDIT (like, 11 months after i posted this, because i came back to finish the vid): personally, while I absolutely despised Madarame and his '''romance''' with Towa, I eventually came away thinking that it was a good addition to the cast--it contrasts the other routes, containing people who love and cherish Towa, with someone who is just genuinely a hideously awful, abusive, and selfish person. It's a route that regresses Towa back to traits that he didn't want to return to, with a relationship he didn't want to return to. I understand thinking that the end comes across positive, like theyre making their relationship actually Good, Fujieda's route actually makes me think that Madarame's inclusion in the story was to show that he just... was not needed in Towa's life, and does nothing good. Taku and Rei are very noticeable in Towa's final route--but Madarame shows up, like, for one scene? And then immediately disappears and never appears again. To me, it felt like the game was saying Madarame is in no way healthy for Towa and shows how much he simply is not important to him on his journey to become healthier. It felt like such a middle finger to him that it always cracks me up, dude meant NOTHING to the true route. He was so inconsequential and unimportant. The final route got what it needed from him then told him to piss off. It's amazing. Screw Madarame all my homies hate Madarame.
This is what i love about Nitro Chiral games. The production quality going into BL games is impressive from the music to the story and visuals - they jusy dont deliver a horny BL game, they deliver a horny BL game with FEELZ
this is such a great video!! i jus finished playing this game with my friend and have tried to find essays/videos talking about it but there are not that many at the moment so I was sooooo excited to find this!! and i can't wait for the video about sweet pool!! its truly a shame that only a few people talk about nitro+chiral games :(
Thank you for this. I really like the video format and greatly appreciate how you separated all of the sections by category. This is very high quality and very interesting. It's so sad about abusers... unable to reconcile with their monsters and face them
This was a wonderful watch! I think you showed so well a nuanced and appreciative review and discussion of Slow Damage, all while being clear in your perspective and discussion. I’m glad I got to watch this and I really look forward to your sweet pool review (sweet pool is my favorite of the Nitro Chiral games ahaha).
this is such a fantastic video!! i've been so keen to see someone break down this vn's themes after i played it myself :) looking forward to seeing more from you in the future!
Amazing review, and was a great way for me to refresh myself on what exactly happened in that amazing VN I read. I enjoyed Rei's route so much and it was great to get a real heartful analysis of it! thank for this amazing review!
I had been looking forward to Slow Damage since the first teaser trailer was released and hoo boyyyyy the game did not disappoint at all. For me it's the perfect combination of all the good things from Nitro+Chiral's previous titles, it's really good and I kinda wish it at least gets the same amount of recognition as DMMD though I kinda get why it doesn't, probably because of the heavier themes & the art direction being closer to past games than DMMD's bright art that stands out. I didn't have a favorite ML, I just really love Towa as a protagonist so I was curious to know more about him & enjoy following his journey through every routes. The payoff from the true ending is really satisfying. It hurts, it's beautiful, I just adore it despite its flaws.
Thank you for your in-depth review of Slow Damage. I especially enjoyed your interpretations of the story as well as focus on the music - the soundtrack of N+C's vns have always been stellar and I'm happy to see them given more light especially from a thematic sense. Sweet pool also has an amazingly thematic soundtrack and looking forward to your review on it as well :)
Slow damage became one of my favorite games due to the story writing itself, I do agree with you that Madarame was the worst route for Towa and the rape scene on Fujieda’s route was so out of character bc I felt the same way about it, this game is definitely hard to recommend since not a lot of people can stomach through the topics included in the story, but it’s beautiful in its own way, obviously it does have some flaws, but it’s a masterpiece
After watching this, I am incredibly glad I didn't play it. It sounds fantastic, hitting great places and dealing with important topics that I'm constantly looking for in media. All of this sounds right up my alley. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeexcept the physical self-harm, which is severe enough that your very mild discussions of it had the onset of a PTSD attack. I'm glad they didn't turn me away because it was worth it, but wow is it weird to begin to white out and still focus on reading what's being said. I'm looking forward to sweet pool, and I'm glad you got medication that works for you. That stuff is genuinely the worst.
This was such an amazing watch! SD definitely deserves more attention and it was one of the best VN I’ve played last year, but i always feel it’s hard to recommend it. as much as i enjoyed the last route, i had mixed feelings about rei and taku routes while playing them, and madarame route was just...painful to watch. I think you did a great job balancing both the good points and flaws discussion and I’m so glad to hear someone else talking about SD and feeling the same way about certain points. Thank you so much for making this video! looking forward to your next work!
Amazing video omg....❤ Btw have you ever watched the anime Banana Fish ? I finished that show right after playing this game and connected Towa and Ash very deeply since they're both feel like same person and same story but different ways they approach their situation....idk how to explain this but do you get me?
just stumbled across this.....yeah. dunno what this is but the UI design and stuff looks cool. Whatever the decision premise is, sounds interesting, answering with Positivity or Negativity. But what's Euphoria and Madness? Wondering about that. Is it the state of your MC, or something else?
came here from amelie doree, i do plan on watching the whole thing but the gameplay (especially the interrogations) seems very interesting and like something i would enjoy. you did say at the beginning that this game deals with some very heavy topics but i'm wondering how exactly does the game handle them? the csa warning is the biggest caveat for me and without spoilers i really want to know how it's dealt with in the game, is it seen as sexy/fetishized, how graphic is it, is it portrayed with empathy etc
The handling is at times pretty good and at others is quite flawed. Without getting too into spoilers, a character has a history of CSA and that is handled really well with all the weight and respect it deserves. It's central to one of the routes and gets a lot of focus. There's some flashbacks and nightmare scenes but they aren't detailed or graphic in my opinion. The character's reactions to the CSA memories are intense though. I found it tough to get through a lot of scenes as the depiction of a character being triggered and having breakdowns was itself a bit triggering for me. Overall though, it's handled excellently in that route and I found it to be very touching as a survivor myself. It's pretty good and one of the things I think involved a lot of care on the part of the writers. There's also a chapter before one of the other routes deals with a character who is rumored to be a pedophile. Although he isn't, the game leaves it up in the air way too long as to if he's actually one or not. It's basically not until the last scene that there's confirmation he isn't. There is also scene where characters treat human trafficking somewhat callously which I think was an intentional choice to show how living in Shinkoumi leads to desensitization around violence. But it is very uncomfortable as a scene itself and I think it could be potentially upsetting or even triggering. The issue of CSA isn't portrayed as fetishized and there's never any depictions of it in description or imagery. But I found it to be a major misstep for how long the question hangs and in context it was very uncomfortable and difficult for me to get through. It's honestly a bit difficult to put it into words as it's not exactly fetishistic or graphic but is almost treating it more as a mystery to be solved rather than a genuine threat. Which in context is callous and I think lacking some level of empathy. This section of the game is fairly short though, about 2-4 hours depending on your reading speed. Finally, child trafficking as a subject is mentioned in some other routes. There's one conversation where it gets discussed regarding how a character who participated in it was uncaring towards the victims. But it doesn't go into detail about the trafficking itself or anything beyond his attitude. It's something I think is handled decently. That got super long but I hope that's enough detail without getting too much into spoilers. In the broad strokes, the game tries to center the perspective of CSA survivors, never shows anything, and handles it without fetishism. But there are missteps in there and moments where I think it loses that seriousness and empathy. Sometimes that's an intentional part of characterization that doesn't bleed into the narration/general writing. Other times it crosses a line and loses that serious tone and loses that emphasis on the survivor's perspective. I'd say if CSA is really sensitive as a topic it might be better to skip this game as it's a core part of it's subject matter, messaging, and themes. But I found it quite cathartic at times as, broadly, it gets more right than it gets wrong and there is a real focus on the perspective of a survivor and the pain PTSD can cause long term.
Im not gay but game looks cool af and plot seems interesting. I want to watch your video really bad, but i dont want spoilers and going to play this game.
thank you so much for making this video! i've been starving for videos on this game and it's great to hear someone else's views, especially another trans man's. also, i know this is your first video but you still deserve so many more subscribers! ^-^
Thank you in turn for the comment and for watching! The response to this has honestly been way beyond what I imagined it would be. It's been super encouraging to see.
Thank you all for the support and interest in this video!
As a few notes, I am male and use he/him. There's also a small error where I misread Taku's age as 45 even though it's 46.
do you have a patreon? I cant find it
@@hellinahandbaschetwith4cats I don't have one. Since this is my first video, I thought it'd be better to make a patreon later if people showed interest. Thank you for asking though!
omg me too so based
Personally I interpret that change in Madarame's route on Towa's part as a result of him not feeling like he fits in with his normal life anymore. He stays with Madarame and starts to see him as a lover because he feels like there is no other way left, similar to how abusers often isolate their victims to the point they don't have anyone but them left just in a more psychological sense. I completely understand your interpretation of the events though and wish the game would be a bit more clear about what made Towa change exactly.
Also as a fellow CSA victim, I could not agree with your conclusion about the game more.
As someone who shamelessly likes a commonly controversial character such as Mink from DMMD, I was shocked by how much I couldn't stomach Madarame's route :(
I forced skipped it almost entirely due to how triggering it was for me. I was so not comfortable with just how painfully realistic their toxic abusive relationship felt while reading his route. And Towa (a mc who by this time I came to care about, I rooted for him to find inner healing and happiness :'' ( ) just accepting said abuse back into his life, and submitting to it because he no longer felt like he had a place with his old support system ( with Taku and Rei...) was just yikes to me; it hit way too close to home. Which was extremely uncomfortable! and it sure took me back to the manipulation and mind games my own past ex pulled to make me stay with him.
Ultimately, I guess it's in a way good writing since it managed to invoke so much emotion (even if it was repulsion, bitterness and disappointment) from me. Despite Madarame being such a shallow, one dimensional character experiencing his route, for me, felt like a series of raw punches to the face, repeatedly, until we finally reached the end utterly drained.
Same here. I like Mink and didn't have too much trouble with other heavy routes in Nitro+Chiral's other games (Shiki from Togainu no Chi and basically the entirety of Sweet Pool as examples) so I was surprised how much he affected me. The realism of Towa's character, his reactions to Madarame, and the context of the two routes before really makes it tough to get through. After replaying so many times I've become quite numb to Madarame's route but initially it was very difficult to read.
I'm starving for Slow Damage content, and, wait, almost a two-hour-long review?? I'm so ready for this
I just finished this game the other day and stumbled upon this video on my feed. I really wasn’t expecting to discover someone whose feelings so perfectly mirrored my own - not just regarding the game, but personal experiences as well. I am also a survivor, and I’ve long-since grown tired of the narrative that the only freedom people like us will ever get to experience is in death. Like you, I’ve also watched/read Banana Fish, A Little Life, Kaze to Ki no Uta, among many other works containing this trope. It is… disheartening, to say the least. Of course I always recognized these story elements as harmful and flawed, but I guess it never really occurred to me just how much it effected my own mentality until I played Fujieda’s route myself. I was honestly stunned to silence before crying like an absolute child. I just never expected a game like this to contain the message it did. I could honestly write a 100 page essay on this game, but I’ll spare your comment section of my ranting haha ^^ I just wanted to thank you for making this video. I initially felt a little silly for having such a strong emotional reaction upon completing the game, so it really is nice to know I wasn’t the only one. Your outlook is honestly such a breath of fresh air. I feel very grateful to have found your channel.
A simple thing I noticed at first glance is the contrast between Drammatical murder's flashy, unusual, alien-like, borderline ugly clothes designs (I remember Aoba and Noiz's outfits giving me headaches the longer I stared at them, but I grew to love them lol) to Slow Damage having way simpler choices in design and toned down colours that still stand out and are in tone with the environments. If anything, it makes it easier for the lovely cosplayers out there.
Thoroughly enjoyed the well researched and explained review as well!.
This video seems to have been hit by the TH-cam recommendation Ray! I’m not done with the video yet but I’m absolutely loving it so far,the way you break down each of the chapters and segments is very well done! for a first video it’s really impressive, I hope that you make more stuff in the future!
This video is so well thought-out and I'm so glad to see more people talking about and experiencing Slow Damage and Nitro+Chiral as a developer. For all the flaws and shitty BL tropes their writing can fall into sometimes, they have some of the most poignant and impactful stories I've experienced in media and I desperately wish I could convince more people to love and appreciate them as much as I do. Slow Damage in particular serves as their peak in terms of overall story, with Towa being my all-time favorite protagonist for how complex and sympathetic he can be while still having many faults and unapologetic attitudes and traits. He feels so real and alive in ways that a lot of protagonists, ESPECIALLY BL protagonists, fail to really encapsulate as they tend to be vehicles for the mostly female audience to experience the story through. It's also really encouraging to see other transmasculine people engage with and relate to these stories critically, as a transmasc individual myself! Thank you for making this and thank you for showing up in my TH-cam feed randomly, this has really made my day.
I related to Towa realizing how much he wasnt enjoying life so fucking much at the end of the game. Being able to relate to most of his trauma, especially the stuff with Maya and the twisted love she had for him that only ever served to hurt him, made me dead set on working with a tattoo artist on a tattoo inspired by his scars and the game
I'm big baby booboo so I CANNOT read these types of VNs (a lot of Nitro+ works are like that for me unfortunately) but I can always appreciate when a story touches or resonates with someone in a way that lets *them* appreciate the text or the intent of the story. I'm glad that this story was able to help you during such a rough time, having to manage with medication that is supposed to help you but IS NOT working for you absolutely SUCKS. And I'm also very glad that despite all of the struggles, the main message is that you can go on, you can keep moving despite trauma and abuse, and that while the scars will never go away, that doesn't mean that life will never be worth living. There's always joy to be had and people who love you and want to support you. (Shoutout to that Kaze to Ki no Uta mention, that is a fucking hard read holy shit, I only found it because I was cruising for historic yuri and thought 'ah a BL from the same era as Shiroi Heya no Futari' and stopped reading after the side-story with Aslan bc well the scanlation had stopped there but also 'if I stop reading nothing else bad can happen h a ha, h a')
On an unrelated note the primal fear that gripped me when I heard you say you were reviewing 'sweet pool' next, I've only read about that one bc I thought the art was cool but I'm *terrified*. That said I appreciate the way you handled the themes and topics of this VN, so I want to try to give the next video a watch!
It is also really refreshing to have like. depictions of mental illness that are not vilified? Again like you said the POCD thing is like. The fact that it's confirmed as just like 'this is just what this type of anxiety does to someone, it doesn't make them any more likely to do something it's just that their brain's fire alarm keeps going off and hitting them over the head with 'what if' scenarios' Which is like. I can report that it's genuinely hell on earth, as someone with OCD who has experienced intrusive thoughts.
i have my own feelings on slow damage and how it deals with some of its darker themes; personally i feel like people choosing to completely ignore That One scene in fujieda's route does it a disservice because, while it makes the writing worse for the route in general, i think it could've made fujieda into an even more complex character had it been done right. i have more or less the same feelings towards madarame; my problem with his route wasnt so much the noncon stuff (as horrible as it is), but the fact that we as the audience are meant to be turned on by it. madarame in particular has the route where towa gets actively worse, but beyond some words in his internal narration iirc about taku and rei, we really dont feel like he himself knows this (and even then that can be interpreted as meta i guess lol)
but i digress; this is such a lovely review of a story that also changed my life during an extremely difficult period in my life, and it makes me so happy to see that other people are enjoying it so much to the point of making content like this ❤
I just discovered this game but I love this video sm
Also I love that in the end, when towa says that he cherishes his life he's by himself. Of course his loved ones definitely helped him but it felt like the scene was congratulating him for finally being able to value his life and that meant so much to me
I completely agree that madarame is an asshole and a shit, but his story have touched me the most. and yes, the relationship between Towa and Madarame is an example of HOW NOT TO DO in real life, but I am convinced that the game wants to show that in this regard, Madarame is the only one who can understand Towa’s craving for pain and violence and he is ready to give him as much as Towa is looking for this. neither Taku nor Rei can keep these urges in Towa (even before madarame appears again) and Towa was ALWAYS looking for these sensations.
Came across this video via a recommendation and even though I haven't played this game it really touched me. I struggle with POCD a lot in my life so seeing it acknowledged here (even though the game's depiction is definitely flawed) was a reminder that I'm not alone in it. Your conclusion at the end hit close to home and motivated me to keep trying to write about POCD and other forms of violent intrusive thoughts. Looking forward to your future stuff and also good luck with grad school.
anyone like me here from Amelie Doree's channel?
I feel like I can’t properly express how nice it is to hear a guy talking about BL. I’ve never heard of this game (not a huge VN person), but you did such a compelling job talking about it, and I’m looking forward to your future work!
Slow damage is so far one of the, in my opinion, best visual novels I've played. I heavily agree with the Madarame part, I remember ranting about it to my friend while playing it but I'm so happy I pushed through and got to Fujieda's route. I sobbed so much TT.
This video encapsulated exactly all of my feelings about it, great video 🧡
Congrats to kotaru for being the only n+c guy who knows what consent is
Interesting points. I personally really disliked Madarame's route and had a hard time sitting through it, but the idea that the different routes are Towa's different ways of dealing with trauma is a very interesting one.
I’ve been looking forward to this video since last week, and I’m happy that you go through the highs and lows of each route, because to me this VN has been one of the strongest experiences I had this year. Much like you, I bought this game with only DMMD as my only frame of reference with what to expect of Nitro+Chiral (other than Saya no Uta, but that’s just Nitro+), so I was just expecting a ‘good time’ with a little bit more of edge. And then it totally blew off my expectations.
I think that SD is naturally more unapproachable to the average VN enjoyer given the graphic way it goes on to portray self-harm and PTSD. I personally appreciated how Towa was written as a survivor of CSA, because hypersexuality is kind of a hot subject a lot of writers have no idea how to tackle, and though I agree that the sexualization of self-harm is off-putting, I think that it lends itself to be interpreted as intentionally upsetting, because this is coming from Towa’s own mindset taking over the angle of the narrative. (On a curious side note: the English translation is written in first person, but in Japanese it’s actually on third person, but I’m still learning Japanese and I’m a very slow reader, so I can’t tell you exactly how much it differs yet)
I'll be honest though: I liked Madarame's route (call it me having a penchant for trashy toxic relationships in fiction), because of how it works in contrast with other routes. Madarame is abusive and manipulative, that’s not ambiguous, but he is also someone who cares about Towa in his own twisted way. I think that Madarame consider’s Towa’s willingness to just take punishment and not fight back as a downgrade and works to restore that fighting spirit, to remake him as his ‘equal’ as he was back in their days as yakuza. Madarame is also quite the hypocrite on how he calls out Taku as a liar for wanting to keep Towa’s past away from him, but he also forces Towa to cast away the past and focus only on living in the moment, which is also kind of the same Taku was doing, but with more violence. (And I think that I’ll keep it like that for now, I could write an entire essay about Madarame and what I think of him in spite of being the most underwritten love interest, but well, I know exactly why he’s not well-liked).
Overall, while not being perfect, I wholeheartedly agree that Slow Damage is a love letter for survivors of abuse and trauma, giving Towa, a messy and seemingly hopeless individual who still suffers from the aftermath of his abuse even years after it happened, four(three?) different good endings in which he is accepted and supported by his loved ones even if the fact remains that he’ll always struggle with these things. Though it’s not for everyone, not even for every survivor of abuse, it really means the world to me that a story like Slow Damage exists.
Thank you so much for such a long and thoughtful comment! It's a good point about how the sexualization of self harm can fit into Towa's mindset. That's another way that the handling of self harm in Slow Damage can be so complex and difficult to pick apart. The sexualization is definitely important to the story but it's also something that is difficult to approach. Towa's specific experiences and presentation as a survivor when it comes to hypersexuality was largely handled deftly. It's hard to depict so the fact they got so much of it is impressive, even if it comes with some downsides.
I can understand the appeal of Madarame's route for some people. This review was done with the purpose of analyzing the game's overall messages regarding abuse and survival so I came at it from that perspective. But I also do like a few of Nitro+Chiral's more contentious love interests from their other games (Mink has a place in my heart, despite all his flaws). I'd be lying if I said I didn't like any scenes in Madarame's route. Your point about hypocrisy and him building back up Towa as an equal is excellent too. I didn't quite think of it like that but it's pretty clearly stated in the route. If you do ever write that essay on Madarame, I'd be interested to read it! A big part of what I like about Nitro+Chiral is how they can create characters people have such distinct reactions to.
Thank you again for all your thoughts! It was great to read them and see what others think.
@@crowaes0 (Yay, another Mink-liker!)
I'm honestly happy that someone did make the effort to make a video about everything that encompasses SD, since it's still relatively unpopular compared to N+C's predecessor. In spite of being a difficult story to sell, I still want more people to know about it and maybe find some of the comfort I did in it.
While I agree that Fujieda refusing to apologize is bad and that the scene is weirdly written and implemented, I do kind of understand the intention behind the scene. It shows Towa and Fujieda both at their lowest, after some horrible realizations. Towa falls back into old self destructive habits, of craving violence and enjoying pain. While Fujieda is slowly falling into similar habits, inflicting pain as an outlet for his trauma. It’s mentioned later on that it’s very possible for Fujieda to have end up in a similar state of apathy and hedonism as Towa did. I think what the scene intended to do is show how that could potentially happen, both of them falling into this trap when suffering under immense despair. I don’t think it’s the most well executed scene, but what they tried to tell is I think at least understandable. That said, because of somewhat wonky implementation I don’t blame anyone for finding the scene just repulsive entirely.
This video is exactly what I’ve felt and thought throughout the vn, im glad it exists since I don’t see many people talk about it to this extent possibly due its tropes and harmful ideas it sometimes falls into derailing it’s main premise as you said.
Slow damage spoke to me in many ways especially the ending that resonated with me specifically as well as your final input stating many parents don’t seek to abuse their children, I haven’t found many pieces of media that encapsulated how I felt towards a mother who’s caused issues that would stay with me but also had her own issues that were some sort of explanation but not an excuse yet still make them human or not fully to be sympathized with.
(I’m also looking forward to your thoughts on sweet pool since it’s my favorite out of nitro chiral’s releases slow damage being second)
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! The nuances regarding parental abuse and the way intentions don't change impact really mattered to me when playing. The pain of that relationship is something I think the game captured incredibly well, even if it stumbles in a lot of other areas. I hope you enjoy the eventual video on Sweet Pool as well!
OH AN OVER A HOUR LONG VIDEO ABOUT SLOW DAMAGE, LETS FUCKING GO
It's really touching to know how close a subject this was for you, how tough it must be to share openly, and what the game did for you. I feel a little iffy on the masterpiece title since it seems so many of the routes romanceable figures go into nonconsensual actions or enact deliberate or attempted harm, but i'll chalk it up to the intense whirl of emotions the game is trying to put you on and the edge. This was very engaging to put on, even in the background. I havent watched a full hour of anything for a while, so i hope this video of yours does really well. many thumbs up man
I learned about this game cuz Towa got a nendoroid. I got him cuz I felt drawn to him and figured if I didn't like having anymore I could use his parts. But he's still one of my favorite nendos. After learning his story, I get why he's one of my favs now.
Wow. When I finished the game, I was really hoping to find a video essay that tackled Slow Damage and its themes and it really was such a joy to hear your perspectives on it. Slow Damage was such an incredible piece of fiction and I think, in some ways, it is due to the fact that it's willing to grapple with some more uncomfortable aspects of abuse and embrace the humanity of its protagonist. I know there were definitely nights (especially when I was working through Madarame's route) that were a struggle to make it through.
I think you really hit the nail on the head about Taku's route, in particular. It just simmers so long as you wait for the other shoe to drop about Asakura and again with Towa's internment. It was already a route I felt mixed about given Taku's age and what's learned about his past relationship with Towa and the pacing just made it a lot harder to get through.
I feel like some of the necessities of the route-based presentation of the story might have held it back at times. The romaniticization of the later parts of Madarame's route (even if I think another commenter brought up some good points on how that might be a matter of Towa's perception) and that particular scene in Fujieda's route similarly feel like relics of an adherence to a route-based narrative with good/bad endings and need for a certain amount of erotic scenes per route.
Either way, I'm sorry for rambling. I just wanted to say very well done! I really enjoyed watching this and I'm looking forward to your future work!
I've been a fan of nitroplus games since ~2012, and seeing videos like this makes me so happy :)
SD is one of, if not my favorite work of theirs, it's really amazing how much work and care they put into it...I don't even mind all the years we've waited. It's a game that leaves you feeling extremely empty after finishing it, and (at least in my opinion), has that trademark nitroplus way of changing the way you think about many things, and as it did to me in 2021, could possibly change/impact your life quite a lot.
The EN translation hurts it a lot, and after finishing it once, i think everyone should play the JP original if they can. It's one of the few pieces of media that portray someone from a broken family well, and it's scary how relatable it can be to some, haha. There is so much that i could say (or rather...type? lol) about SD, but we've all played it and probably had similar thoughts and feelings after finishing it.
Though, one thing that has me worried is the game reaching an audience it shouldn't. The glorification of mental struggles is rampant on online platforms, and while relating to a character who shares your struggles is perfectly fine, i don't think doing it in places and ways where children could possibly come across it is a good idea. I really hope SD won't become TikTok famous, because no child should engage with this sort of media (even if youre like me and cover your monitor with a sheet of paper when the porn kicks in :P).
At the end of the day, I'm just really happy a studio i've loved for over a decade is finally getting the recognition they deserve, even outside of its niche :). I strongly recommend playing their other games, both from nitroplus and their sister studio.
PS. If any of you haven't done so yet, go read the liner notes!
Hello, I just wanted to say that your non-spoiler section of the video got me to play Slow Damage and now that I have finished the game (and absolutely loved it, I may have cried once or twice) I get to finally to finish the video!! But anyway I wanted to thank you for this video and getting me to play a fantastic game that really resonated with me. I have already gotten at least 2 friends to watch this video with one of them for sure planning to play it at some point. I hope you're doing well, I look forward to seeing more of your videos! :)
I've been wanting to hear more people talk about this game ever since I've finished playing it. I was left utterly sobbing at the ending of the game and left feeling empty, so thank you for providing with a 1 hour video of probably one of my favorite VNs so far!
Okay, came here to say that I've finished the entire video. I really love hearing your review and how Slow Damage has impacted you (and I'm glad that it ended up becoming a positive esperience for you!). I'm really surprised to know that this is your first video too, it's super high quality! Definitely going to sub and watch your Sweet Pool video after this! Thank you for all that you do!
Im glad to see someone whos trans talk about transgender representation in this game! Also for the pronouns part. Some translators will have a hard time when localizing watashi or boku, especially for non gender conforming characters. A good example is Houseki no Kuni fan translations versus official. In fan many characters will use male centric language and he/him pronouns. For localization, not to confuse people and changing pronouns throughout, characters use they/them pronouns and more neutral language.
Great thing to point out tho
I'm finally done with the game, and now I can watch the video in its entirety! I have not finished the video yet, so I'll be back to edit this comment once I'm done. Thank you for making the video!
Edit: Wonderfully made. Honestly said, Madarame's route icks me so much while playing it, I had to read it in a comical voice to make it bearable. A bit of a personal story below.
While I have never went through a toxic romantic relationship, I have had a toxic friendship that still hurts me til this day. The tactics that Madarame used was so similar to what that friend did to me, it's downright terrifying. The way he constantly claims Towa and him are "similar", it creates an "us vs. them" mentality, further isolates him from his support system. Or the way he just vaguely threats Towa with, "you will never fit in with them, the only choice is to be with me" too. I was very upset once I finished that route, I'm glad Fujieda's route healed me quite a bit. And of course, Fujieda is my favorite route.
I love Rei's route too, his story resonates with me a lot since I struggle with my own gender identity as well. Seeing his euphoria ending gives me hope!
Taku's route makes me feel a bit... off, to be honest. Both endings, really. I can't really figure out why, but maybe it's the age gap.
Binged this review after Amelie's video. Really glad I watched it. Hitting the bell in hopes of your next piece.
It was an amazing review, I just finished playing the game and I was curious of what could have been the experiences of other players
Your analysis was beautifully executed, you talked of the pros and cons and still emphasized that this game conveys a very soothing message for survivors, calling it a "love letter" is the best way to put it into words
About each routes, you've made me realize many details I didn't notice while playing, at first I didn't feel like playing the game a second time but now I've reconsidered and might do it later when I have the time because I loooove discovering little hints or foreshadowings
I can't put this game as my favorite one because yes it is flawed in some ways but it's definitely one of my favorites and if I can I'll recommend it because I think it can help every person that suffers from traumas/PTSD or just help people understanding how it can feel to go though that
I love games like these, that's why my favorite game is still Omori and I really recommend it whenever I can, it deals more with grief but is also really worth playing
I wanted to thank you for making this video, I can't even imagine all the time it must have taken to make a video this long and well written
Also, as slow damage taught me, I think we should all be proud of keeping on living with our struggles, so I wish you the best in your life
Thank you SO MUCH for going in-depth on not just my favorite BLVN, but one of my singular favorite pieces of media ever! This game was a journey I'm so, so glad I could experience as blind as possible, and I've been absolutely starved for a video essay analysis!
When I saw the thumbnail for the first time, I checked out the game without even opening the video, and now that I finished it I can finally enjoy this amazing review and thank you properly. Seriously, this game has utterly destroyed me emotionally in the best way possible, and if it wasn’t for this video I don’t think I would’ve ever came across Slow Damage (at least not in the near future given how little people seem to know about it), so once again thank you❤
I cannot wait to listen to another video like this from you!
I share a lot of the same criticism of the game. I felt like Slow Damage fumbled with some message. Rei’s route about Violence and being manly. How he feels the need to change his way to speak to be masculine, when he can be masculine without needing to change. He can however he wants and still be masculine. I am not sure if I missed the point or what.
Taku’s route is… well. I have complicated feeling in general about Taku because my issue with him are recurring throughout the game, but that’s because he is an amazing character. One of the best in my opinion. It’s not black or white. His lies. How he thinks he knows better than Towa what Towa should or shouldn’t know. The more you progress into the game, the more you realize he’s a liar. Madarame and Fujieda call him out on this eventually. Yay! I was happy each time because even in his route, it was obvious he was keeping things from Towa. He thinks he’s doing the right thing. It’s a white lie, but it’s still wrong. He’s too protective of Towa… like a father figure, which makes his romance worse because you realize he knows and cared for Towa since he was a CHILD. He didn’t save him or anything, he took care of his wound for him. The age gap isn’t that much of a problem once they are adult, but the fact that Taku knows him since he’s a little boy and it a reassuring presence in his whole life is icky for me. It feels like grooming. I do not like that aspect.
Madarame’s route shouldn’t have been portrayed as this love story. It losts of its quality once it became clear this was turning into a “romance”… it started strong, but sadly the romance aspect felt forced for me. The route is amazing outside of that however and it’s an amazing jumping point for Fujieda’s route which is amazing.
I simply act like the r*** didn’t happen in the park in Fujieda’s route because, as you said, it feels out of place and not in character for him at all. This route and Fujieda is all about healing, understanding and care. This scene just doesn’t belong there and feels like they just needed another S-scene for Fujieda. Fighting and tackling each other on the ground should have been enough. It went too far. I feel like their S-scene should have been consensual all the time because they have respect from each other as the route progress. Fujieda helps him when he’s at his lowest. It’s weird in an otherwise amazing and route about survivors and life.
It’s awesome seeing any n+c getting video essays; great job!
I'd like to note about your comments surrounding the writing: the game was originally written in third person!
It was the translator's decision to change it to Towa's perspective. I believe this change ends up harming a lot of the nuance within the game in addition to changing how certain characters are viewed - one big example of this effect is that Towa swears, which doesn't seem like a crazy change but it does a lot of harm to his character and specifically the way his demeanor is presented, instead of an apathetic person who is seemingly incapable of feeling strong emotions of his own he swears and is always giving his perspective on things which for me ruined alot of the mystery surrounding his character.
If you ever revisit this game I highly suggest playing with a auto translator!! (there's a rather extensive guide on tumblr but it requires a digital copy of the Japanese game)
hey wait, i just checked and you only have 161 followers? count me the 162nd! this is so high quality and i love your review style! thank you for introducing me to an another amazing VN to add to my reading pile!
I can't believe this is your first upload on YT. I'm excited to see what else you cover in the future
First of I loved the work you put into your review. It's so good to see/hear more about this VN, because it definitely deserved it.
Personally, I was pretty sure I was going to like Slow Damage, but I didn't expect it to so utterly blow me away in an equally good and bad way. So Slow Damage is currently not only my favourite NC game, but probably also my favourite VN of all time. There's just so much detail and love put into it from the music, the art, the presentation, the writing, the gameplay to even the freaking menu/ui/title screen.
Of course it has its flaws. Then again, I have yet to encounter something that doesn't. What makes it a masterpiece to me is once again the heart and soul they've put into this project. Not only that, but to me a masterpiece is something that manages its strong points so well, that its flaws seem/feel minor or unimportant in comparison. In the case of SD I even felt like its flaws seemed almost deliberate at times, or they made for an even more intense experience for me. It's weird how something can make you feel quite uncomfortable, to the point where you almost have to turn away, yet at the same time fascinates you so much you can't and feel cathargic at the same time. Slow Damage definitely isn't for the faint of heart, due to its heavy subject matter and yet it's strange how it felt like the most emotionally satisfying story I've read in a while. Even now the ending feels somewhat profoundly beatiful to me. "Beauty in the macabre" fits this VN best I think.
Still it's definitely hard to recommend, but at the same time I want to, because I have truly never felt so invested in a world and especially its characters and I can honestly say that I enjoyed each and every route, even if for very different reasons.
In the end, of course it's always very subjective wether someone enjoys or dislikes something and the way someon chooses to convey their stories. That is more than ok and needs to be repected. So seeing such a well put together video, with a mature way in handling your perspective/opinion on something that will probably always have a special place in my heart from now on, was a true delight. So thank you so much!
I just wanna to say thank you for making this review! I have been big fan of your fujitowas fics so it was really nice to hear your thoughts on the game as whole.
My big opinion about the game is that I wish it wasn't an eroge with multiple endings. Unfortunately I think it looses a lot of its quality because each route needs to focus in one LI, and Towa's secret can only be revealed in the last route.
I hope you do more Nitro + Chiral titles, they opened me up to the BLVN world and I can appreciate the amount of effort they’ve put in every single one of their titles, Togainu no Chi would be a good one, although when I compare it to SD, you could tell how much the world has changed since they wrote their very first VN. I like it but it’s definitely aged
I'm planning on also discussing Lamento and Dramatical Murder at the moment! Though I have played Togainu no Chi, I found I didn't have much to say about it in comparison to the other games so for the moment I'm not planning on discussing it. That may change if/when I replay it though.
@@crowaes0 I get it, in all honesty TnC definitely didn’t age well especially compared to the other titles, but it also walked so the others could run. I do enjoy the story of it a lot with the apocalyptic and dark world that it’s set in, as well as the characters too, like I did feel that it was a really solid story. But I wish that they would do like a modern day reimagined version of it, I feel they could dive deeper with the characters and their stories.
I will say though, Lamento and DMMD are Chefs kiss, I especially love lamento to because it’s LONG and full of content and story driven. While Dmmd is more character driven they both are great. I really do love looking at the N+C catalogue to see how far they’ve come since the old days and the evolution is so crazy I love it
That being said I am excited to see your reviews on those games
i'm really glad i found this review video! i've been meaning to play this game sometimes ago and just got back to it around the time i watched this. one thing to be commended(?) about n+c games is that they never shy away from the painful realities of life and trauma and though not perfect, i was very surprised at the amount of emotions they managed to evoke out of me. Fujieda's route as a whole and him talking towa out of self exit is... very cathartic and beautiful-written. his route is almost a balm to the soul after madarame's abusive one.
although madarame is my least favorite route, i guess the one good thing in it for me was how in the last interrogation session no matter how much towa tried to dig, madarame's desire was simply him - towa- and towa cannot manipulate him into answering any other. i guess its kind of fresh because there was minimal euphoria manipulation from towa's side in this route (but a hell lot from madarame).
thank you for the wonderful and insightful video, i hope to watch more 😊
incredible video essay! i just finished slow damage and it left me laying ill in bed while my brain was being beat like eggs -- in that i had so much to think about and no idea how to coherently talk about any of it -- and this video really put to words the Concotion of feelings i was having about the game in all its good and bad. you also brought up a lot of things i hadn't even considered much before (especially with the music. as someone who absolutely knows Nothing about music i loved hearing your analysis of the bgm) and it's given me so much to think about. i can tell you really poured a lot of love and thought into this and it was a great watch... thank you for posting this
Just wanted to tell you that this video is wonderfully edited.
THANK YOU OMG. I hated the part from Fujiedas route in the park. It just felt so SO forced and out of place 😭 I loved the game and especially this particular route but that scene just kinda ruined it for me a little
Thank you for this beautiful review of this amazing game! I can't even imagine how much time consuming it must have been to not only write but also record, edit, add subtitles and timestamp all the chapters to this video but thank you for this!
Overall i feel like our opinions on this game, its aspects and its characters definitely align, and i won't lie but there're a few scenes that you didn't discuss in as much detail that i would love to discuss with you bcz after listening to your opinions for almost 2 hours it's like a sense of familiarity grew into me and now i kinda want to discuss the whole game with you lmaooo but anyway more seriously your arguments and reviews were beautifully written and i think your overall conclusion regarding this game is absolutely right. I actually ended up kinda crying towards the end of your video i won't lie.
But anyway i repeat myself again but it's definitely an amazing video and im really happy that you shared all this work with us! if you do end up posting more reviews on the future i will gladly watch your videos as this one is the proof alone of a very dedicated and serious work.
Have a nice day/night! ♡
I LOVE YOU FINALLY SOMETHING SO NICHE IM LITERALLY CRYING I HAVE BEEN WANTING A COMMUNITY SO LOOONG 😭😭😭
while playing madarame's route i found myself kind of bored during those hours of gameplay when he was kidnapped, but now I'm realizing that that whole time my "boredom" would be broken when towa finally went home, I wanted to see him get out of there. I still didn't really enjoy that part of his playthrough but I do agree that it showed the toxicity of their relationship greatly, I guess I never dwelled on it too much because the more I thought about it the more upset it made me. I started enjoying his route a lot more after he was finally freed from the collar, and I wouldn't say I disliked his euphoria ending, i'm very conflicted on it actually. the first part really upset me but afterwards i liked it. Idk, madarame you confuse me
Im sorry but this is way too well edited and just.. genereally so greatly put together for someone with only basically 300 subs???? This was a very interesting video. Hadnt heard of this game before but i kind of want to check it out. Gonna watch your other video once im done with this one but youve got my sub. This is a nice video dude.
What a wonderfully written video essay that goes into great depth for a VN that I had only a passing interest in, but was genuinely happy to have sat through your entire synopsis on. Lots of great points, careful treatment of sensitive topics, and bravery for willing to trudge through some of these dark hallways to find the warm light on the other side. I definitely feel for you re: the non-con stuff in Fujieda's route, as it can be hard to tell in eroges whether poor writing or the mandatory inclusion of risque H-scenes are to blame. In either case, it always sucks when you have a glaring blemish like that mucking up an otherwise excellent story about survival and bonding. Thank you for the 1:42:00 of enlightment, crowaes-you got your thoughts & emotions across excellently.
I'm happy that youtube recommended me this review! I really like Slow Damage and it's one of my favourite visual novels till this day. Without getting into much unnecessary detail, and while i don't agree with many of the points you made, i do appreciate you taking your time to organize your thoughts and video very neatly! I love to see more people getting into Slow Damage
I just finished Slow Damage today, so the first thing I'm doing after is finally watching this video!
ahh im so glad a video like this showed up! i love slow damage and (while it's not /perfect/) it blew my mind when i played it. straight up the peak for me
EDIT (like, 11 months after i posted this, because i came back to finish the vid): personally, while I absolutely despised Madarame and his '''romance''' with Towa, I eventually came away thinking that it was a good addition to the cast--it contrasts the other routes, containing people who love and cherish Towa, with someone who is just genuinely a hideously awful, abusive, and selfish person. It's a route that regresses Towa back to traits that he didn't want to return to, with a relationship he didn't want to return to. I understand thinking that the end comes across positive, like theyre making their relationship actually Good, Fujieda's route actually makes me think that Madarame's inclusion in the story was to show that he just... was not needed in Towa's life, and does nothing good. Taku and Rei are very noticeable in Towa's final route--but Madarame shows up, like, for one scene? And then immediately disappears and never appears again. To me, it felt like the game was saying Madarame is in no way healthy for Towa and shows how much he simply is not important to him on his journey to become healthier. It felt like such a middle finger to him that it always cracks me up, dude meant NOTHING to the true route. He was so inconsequential and unimportant. The final route got what it needed from him then told him to piss off. It's amazing. Screw Madarame all my homies hate Madarame.
This is what i love about Nitro Chiral games. The production quality going into BL games is impressive from the music to the story and visuals - they jusy dont deliver a horny BL game, they deliver a horny BL game with FEELZ
this is such a great video!! i jus finished playing this game with my friend and have tried to find essays/videos talking about it but there are not that many at the moment so I was sooooo excited to find this!! and i can't wait for the video about sweet pool!! its truly a shame that only a few people talk about nitro+chiral games :(
Thank you for this. I really like the video format and greatly appreciate how you separated all of the sections by category. This is very high quality and very interesting.
It's so sad about abusers... unable to reconcile with their monsters and face them
This was a wonderful watch! I think you showed so well a nuanced and appreciative review and discussion of Slow Damage, all while being clear in your perspective and discussion. I’m glad I got to watch this and I really look forward to your sweet pool review (sweet pool is my favorite of the Nitro Chiral games ahaha).
21:18
I thought my game was glitching!!! What do you mean that was intentional?!? Imma go check what is Towa's trigger word
Omg same, the screen flickers red when the dialogue saying "it's okay"... welp,
Actual subs. Thank you, my guy.
this is such a fantastic video!! i've been so keen to see someone break down this vn's themes after i played it myself :) looking forward to seeing more from you in the future!
Amazing review, and was a great way for me to refresh myself on what exactly happened in that amazing VN I read.
I enjoyed Rei's route so much and it was great to get a real heartful analysis of it! thank for this amazing review!
I had been looking forward to Slow Damage since the first teaser trailer was released and hoo boyyyyy the game did not disappoint at all. For me it's the perfect combination of all the good things from Nitro+Chiral's previous titles, it's really good and I kinda wish it at least gets the same amount of recognition as DMMD though I kinda get why it doesn't, probably because of the heavier themes & the art direction being closer to past games than DMMD's bright art that stands out. I didn't have a favorite ML, I just really love Towa as a protagonist so I was curious to know more about him & enjoy following his journey through every routes. The payoff from the true ending is really satisfying. It hurts, it's beautiful, I just adore it despite its flaws.
Thank you for your in-depth review of Slow Damage. I especially enjoyed your interpretations of the story as well as focus on the music - the soundtrack of N+C's vns have always been stellar and I'm happy to see them given more light especially from a thematic sense. Sweet pool also has an amazingly thematic soundtrack and looking forward to your review on it as well :)
Slow damage became one of my favorite games due to the story writing itself, I do agree with you that Madarame was the worst route for Towa and the rape scene on Fujieda’s route was so out of character bc I felt the same way about it, this game is definitely hard to recommend since not a lot of people can stomach through the topics included in the story, but it’s beautiful in its own way, obviously it does have some flaws, but it’s a masterpiece
After watching this, I am incredibly glad I didn't play it. It sounds fantastic, hitting great places and dealing with important topics that I'm constantly looking for in media. All of this sounds right up my alley. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeexcept the physical self-harm, which is severe enough that your very mild discussions of it had the onset of a PTSD attack. I'm glad they didn't turn me away because it was worth it, but wow is it weird to begin to white out and still focus on reading what's being said.
I'm looking forward to sweet pool, and I'm glad you got medication that works for you. That stuff is genuinely the worst.
new comfort vid. im so excited for the tnc vid!!!
This was such an amazing watch! SD definitely deserves more attention and it was one of the best VN I’ve played last year, but i always feel it’s hard to recommend it. as much as i enjoyed the last route, i had mixed feelings about rei and taku routes while playing them, and madarame route was just...painful to watch. I think you did a great job balancing both the good points and flaws discussion and I’m so glad to hear someone else talking about SD and feeling the same way about certain points. Thank you so much for making this video! looking forward to your next work!
Amazing video omg....❤
Btw have you ever watched the anime Banana Fish ? I finished that show right after playing this game and connected Towa and Ash very deeply since they're both feel like same person and same story but different ways they approach their situation....idk how to explain this but do you get me?
Asfghkhkkööäääähhh thank you for this video!!
great job on the video. I've been starving for these sorts of deep dives on yaoi visual novels and you did slow damage justice.
just stumbled across this.....yeah. dunno what this is but the UI design and stuff looks cool. Whatever the decision premise is, sounds interesting, answering with Positivity or Negativity. But what's Euphoria and Madness? Wondering about that. Is it the state of your MC, or something else?
I absolutely loved this video, I'm commenting for the algorithm
came here from amelie doree, i do plan on watching the whole thing but the gameplay (especially the interrogations) seems very interesting and like something i would enjoy. you did say at the beginning that this game deals with some very heavy topics but i'm wondering how exactly does the game handle them? the csa warning is the biggest caveat for me and without spoilers i really want to know how it's dealt with in the game, is it seen as sexy/fetishized, how graphic is it, is it portrayed with empathy etc
The handling is at times pretty good and at others is quite flawed. Without getting too into spoilers, a character has a history of CSA and that is handled really well with all the weight and respect it deserves. It's central to one of the routes and gets a lot of focus. There's some flashbacks and nightmare scenes but they aren't detailed or graphic in my opinion. The character's reactions to the CSA memories are intense though. I found it tough to get through a lot of scenes as the depiction of a character being triggered and having breakdowns was itself a bit triggering for me. Overall though, it's handled excellently in that route and I found it to be very touching as a survivor myself. It's pretty good and one of the things I think involved a lot of care on the part of the writers.
There's also a chapter before one of the other routes deals with a character who is rumored to be a pedophile. Although he isn't, the game leaves it up in the air way too long as to if he's actually one or not. It's basically not until the last scene that there's confirmation he isn't. There is also scene where characters treat human trafficking somewhat callously which I think was an intentional choice to show how living in Shinkoumi leads to desensitization around violence. But it is very uncomfortable as a scene itself and I think it could be potentially upsetting or even triggering. The issue of CSA isn't portrayed as fetishized and there's never any depictions of it in description or imagery. But I found it to be a major misstep for how long the question hangs and in context it was very uncomfortable and difficult for me to get through. It's honestly a bit difficult to put it into words as it's not exactly fetishistic or graphic but is almost treating it more as a mystery to be solved rather than a genuine threat. Which in context is callous and I think lacking some level of empathy. This section of the game is fairly short though, about 2-4 hours depending on your reading speed.
Finally, child trafficking as a subject is mentioned in some other routes. There's one conversation where it gets discussed regarding how a character who participated in it was uncaring towards the victims. But it doesn't go into detail about the trafficking itself or anything beyond his attitude. It's something I think is handled decently.
That got super long but I hope that's enough detail without getting too much into spoilers. In the broad strokes, the game tries to center the perspective of CSA survivors, never shows anything, and handles it without fetishism. But there are missteps in there and moments where I think it loses that seriousness and empathy. Sometimes that's an intentional part of characterization that doesn't bleed into the narration/general writing. Other times it crosses a line and loses that serious tone and loses that emphasis on the survivor's perspective. I'd say if CSA is really sensitive as a topic it might be better to skip this game as it's a core part of it's subject matter, messaging, and themes. But I found it quite cathartic at times as, broadly, it gets more right than it gets wrong and there is a real focus on the perspective of a survivor and the pain PTSD can cause long term.
Im not gay but game looks cool af and plot seems interesting. I want to watch your video really bad, but i dont want spoilers and going to play this game.
Oh shit are we finally analyzing otome games!!! Let's gooooo
yoooo slow damage content. Huge W
Slow damage is beautifully deep for a BL game.
slowdamageslowdamageslowdamage!! :D
Okay I believe you
thank you so much for making this video! i've been starving for videos on this game and it's great to hear someone else's views, especially another trans man's. also, i know this is your first video but you still deserve so many more subscribers! ^-^
Thank you in turn for the comment and for watching! The response to this has honestly been way beyond what I imagined it would be. It's been super encouraging to see.
PERIODTTTT
EPIC
🧡💛🧡🧡💜💜💔❤🔥