Brynmor
Brynmor \b-ryn-mor, br(y)-nmor\ as a boy's name is of Welsh origin, and the meaning of Brynmor is "large hill". Modern name.
Okay, it's been nearly three months since my last entry, but in my defense, I was 1) busy doing what I do; 2) in Hong Kong from late May to late June; and 3) trying to readjust to being back in the States. I'll get back to writing entries on a regular basis, but before that, here's an otome game review.
As usual, you are now forewarned that there are spoilers abound.
e'tude prologue ～揺る動く心のかたち～ ポータブル (e'tude prologue ~Yuruugoku Kokoro no Katachi~ Portable, e'tude prologue ~The Shape of a Trembling Heart~ Portable) is a dual protagonist romance adventure game released for the PSP in 2007 by Takuyo. It was originally made for the PC and Sega Saturn in 1998, and again for the PS2 in 2006.
There is a town on the coast named "Minamiaose."
It is a place surrounded by the sea and mountains, with plenty of nature still umblemished... This is the story of a normal boy and girl attending a high school in this town.
It is the winter of that special third year of high school, and they are disillusioned by the upcoming university examinations and troubled by a love that cannot be frank. With all sorts of thoughts and feelings in their chests, the last season will begin..
What do you wish for? Where are you going?
What is the "Shape of Trembling Hearts" of young men and women?
When he and she reunite, their stories will begin.
In e'tude prologue, you can choose to play one of two protagonists: the male protagonist, Gun'ji Tatsuya, or the female protagonist, Saeki Hitomi. They are two seperate characters that you play, meaning that if you play as Tatsuya, you will also be able to interact hitomi, and vice versa, unlike the protagonists in Persona 3 Portable, when the female protagonist replaces the original protagonist. All characters are voiced, with the exception of whatever protagonist you choose to play as.
The story starts in late January, when third year high school students prepare for their university exams and choose the direction their lives will take. And just perhaps, they might find someone who might touch their heart.
Gun'ji Tatsuya is a third year at Ten'hou High School, well-known in all departments, and the go-to guy when you needed help. Currently, he lives alone in an apartment near the high school, since his parents are overseas working in Syndey, Australia. Raised with the philosophy that one should decide for themselves their own future, he has to decide what he plans to do next. However, with the choices of going to a national university, going to the local university with his childhood friend, going to Tokyo with his best friend, or heading overseas to Australia to his family, he doesn't know what he wants.
Saeki Hitomi is also a third year in Ten'hou High School, known at school as both a honor student and the former tennis club ace. Both her parents have passed away, and she is living with her younger sister, Yuumi. Just until recently, she was still playing tennis, which she loves. However, she had to give it up to prepare for the national university examinations. When a tennis recommendation comes to her from a sports university, she doesn't know whether to ensure her future by going to a national university or to do what she loves by going to a sports university.
The game starts on January 29th with the prologue, which lasts until the 31st. On that night, you pick which girl or guy you want to go for (Tatsuya and Hitomi, respectively). The gameplay lasts from February 1st to the 14th and consists mostly triggering events on a map and raising stats. You have to balance triggering events that may raise romantic affections or provide insight into the rest of the game and raising stats by playing minigames or doing your part-time job. If you don't max romantic affections, you won't get the girl/guy. And if you don't max your stats, you might not pass your university exams, particularly if you're aiming for a national university.
There are three minigames: 1) a library game, where you have to find a book on the shelves (as shown above); 2) a math logic game; and 3) Blackjack. All three games will raise a particular set of stats.
At your part-time job, you can choose from a set of actions that also raise a particular set of stats. However, if your stats are low, you will probably fail to complete that action and not raise any stats.
(For ease of understanding, I'm going to split up the protagonists' stories and routes, starting with Saeki Hitomi, the female protagonist.)
Saeki Hitomi Playthrough
As we learn most fully in Hitomi and Tatsuya's routes, the two of them dated in the summer of the year before. However, it did not work out as they were unable to communicate and understand the other person. It also didn't help that her mother was killed in a car accident just around that time period. They ended up drifting apart and having awkward silences whenever they run into each other. Lately though, they have been meeting up again through coincidences and mutual friends and thawing the weirdness between them. Hitomi, after receiving the tennis recommendation from a sports university, becomes torn between the safe choice of going for the national universities or to do something she loves, going to a sports university university. A fellow classmate who is also aiming for national universities, Sanada Hiroshi, plainly says that her only choice is to go for national universities. Tatsuya, with his strong sense of self-determination, stands up for her and tells both that either choice she makes will be just as good as the other. On Valentine's Day, she gives him a chocolate, and they recounciled. Nonetheless, it turns out that Tatsuya has decided to head out to Australia to make his way. Hitomi makes a mad dash for the airport, and they reaffirm their feelings for each other at the gate. (Tatsuya is voiced by Morikubo Shoutarou) /// Tatsuya is my favorite guy of the cast, but he's really just the least annoying of the batch.
Katagiri Nachi, a fellow third year, is Tatsuya's closest friend. He is a fun person to be around, has friends all over the city, and has a love for gambling and games of chance. Nachi and Hitomi have long been acquaintances, and just recently gotten to know each other. He shakes up her world with his sure stance of going to Tokyo and working for a start-up magazine. And like Hitomi, he is brokenhearted over having been rejected by Hagiwara Asami, Hitomi's best friend and Tatsuya's childhood friend, because she is love with Tatsuya. Of course, the brokenhearted eventually ends up together in the city. Voiced by Takeuchi Ken. /// Nachi is a fun guy and all, but I'm not into guys who are into girls who are into their best friend's ex-boyfriend.
Sanada Hiroshi, third year, is one of the top students at school and intimately involved with school events as the former student body president. He is somewhat self-righteous and rather stiff, but it is overlooked for his ability value people who try hard. with his great powers of insight, he easily sees the potential in Hitomi and does whatever he can to encourage her national university aspirations. He also sees the feelings between her and Tatsuya and helps her to get Tatsuya leaving for Australia by confessing his own feelings for her. Of course, he tries to be a gentleman, telling her that she didn't need to respond to his feelings then and there. They get together by the time they're attending national universities, though. Voiced by Sasanuma Akira. /// Stiff, righteous guys are not my thing. Thus, he is not my kind of guy.
Kusanagi Shun, third year, is one of the most maligned students in the school, but is simply misunderstood by all. He was formerly a member of the soccer club, but recently resigned to be a donor for his sick younger sister. He is incredibly devoted to her health, and his younger sister has since developed a brother complex. Hitomi becomes friends with the younger sister and well acquainted with Shun. He soon comes to realize his sister's feelings for him and turns her down. Voiced by Fukushima Jun. /// I've watched enough Key's Kanon to be tired of sickly younger sisters. Not interested in a guy who is devoted to her health.
Amano Shingo, third year, is another one of the most maligned students in the school. Rumors float about that that if one stays too close to him, they will misfortune. It doesn't help that his parents have passed away, leaving him to live by himself, and his old friends have been severely hurt in accidents simply walking down the streets with him. Hitomi, with her heart on a sleeve, tries to disprove this rumor by becoming friends with him. Unfortunately, she is also caught in several accidents, and he breaks off their friendship to protect her. By then, she finds herself in love with his kind nature and convinces him that despite having that accidents, he has always saved her. She thinks of him not a bringer of misfortunate, but as her protector. They get together, and he grows out of his shouta height. Voiced by Shimowada Hiroki. /// Not interested in shoutas. It doesn't help that he has the same voice actor as Hiiro no Kakera's Inukai Shinji, also a shouta character.
Gun'ji Tatsuya Playthrough
Although Hitomi's Tatsuya route is essentially the same as Tatsuya's Hitomi route, it was refreshing to play the same story from another perspective. For instance, all that Hitomi angsts over the decision to either go to a national university or a sports university, Tatsuya also angsts over his own future. He has both the ability and ambition to do something, but he doesn't know what that something is. And as much as she ponders over their former relationship and mistakes, he flashes back to the past and ponders whether he wasn't a little impatient with her and her tennis practice. Though they do get together, it was a bit confounding to see Tatsuya leave for Australia. Hitomi voiced by Matsumoto Ayano. /// While most of Tatsuya's girl routes makes me rage, this one ticks me off especially. Out of the SEVEN girls he can go for, Hitomi is the only one he has to leave the country for. AND SHE IS STILL IN THE COUNTRY. I just... I give up.
Hagiwara Asami is Hitomi's best friend and Tatsuya's childhood friend. Oh, and she has apparently loved him since forever and shows her love by treating him like a boy-toy/servant/slave. She calls him out of bed early in the morning to go to an amusement with nary a reason, makes him pay for the tickets, blackmails him for dinners, and to avoid doing any physical labor herself, sells him out to graduation festival committee leader to do work for her. Also, she disregards his talents and completely expects him to apply for public universities like her instead of going to a national university like Hitomi or Sanada. But hey, she has the "childhood friend" thing going for her. Voiced by Chihara Minori. /// Yeah, you can probably tell by my summary that I'm not very fond of her. Not at all.
Saeki Yuumi is Hitomi's younger sister, attending Faris Girls' Academy as a first year. Despite having an equally kind nature, she is almost the exact opposite of her older sister; she is free-spirited, does-as-she-pleases, and not nearly as athletic as her sister's legacy would lead you to believe. As we find out, Yuumi likes Katagiri Nachi, who likes Hagiwara Asami, who like Tatsuya (and if you like, we can also add in Hitomi, making this a five person chain). This does not turn out well, but by the end of the route, it is clear that Nachi has rejected Yuumi. She does not immediately fall in love with Tatsuya by the end of the route -- merely comforted by him, but it is clear that hey have hooked up by the epilogue. Voiced by Kuroda Hitomi. /// I was pretty much making the nagging "hmmmm" sound that Marge Simpsons makes all through this route. The younger sister ending up with her older sister's ex-boyfriend? Yeah. Disapprove. However, I still cackled with evil amusement that despite Asami doing her best to set up Yuumi with Nachi, Yuumi ends up with Tatsuya.
Fujino Azusa is a fellow honor student like Hitomi and Sanada, but she has nowhere near any of the good will that either of those two have garnered. She is brusque and openly tells students off, but as we find out, she is venting her anger that she is not the son that her father wanted. And so, has spent the last three years studying to get into medical school to prove to her father that she deserves his love and attention. Voiced by Soda Miho. /// Fujino Azusa's route is more of a love route than Saeki Yuumi's, since you actually see Tatsuya reassuring Azusa that he likes her. I'm not completely fond of her route, as her tone of voice rarely matches the expression on her face.
Ayuse Midori is one of Tatsuya's classmates and has long liked him, to the point that her older sister teases about it. She is the art club and shows great promise in both painting, design, and photography. After turning is his late graduation profile, he decides to help her with the graduation yearbook and gets to know her. When she overhears that Tatsuya might be leaving for Australia, she is understandably crushed. But comes to understand that this is his life and his choice to make. Of course, he chooses to stay instead, and all's well that ends well. (WHY NOT STAY FOR HITOMI?) Voiced by Fukuhara Kaori. /// Ayuse Midori sort of lacks a spine, but she went straight to my good side with her reaction to the possibility of Tatsuya going to Australia. Asami simply throws a fit when she finds out that Tatsuya is going to Australia; Midori is heartbroken by it, but understands that this is his life and his choice.
Yamada Mayu is a former talent and famous in the school for the TV shows she has been in. She is involved in tennis, swimming, dance, drama, choir, and the committee leader in the graduation festival. She also insists that everyone call her "Mayu-sama" and viciously beats down anyone who falls to comply. So, she is more or less like Hagiwara Asami, except she don't financially ruin him but physically abuses him. Having been heavily promoted as a talent during junior high, she wanted to go into semi-retirement during senior high and have the ideal grand high school life. Despite having enjoyed her ideal high school life to the fullest, she is worried that her three-year long semi-retirement will hinder her return to the entertainment world after graduation. Again, Tatsuya assures her otherwise. Voiced by Kanou Mari. /// I remember reading reviews of Hiiro no Kakera where some people complained about Atori Mahiro screaming a lot of his lines, but Yamada Mayu is worse. And when you add in her physical abuse, I'm just like, "Fuck this. I am calling the cops on you."
Nakagawa Kaoru is a former choir member and the only daughter of Nakagawa Yuuji, a city councilman. She has some kind of grudge against him, thinking that he might be a dirty politician, but as it turns out he was just being set up. She also has a image complex, thinkning that no one thinks of her as herself, but merely as Nakagawa Yuuji's daughter. Unsurprisingly, she is the best tsundere character of all. Voiced by Hirama Juri. /// What was surprising was that she has the most exciting route of all. Everyone, including Hitomi's side, has humdum routes with humdum lives and humdum days. Kaoru gets kidnapped by a mobster and saved by Tatsuya and friends. After playing eleven straight routes of humdum lives, this was incredibly refreshing.
-----
Originally developed in 1998, I assume that they were trying to break into the just-developing otome game scene while keeping the bishoujo game thing by making the game with dual protagonists. I find it hard to believe that Takuyo might have tried to go artsy on us and truly tried to portray both sides of Tatsuya and Hitomi's relationship when in some routes for the two of them, the other goes practically unmentioned.
And maybe because I am a girl and played Hitomi's side first, but I find Tatsuya's side mostly unbearable. I honestly and truly tried to keep an open mind to his side, but having to go after girls like Hagiwara Asami and Yamada Mayu pretty much cements my heterosexuality. Nearly every time they appeared on screen, I just skimmed through the text and pressed skip to not have to listen to their awful screaming. Is it terrible that I wished both characters would be thrown into a nukige or yaruge? Preferably into one of Bishop's games?
As for the game mechanics, I am less than pleased. I am perfectly happy with visual novels and stat-raising games. I love Hiiro no Kakera and Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side. I do not, however, like games that simply add in stat-raising just to pad the damn game. Particularly if they put in awful mini games like Blackjack.
The house always fucking wins. It's not even funny. I know the mini games are there to keep the players from falling asleep, but that's exacly what it makes me do.
The art is very representative of 90s animation. I don't hate it, but I really don't like it. There's just something about the color palette or style that doesn't sit well with me. But then again, I've always been more of detail-oriented style with some shoujo bubbles and sparkles. There is a one quirk about the PSP version that I thought would be interesting to mention. e'tude prologue was originally released for the PC in 1998 with the art done by Watanabe Shuuji. Little Aid is an otome game released in 2005 for the PS2 that takes place a year after the events in e'tude prologue with art done by Nikami Yukitaka. For the 2006 PS2 release and 2007 PSP release of e'tude prologue, some Little Aid characters appear in some scenarios. However, because it's a little odd to have different characters drawn in two different styles, Takuyo had another artist adapt Little Aid characters for e'tude prologue. In the game settings, you can choose to view those characters as they were originally drawn or adapted for e'tude prologue. For instance:
Sawato Yuzuru and Hagiwara Asami, as originally drawn by their respective artists.
Sawato Yuzuru, redrawn for e'tude prologue, and Hagiwara Asami.
Here's some more screenshots. The first picture being the characters as originally drawn, and the second adapted for e'tude prologue.
I simply found the adapted forms to be too odd for me and stuck to playing the game with all the original art, despite the dissonance.
And for all Takuyo's labeling the game as "Dual-prospective Romantic Love Adventure," I did not think of this as a romantic game at all. In Hitomi's side, she keeps on chasing Tatsuya in Sanada Hiroshi's route and when he leaves for Australia, Sanada confesses his feelings and she answer, "Please give me some time." Not very romantic. In Katagiri Nachi's route, she doesn't get Tatsuya and Nachi doesn't Asami, but somehow the two get together in the epilogue. With Kusanagi Shun, it's all about him and his sickly sister, and even in the epilogue, the sickly sister is with the two of them. Not romantic. In Tatsuya's side, Yuumi's ending consists of him comforting her after Nachi rejects her and the epilogue jumps straight to the two of them dating. The same with Nakagawa Kaoru.
However, I won't say this is a completely bad game. I really liked the premise of the game. Should Hitomi go to a national university or a sports university? Should Tatsuya stay in the country and seek his fortune elsewhere? There is really only fourteen game days, and while I find it hard to believe that you can fall in love, I find it realistic that you can choose the path your life takes in that same time frame. To say the least, I was more interested in Hitomi and Tatsuya's futures more than their love lives.
For all I just said about this not being a completely bad game, it's still pretty bad. But I'm more of a Harukanaru Toki no Naka de kind of girl. Even if you are interested in Takuyo's kind of otome game with a lame mini game, this game still isn't one to play before others. Kaitou Apricot and Himehibi -Princess Days are far better games than e'tude prologue.
Okay, it's been nearly three months since my last entry, but in my defense, I was 1) busy doing what I do; 2) in Hong Kong from late May to late June; and 3) trying to readjust to being back in the States. I'll get back to writing entries on a regular basis, but before that, here's an otome game review.
As usual, you are now forewarned that there are spoilers abound.
e'tude prologue ～揺る動く心のかたち～ ポータブル (e'tude prologue ~Yuruugoku Kokoro no Katachi~ Portable, e'tude prologue ~The Shape of a Trembling Heart~ Portable) is a dual protagonist romance adventure game released for the PSP in 2007 by Takuyo. It was originally made for the PC and Sega Saturn in 1998, and again for the PS2 in 2006.
There is a town on the coast named "Minamiaose."
It is a place surrounded by the sea and mountains, with plenty of nature still umblemished... This is the story of a normal boy and girl attending a high school in this town.
It is the winter of that special third year of high school, and they are disillusioned by the upcoming university examinations and troubled by a love that cannot be frank. With all sorts of thoughts and feelings in their chests, the last season will begin..
What do you wish for? Where are you going?
What is the "Shape of Trembling Hearts" of young men and women?
When he and she reunite, their stories will begin.
In e'tude prologue, you can choose to play one of two protagonists: the male protagonist, Gun'ji Tatsuya, or the female protagonist, Saeki Hitomi. They are two seperate characters that you play, meaning that if you play as Tatsuya, you will also be able to interact hitomi, and vice versa, unlike the protagonists in Persona 3 Portable, when the female protagonist replaces the original protagonist. All characters are voiced, with the exception of whatever protagonist you choose to play as.
The story starts in late January, when third year high school students prepare for their university exams and choose the direction their lives will take. And just perhaps, they might find someone who might touch their heart.
Gun'ji Tatsuya is a third year at Ten'hou High School, well-known in all departments, and the go-to guy when you needed help. Currently, he lives alone in an apartment near the high school, since his parents are overseas working in Syndey, Australia. Raised with the philosophy that one should decide for themselves their own future, he has to decide what he plans to do next. However, with the choices of going to a national university, going to the local university with his childhood friend, going to Tokyo with his best friend, or heading overseas to Australia to his family, he doesn't know what he wants.
Saeki Hitomi is also a third year in Ten'hou High School, known at school as both a honor student and the former tennis club ace. Both her parents have passed away, and she is living with her younger sister, Yuumi. Just until recently, she was still playing tennis, which she loves. However, she had to give it up to prepare for the national university examinations. When a tennis recommendation comes to her from a sports university, she doesn't know whether to ensure her future by going to a national university or to do what she loves by going to a sports university.
The game starts on January 29th with the prologue, which lasts until the 31st. On that night, you pick which girl or guy you want to go for (Tatsuya and Hitomi, respectively). The gameplay lasts from February 1st to the 14th and consists mostly triggering events on a map and raising stats. You have to balance triggering events that may raise romantic affections or provide insight into the rest of the game and raising stats by playing minigames or doing your part-time job. If you don't max romantic affections, you won't get the girl/guy. And if you don't max your stats, you might not pass your university exams, particularly if you're aiming for a national university.
There are three minigames: 1) a library game, where you have to find a book on the shelves (as shown above); 2) a math logic game; and 3) Blackjack. All three games will raise a particular set of stats.
At your part-time job, you can choose from a set of actions that also raise a particular set of stats. However, if your stats are low, you will probably fail to complete that action and not raise any stats.
(For ease of understanding, I'm going to split up the protagonists' stories and routes, starting with Saeki Hitomi, the female protagonist.)
Saeki Hitomi Playthrough
As we learn most fully in Hitomi and Tatsuya's routes, the two of them dated in the summer of the year before. However, it did not work out as they were unable to communicate and understand the other person. It also didn't help that her mother was killed in a car accident just around that time period. They ended up drifting apart and having awkward silences whenever they run into each other. Lately though, they have been meeting up again through coincidences and mutual friends and thawing the weirdness between them. Hitomi, after receiving the tennis recommendation from a sports university, becomes torn between the safe choice of going for the national universities or to do something she loves, going to a sports university university. A fellow classmate who is also aiming for national universities, Sanada Hiroshi, plainly says that her only choice is to go for national universities. Tatsuya, with his strong sense of self-determination, stands up for her and tells both that either choice she makes will be just as good as the other. On Valentine's Day, she gives him a chocolate, and they recounciled. Nonetheless, it turns out that Tatsuya has decided to head out to Australia to make his way. Hitomi makes a mad dash for the airport, and they reaffirm their feelings for each other at the gate. (Tatsuya is voiced by Morikubo Shoutarou) /// Tatsuya is my favorite guy of the cast, but he's really just the least annoying of the batch.
Katagiri Nachi, a fellow third year, is Tatsuya's closest friend. He is a fun person to be around, has friends all over the city, and has a love for gambling and games of chance. Nachi and Hitomi have long been acquaintances, and just recently gotten to know each other. He shakes up her world with his sure stance of going to Tokyo and working for a start-up magazine. And like Hitomi, he is brokenhearted over having been rejected by Hagiwara Asami, Hitomi's best friend and Tatsuya's childhood friend, because she is love with Tatsuya. Of course, the brokenhearted eventually ends up together in the city. Voiced by Takeuchi Ken. /// Nachi is a fun guy and all, but I'm not into guys who are into girls who are into their best friend's ex-boyfriend.
Sanada Hiroshi, third year, is one of the top students at school and intimately involved with school events as the former student body president. He is somewhat self-righteous and rather stiff, but it is overlooked for his ability value people who try hard. with his great powers of insight, he easily sees the potential in Hitomi and does whatever he can to encourage her national university aspirations. He also sees the feelings between her and Tatsuya and helps her to get Tatsuya leaving for Australia by confessing his own feelings for her. Of course, he tries to be a gentleman, telling her that she didn't need to respond to his feelings then and there. They get together by the time they're attending national universities, though. Voiced by Sasanuma Akira. /// Stiff, righteous guys are not my thing. Thus, he is not my kind of guy.
Kusanagi Shun, third year, is one of the most maligned students in the school, but is simply misunderstood by all. He was formerly a member of the soccer club, but recently resigned to be a donor for his sick younger sister. He is incredibly devoted to her health, and his younger sister has since developed a brother complex. Hitomi becomes friends with the younger sister and well acquainted with Shun. He soon comes to realize his sister's feelings for him and turns her down. Voiced by Fukushima Jun. /// I've watched enough Key's Kanon to be tired of sickly younger sisters. Not interested in a guy who is devoted to her health.
Amano Shingo, third year, is another one of the most maligned students in the school. Rumors float about that that if one stays too close to him, they will misfortune. It doesn't help that his parents have passed away, leaving him to live by himself, and his old friends have been severely hurt in accidents simply walking down the streets with him. Hitomi, with her heart on a sleeve, tries to disprove this rumor by becoming friends with him. Unfortunately, she is also caught in several accidents, and he breaks off their friendship to protect her. By then, she finds herself in love with his kind nature and convinces him that despite having that accidents, he has always saved her. She thinks of him not a bringer of misfortunate, but as her protector. They get together, and he grows out of his shouta height. Voiced by Shimowada Hiroki. /// Not interested in shoutas. It doesn't help that he has the same voice actor as Hiiro no Kakera's Inukai Shinji, also a shouta character.
Gun'ji Tatsuya Playthrough
Although Hitomi's Tatsuya route is essentially the same as Tatsuya's Hitomi route, it was refreshing to play the same story from another perspective. For instance, all that Hitomi angsts over the decision to either go to a national university or a sports university, Tatsuya also angsts over his own future. He has both the ability and ambition to do something, but he doesn't know what that something is. And as much as she ponders over their former relationship and mistakes, he flashes back to the past and ponders whether he wasn't a little impatient with her and her tennis practice. Though they do get together, it was a bit confounding to see Tatsuya leave for Australia. Hitomi voiced by Matsumoto Ayano. /// While most of Tatsuya's girl routes makes me rage, this one ticks me off especially. Out of the SEVEN girls he can go for, Hitomi is the only one he has to leave the country for. AND SHE IS STILL IN THE COUNTRY. I just... I give up.
Hagiwara Asami is Hitomi's best friend and Tatsuya's childhood friend. Oh, and she has apparently loved him since forever and shows her love by treating him like a boy-toy/servant/slave. She calls him out of bed early in the morning to go to an amusement with nary a reason, makes him pay for the tickets, blackmails him for dinners, and to avoid doing any physical labor herself, sells him out to graduation festival committee leader to do work for her. Also, she disregards his talents and completely expects him to apply for public universities like her instead of going to a national university like Hitomi or Sanada. But hey, she has the "childhood friend" thing going for her. Voiced by Chihara Minori. /// Yeah, you can probably tell by my summary that I'm not very fond of her. Not at all.
Saeki Yuumi is Hitomi's younger sister, attending Faris Girls' Academy as a first year. Despite having an equally kind nature, she is almost the exact opposite of her older sister; she is free-spirited, does-as-she-pleases, and not nearly as athletic as her sister's legacy would lead you to believe. As we find out, Yuumi likes Katagiri Nachi, who likes Hagiwara Asami, who like Tatsuya (and if you like, we can also add in Hitomi, making this a five person chain). This does not turn out well, but by the end of the route, it is clear that Nachi has rejected Yuumi. She does not immediately fall in love with Tatsuya by the end of the route -- merely comforted by him, but it is clear that hey have hooked up by the epilogue. Voiced by Kuroda Hitomi. /// I was pretty much making the nagging "hmmmm" sound that Marge Simpsons makes all through this route. The younger sister ending up with her older sister's ex-boyfriend? Yeah. Disapprove. However, I still cackled with evil amusement that despite Asami doing her best to set up Yuumi with Nachi, Yuumi ends up with Tatsuya.
Fujino Azusa is a fellow honor student like Hitomi and Sanada, but she has nowhere near any of the good will that either of those two have garnered. She is brusque and openly tells students off, but as we find out, she is venting her anger that she is not the son that her father wanted. And so, has spent the last three years studying to get into medical school to prove to her father that she deserves his love and attention. Voiced by Soda Miho. /// Fujino Azusa's route is more of a love route than Saeki Yuumi's, since you actually see Tatsuya reassuring Azusa that he likes her. I'm not completely fond of her route, as her tone of voice rarely matches the expression on her face.
Ayuse Midori is one of Tatsuya's classmates and has long liked him, to the point that her older sister teases about it. She is the art club and shows great promise in both painting, design, and photography. After turning is his late graduation profile, he decides to help her with the graduation yearbook and gets to know her. When she overhears that Tatsuya might be leaving for Australia, she is understandably crushed. But comes to understand that this is his life and his choice to make. Of course, he chooses to stay instead, and all's well that ends well. (WHY NOT STAY FOR HITOMI?) Voiced by Fukuhara Kaori. /// Ayuse Midori sort of lacks a spine, but she went straight to my good side with her reaction to the possibility of Tatsuya going to Australia. Asami simply throws a fit when she finds out that Tatsuya is going to Australia; Midori is heartbroken by it, but understands that this is his life and his choice.
Yamada Mayu is a former talent and famous in the school for the TV shows she has been in. She is involved in tennis, swimming, dance, drama, choir, and the committee leader in the graduation festival. She also insists that everyone call her "Mayu-sama" and viciously beats down anyone who falls to comply. So, she is more or less like Hagiwara Asami, except she don't financially ruin him but physically abuses him. Having been heavily promoted as a talent during junior high, she wanted to go into semi-retirement during senior high and have the ideal grand high school life. Despite having enjoyed her ideal high school life to the fullest, she is worried that her three-year long semi-retirement will hinder her return to the entertainment world after graduation. Again, Tatsuya assures her otherwise. Voiced by Kanou Mari. /// I remember reading reviews of Hiiro no Kakera where some people complained about Atori Mahiro screaming a lot of his lines, but Yamada Mayu is worse. And when you add in her physical abuse, I'm just like, "Fuck this. I am calling the cops on you."
Nakagawa Kaoru is a former choir member and the only daughter of Nakagawa Yuuji, a city councilman. She has some kind of grudge against him, thinking that he might be a dirty politician, but as it turns out he was just being set up. She also has a image complex, thinkning that no one thinks of her as herself, but merely as Nakagawa Yuuji's daughter. Unsurprisingly, she is the best tsundere character of all. Voiced by Hirama Juri. /// What was surprising was that she has the most exciting route of all. Everyone, including Hitomi's side, has humdum routes with humdum lives and humdum days. Kaoru gets kidnapped by a mobster and saved by Tatsuya and friends. After playing eleven straight routes of humdum lives, this was incredibly refreshing.
-----
Originally developed in 1998, I assume that they were trying to break into the just-developing otome game scene while keeping the bishoujo game thing by making the game with dual protagonists. I find it hard to believe that Takuyo might have tried to go artsy on us and truly tried to portray both sides of Tatsuya and Hitomi's relationship when in some routes for the two of them, the other goes practically unmentioned.
And maybe because I am a girl and played Hitomi's side first, but I find Tatsuya's side mostly unbearable. I honestly and truly tried to keep an open mind to his side, but having to go after girls like Hagiwara Asami and Yamada Mayu pretty much cements my heterosexuality. Nearly every time they appeared on screen, I just skimmed through the text and pressed skip to not have to listen to their awful screaming. Is it terrible that I wished both characters would be thrown into a nukige or yaruge? Preferably into one of Bishop's games?
As for the game mechanics, I am less than pleased. I am perfectly happy with visual novels and stat-raising games. I love Hiiro no Kakera and Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side. I do not, however, like games that simply add in stat-raising just to pad the damn game. Particularly if they put in awful mini games like Blackjack.
The house always fucking wins. It's not even funny. I know the mini games are there to keep the players from falling asleep, but that's exacly what it makes me do.
The art is very representative of 90s animation. I don't hate it, but I really don't like it. There's just something about the color palette or style that doesn't sit well with me. But then again, I've always been more of detail-oriented style with some shoujo bubbles and sparkles. There is a one quirk about the PSP version that I thought would be interesting to mention. e'tude prologue was originally released for the PC in 1998 with the art done by Watanabe Shuuji. Little Aid is an otome game released in 2005 for the PS2 that takes place a year after the events in e'tude prologue with art done by Nikami Yukitaka. For the 2006 PS2 release and 2007 PSP release of e'tude prologue, some Little Aid characters appear in some scenarios. However, because it's a little odd to have different characters drawn in two different styles, Takuyo had another artist adapt Little Aid characters for e'tude prologue. In the game settings, you can choose to view those characters as they were originally drawn or adapted for e'tude prologue. For instance:
Sawato Yuzuru and Hagiwara Asami, as originally drawn by their respective artists.
Sawato Yuzuru, redrawn for e'tude prologue, and Hagiwara Asami.
Here's some more screenshots. The first picture being the characters as originally drawn, and the second adapted for e'tude prologue.
I simply found the adapted forms to be too odd for me and stuck to playing the game with all the original art, despite the dissonance.
And for all Takuyo's labeling the game as "Dual-prospective Romantic Love Adventure," I did not think of this as a romantic game at all. In Hitomi's side, she keeps on chasing Tatsuya in Sanada Hiroshi's route and when he leaves for Australia, Sanada confesses his feelings and she answer, "Please give me some time." Not very romantic. In Katagiri Nachi's route, she doesn't get Tatsuya and Nachi doesn't Asami, but somehow the two get together in the epilogue. With Kusanagi Shun, it's all about him and his sickly sister, and even in the epilogue, the sickly sister is with the two of them. Not romantic. In Tatsuya's side, Yuumi's ending consists of him comforting her after Nachi rejects her and the epilogue jumps straight to the two of them dating. The same with Nakagawa Kaoru.
However, I won't say this is a completely bad game. I really liked the premise of the game. Should Hitomi go to a national university or a sports university? Should Tatsuya stay in the country and seek his fortune elsewhere? There is really only fourteen game days, and while I find it hard to believe that you can fall in love, I find it realistic that you can choose the path your life takes in that same time frame. To say the least, I was more interested in Hitomi and Tatsuya's futures more than their love lives.
For all I just said about this not being a completely bad game, it's still pretty bad. But I'm more of a Harukanaru Toki no Naka de kind of girl. Even if you are interested in Takuyo's kind of otome game with a lame mini game, this game still isn't one to play before others. Kaitou Apricot and Himehibi -Princess Days are far better games than e'tude prologue.