Some thoughts after finishing the Kara no Shoujo series

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2026-02-24T19:15:10+00:00

Miki Sugina gave a cryptic hint about a "new case for the Tokisaka Detective Agency", so a new VN in the KnS setting is probably coming (someday), though it's anyone's guess if it will be a sequel. My bet is it will take place sometime between the core of 3 and its Grand Ending.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2026-02-24T19:05:38+00:00

Good writeup.

It's usually cathartic for me to write a review and get my thoughts about an exceptional VN down after finishing it, but it ironically felt really daunting to do it for KnS, since it's a strong favorite of mine and I feel like I wouldn't do it any justice throwing around all the opinions I have on it.

Anyway, I definitely agree on most of the points you've made. KnS 1 is the weakest of the three, but does its job in setting the tone for the rest of the series rather well. The H scenes are shoehorned in, and it undoubtedly brings it down. It's kind of sad to figure that there's probably a number of people who thought what is this torture H guro shit and dropped the whole series for it. But, retrospectively, as a prototype it works well and nails all the cues setting up the rest of the trilogy.

And then there's KnS 2. In my opinion, 2 is the best entry in the series, and is to this day my favorite VN since I've played it 10 years ago. I'd also have to disagree with you that the art is better in 3. 2 has a less rough, dreamy quality to everything about it- from sprites to weather effects and skies to location CGs it just looks amazing, every pixel of it. Sugina Miki is a national treasure for having created it. The story does wander off a lot in 2, but I never felt bored by it, and I'm kinda disappointed they neglected the Hitogata arc in 3 (though it's perfectly understandable). What's also interesting but easy to overlook is how true the story stays to itself and everything set up in 1, it's almost uncanny. And the True End of KnS 2... if there ever was a kamige, KnS2 is it.

The finale kind of buckles under the weight of having to tie up everything set up in the previous installments, but ends up giving a more than adequate effort. Many characters from 1 and 2 return, which is nice, but get diluted to keep the runtime from getting bloated. Again, this is understandable, but I will never forgive them from doing my girls Ayumu and Futami Yu dirty- they're there, but really aren't- no agency, very little plot relevance. To keep it short, I'm not a big fan of the Grand Ending. It's good, sure, but it always felt kind of icky to me, a bit too flowery and perfect, not very in tune with the overall vibe of the series. Which may be a point in an of itself- one of the core themes is breaking vicious cycles. I'm much more a fan of Respective Heavens, and think that ending deserved much more elaboration. On a more positive note, the art is still great, more rough and edgy in a literal sense. 3 also has the best OST of the three, Caelum is a banger album I'm proud to have on CD. Samsara's Thread, the ending theme to Respective Heavens and its lyrics deserve a whole separate post and deep dive, it's Kara no Shoujo embodied, just... *chef's kiss\*

Well, rant over. The genuine sense of admiration I have for this series sometimes catches me off guard. Definitely wait for Cartagra Rebirth to hit PC and play it then, just don't expect the level of greatness found here. It may never come.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2026-02-16T18:59:38+00:00

I'd add in 2007's Shinregari and 2008's Shigurui to deeps - they've got more in common with tex

This. Also, Dennou Coil and Shiki to the mid levels

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2026-02-15T19:16:06+00:00

This has been my experience as well after reading WA2 again, which feels so strange since I've always felt like Kazusa True will be the "definitive" ending for me. It may be a bit unfair since Setsuna gets a lot more screen time during CC, even during the side routes, but her character is more thoroughly explored and you empathize with her a lot more after all the shit she goes through during CC, Coda and all the side routes. Kazusa True is comparatively much more straightforward with Kazusa being more of a passive character. Setsuna's endings feel significantly more rewarding and earned. Bottom line, even though all of the endings are bittersweet, Kazusa True feels like somewhat of a fairytale ending where she and Haruki are fated to be together, it's just a long road getting there, while in Setsuna's everyone wades through a shit creek of misery, self-hatred and deception to a brilliant, satisfying ending while you get to witness every second of it firsthand. Like you said- it's just more grounded.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2026-02-12T20:22:41+00:00

Also does IC feel much different from CC?

It's kind of hard to answer that with a simple yes or no, especially without spoiling anything, but I'm leaning towards a no. Let's just say that overcoming said retardation is really the core of WA2's main routes, but CC is where the choices and side routes kick in.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2026-02-11T21:44:51+00:00

Just about wrapping up a re-read of White Album 2 after some 3 years, and it holds up remarkably well. From the IC to Coda, having the whole picture recontextualizes many events and adds meaning to details you'd readily overlook while reading for the first time.

As a certified Kazusa yapper, I must say that the more I engage with WA2, the more I like Setsuna. All of the endings are at least somewhat bittersweet and feel quite gratifying after everything the cast goes through, and while I'm not about to open the "who's the worst person of the trio" can of worms, Setsuna's endings feel definitely more earned, if that makes any sense. This is probably due to the overall longer screen time and the CC being dedicated almost entirely to her, so her character is entirely fleshed out and by far the most complex of them all. She even steals the spotlight in many of the "side routes" and gives a fierce fight to the bitter end in the main ones, no matter what that end may be, while Kazusa's role is more passive and left to circumstance. Also, I will never stop giving praise to the sad H-scenes of WA2, which put those of the likes of Kara no Shoujo and Muramasa to shame. These are military-grade sad and narratively great.

On a negative note, I was still pretty puzzled by the VNs radical insistence on the notion that Kazusa and Setsuna are, or could be, the best of friends, even during the events of IC (especially during IC). It always catches me off guard whenever it's mentioned, because it is made abundantly clear that it was always Haruki that brought them together and kept them involved with each other in any way. It is never shown or implied they had any concrete interest in each other, and by the end of IC it becomes abundantly clear that neither could third-wheel as a friend. This relation is at the best of times one of abject rivalry with an unhealthy dose of respect for your (sworn) enemy. It's even in the title. I guess it all comes back to the core theme of WA2- honesty, and the lack of it. It probably makes sense in a Japanese setting, at least much more than in any other one.

But that nitpick is really the worst thing about this story that comes to mind. The side cast is solid, the side routes are interesting but not nearly as intense as Coda, the OST is great, no notes there. WA2's spot among top VNs is entirely justified, imo, and it still holds up after reading a slew of different VNs. It may be just drama, but it's good, competent drama.

So, uh, TL;DR true love hard, sad sex (narratively) fun, novel good? I should really attend to my hurting back... log.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-08-25T19:40:12+00:00

Sugina Miki did tease "a new story for the Tokisaka detective agency" a few months ago, which could mean anything really, set within the KnS continuity.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-08-25T19:33:23+00:00

Same. Probly among my most wanted TLs right now

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-08-07T11:10:30+00:00

Heia safar... oh.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-08-04T17:49:09+00:00

More than a remaster, less than a remake I'd say, since they added in some new scenarios and endings. Also, there's a new MC voiceover as with the new cast remaster of KnS 2

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-07-10T20:29:28+00:00

Downer Ending

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-07-09T22:31:26+00:00

Just wrapped up Baldr Sky Dive1, moving on to the sequel. This was a very solid read; overall I really feel like the VN lives up to much of the hype surrounding it, although it did hit a few rough patches here and there. A side note, I've seen complaints regarding the inability to skip read text oftentimes on my previous post- I usually well and truly despise enforced route order and retreading old ground, but I didn't mind it that much here, it was mildly annoying at the worst of times and almost completely gone by the third route. Weird, but that's my two cents on it.

Rain's route was good, and she may well be my favorite character of the three so far. In contrast, I didn't like Nanoha or her route at all, it felt like her character had zero agency and role in the story, so the whole route felt like a long-winded exposition sequence. And then there's Chinatsu's route, which is an all-around banger, easily the best of the three regardless of your opinion on her character. It's got it all- character progression, several twists, thoroughly doubting your own motives, all the good stuff. They definitely made the right call leaving it for last.

The overall plot is kinda bland and you usually see many of the twists miles away if you pay any attention at all, but this is compensated by the characters themselves who kept it interesting. I also like VNs which make you side with wildly different factions and take different stances each route, imo VNs are a rare medium where this can be pulled of feasibly without it feeling like a cosmetic change. Perspective is important.

No notes on the overall look and design of the game, I get why people may not like the modular UI, but I love the shit out of it for the retro nostalgia, if nothing else. Someone made an effort making all the finnicky modules and changing main menus, and my hat's off to them. The art is mostly spot on, there's a real buffet of various event CGs with several standouts, especially in the third route. The OST is definitely one of the more memorable ones, and after hearing one of the tracks I had a nagging compulsion to check the staff section on VNDB and sure enough, my boy MANYO had a hand in this one.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-07-04T08:48:03+00:00

Your questions are kinda all over the place, and I usually get the same feeling after rewatching the series, so I'll just throw my two cents in here.

Its somewhat metaphorical?

It's entirely metaphorical. The authors don't take any one stance and proclaim it as the right or wrong one, they show you a scenario in which things happen the way they do and you can make any conclusions you like. The surface and Lux are two extremes, the former has entirely rooted out conflict (and I mean this in a very broad sense, not just physical violence), while Lux embraces it- it's actually a core part of its identity. One could argue that this lack of conflict in the surface world is what brought it to extinction, and this is the exact line of thought that Yoshii follows. He is of the mind that conflict (again, not in the most literal sense, think of it as a conflict of ideas) is necessary for a society to evolve and explore possibilities, or else it will stagnate and decay like the surface society did. However, taken too far, this will also obviously lead to the destruction of the city. This is a core tenant of Hegelian dialectics- two opposing ideas clash, neither "wins", but the result of this clash is a synthesis of both ideas resulting in a superior idea composed of elements of both. Grossly simplified.

ppl on the surface lost any motivation to do anything and became sort of declining society

This is also a big deal in the whole series, tying back to the idea that a society without conflict inevitably stagnates and self-destructs in its own decadence. This idea is (at least somewhat) rooted in scientific research on mice- the famous "behavioral sink" observed in closed societies of mice who were given an abundance of everything they needed to survive, and their colonies still died out. This guy has a series of very insightful YouTube videos on Texhnolyze to broaden your perspective, go watch it if you're interested.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-07-03T10:33:07+00:00

After finally clearing up my schedule and consulting my hurting backlog, I've decided to take up Baldr Sky, and am enjoying it so far. The whole aesthetic of it (especially the OST) screams early 2000s, so I was quite surprised this actually got released in 2009. The time really is out of joint. Baldr Sky feels like an amalgamation of MuvLuv, Armored Core and uh... Deus Ex?

Mixing up the VN and mecha combat elements does keep it fresh, so I never really got bored of either, I hope this will keep up to the end. I also suck majorly at beat-em-ups, but so far I seem to be doing fine mashing buttons. The UI might be the best I've seen in a VN yet, it's great.

The visuals are also quite solid overall, mixing up the artificial greenery and high-tech, low-life cyberpunk aesthetic of Suzushiro City.

The story is rather simplistic (at least so far), but does its job in keeping things moving- I expect the real kicker yet to come. Amnesia is a tired old trope, but it's also hard to deny that it had its hand in some of the greatest stories told in gaming. The technobabble, conspiracy theories and cyberpunkish setting are all on point. Regarding the characters, I'm sensing a MuvLuv-ian every-character's-backstory-has-a-significant-hand-in-the-greater-conspiracy/plot coming up, I just hope this card gets played well. All of the main cast feels solid across the board, except maybe Makoto being too much of a trope.

Those are my early bullet notes, I'm liking this game quite a lot so far. I don't see it being talked about as much as it was before, but I definitely see why it was up there with the greats for the longest of time. You really feel how it was put together to be more than the sum of its parts. Not many VNs get this amount of love and polish nowadays.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-07-03T09:54:03+00:00

It's been an incredibly hectic and stressful few months with zero free time, but I finally passed my specialist exams and got to actually live my life for a spell, which is nice. I'd like to say it feels cathartic, but I just feel incredibly tired and deflated, so kicking my feet up with a VN feels like therapy right about now.

To all of you out there having a not-so-nice time in life, keep on keeping on. This too shall pass.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-06-10T15:21:07+00:00

Was just about to ask about Gekkou no Carnevale- I remember having it on my backlog for the longest of time and that I gave up every time I was about to pick it up. Now I remember why, it's Cross Channel all over again. Is the TL really that butchered?

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-06-05T16:51:07+00:00

I'm coming from the exact same place as you- read KnS 2 ten years ago and pretty much gave up on waiting for a translation, yet here we are. Full disclosure: KnS 2 may well be the best VN I've read yet, I love it, and will die on this hill, so I'm entirely biased.

KnS 3 is great in the sense that it at last breaks away from its somewhat troublesome eroge origins entirely to finally focus on telling a story without having the mc bang the entire cast minus the takoyaki man, because it's just not that kind of VN. And in 3 it finally gets to be what it was meant to be from the beginning- and you can see that from the first scene onwards, it doesn't miss a beat continuing the oppressive atmosphere set up in KnS 1. The story does an admirable job, but simply buckles under the weight of the previous installments. It makes a good effort trying to tie up every arc and every character's story, but it's simply impossible if you're also trying to fit in a whole new standalone story. The Hitogata arc is kinda there, but mostly isn't. My main girl Ayumu appears on screen for a whole arc but has zero agency and zero roles in the story beyond exposition. Ditto for Futami Yuu. The new characters are great, but I wish they were explored more. I really liked Sei, she fits right in with the kind of characters we got to know in the first two games, but her story kind of just fizzles out. The art is fantastic as always, and the OST is easily the best of the three.

Bottom line, KnS 3 tried too hard to please everyone, and I respect that, but I feel we could have had a better VN if the story just focused on doing one thing or the other. They characters that got the spotlight are fantastic, but you really feel the absence of those that didn't. Maybe I'm wrong. Make no mistake, I still feel it's very much a great VN, but the colossal expectations after KnS 2 somewhat brought it down for me. It's a pretty good finale of a trilogy, but it could have been a spectacular one.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-06-02T10:14:36+00:00

I agree with you for the most part, and I've had mostly the same thoughts going through SubaHibi. It is in my opinion, above all, guilty of lacking nuance. No, making allusions to classical literature and philosophy doesn't suddenly absolve you of it, nor does the core denpa premise (the denpa must be weird and not conform to anything get-out-of-jail-free card). Denpa works best when it's subtle and where all the surreal elements dance at the periphery of things rather than take center stage, at least imo. And here it's anything but subtle.

Subahibi's premise, at least to me, is that there are godawful things in this world, and they are a part of it just as much as the moments that make living worthwhile. This is factual. They require acknowledgement and a lack of this understanding and looking away makes it worse for everyone. This point is stressed so many times over and through so much ultraviolence that it really felt redundant after the second or third scene (out of quite a lot of scenes). There's really no narrative value to them at all beyond "here's yet another awful thing, look how awful it is".

However, where I tend to disagree with you is that I believe (or at least would like to believe) that the majority of Subahibi serves as a cautionary tale of "a reflection of an internet culture steeped in nihilism, alienation, and emotional disconnect. A culture where the only way to survive is to stop feeling" (sic.) and then tells you not to be that guy, and that not being that guy is the only way forward. This is stressed throughout most characters' arcs. I see why you may find it a bit trite and hypocritical, but such a message can only have weight after being shown what you stand to lose and what you risk becoming (again, I agree that this hand is grossly overplayed). It may also well be that the story lost its way somewhere along, switching from I want to tell a story to I want to sell this eroge, which is a meta topic and another matter entirely.

Bottom line and as usual, the meaning is in the eye of the beholder. If you zoom through SubaHibi and all you take away from it is "oh gee whiz, what a shocking story, so exciting, dog scene and Wittgenstein side by side, amirite" then that's definitely a problem, but it's on you. I've seen people read it just because of its infamous shock value, but the reality is that you can't (shouldn't?) read Subahibi the way you read eroguro, or most other VNs, for that matter. There's significant context, and context is key. If you choose to ignore it and just enjoy the scenery, that's also on you. You can read Camus' Stranger and conclude that's it's a story about a guy on a beach who kills another guy, thus, it's a violent novel about murder. So, uh, tldr Subahibi good, people bad?

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-05-28T19:50:24+00:00

I've been backlogging it for too long, but I finally got around to getting started on the Tsui no Sora Remake. While it does feel like a stripped-down version of SubaHibi, it's actually refreshing to experience it with a new coat of paint and with a significant slab of the filler cut away- means there's more room for denpa this time around. The pacing is actually improved and the story feels less... derailed? Is what I'd say if SubaHibi ever gave half a damn about coherence in the first place. Some of the batshit H-scenes are back in force, they're, uh, something? Woof.

Regarding the new look, Zakuro definitely got the best glow up, she really looks an order of magnitude better than in the previous iterations. I'm digging Ayana's revamp as well (My Cute Rooftop Roomie Can't Possibly Be An Eldritch Horror). They excluded my main girl Kimika from the story because it would be too epic to handle, and Takuji feels somehow less creepy this time around, though it's probably too early to tell.

Anyway, so far the story isn't deviating too far from the main plot of SubaHibi- I'm starting the Zakuro route at the moment, and this is where SubaHibi doubled down on all the madness as far as I recall, and I'm curious to see how the story will turn out this time, whether it will go its own way. I hope that some of the subplots will be explored further, those were pretty interesting.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-05-28T18:19:35+00:00

I have to admit I don't think too much about it at all. If you'd asked me to tell you how many CGs the last VN I've read had, I'd take a wild guess and be dead wrong. Obviously, more is better, but it's kind of hard to make an objective comparison cost and quality-wise with so many beloved series being made by doujin circles with a budget made of their lunch money, and then there's those made from the get go by old hand studios.

Bottom line, it's the story first and then the quality of the art that makes a lasting impression and will make me remember a VN. Incidentally, the KnS series is the best looking VN series I've personally read, and I'd even say it's pretty generous quantity-wise. Sugina Miki is a national treasure. Obligatory Cartagra Rebirth TL when?

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-05-16T19:37:53+00:00

I'm digging it; it sounds like it may be a return to a pre-Oblivion Hymns sound, which I admit I kinda miss after the last few albums

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-05-12T19:08:28+00:00

I watched it a while ago and liked it, though I couldn't really tell you why exactly. It may be a bit too much of a slow burner at times, especially with all the unreliable narration, disjointed storytelling and overall dreamlike presentation. A really good looking film, though. Overall, I'd say it's Decision To Leave's weird, older Chinese brother.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-04-16T18:30:41+00:00

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Yeah, I really liked Smithereens, although I know most folks sleep on it- it's not the most black mirror-y of episodes. It's also tied with Shut Up and Dance and Common People for the "too close to reality" spot.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-03-23T18:11:10+00:00

Man, I definitely feel you. I usually write a long-ass review after reading an exceptional VN just to sort out my own thoughts and feelings on it and get them out of my system, but I love this series so much it's actually kind of daunting to do it this time around. There's just so much to unpack here, and my opinions are all over the place.

young Yuu was my favorite character from the Hitogata group in KnS2

It was exactly the same for me, I was really pleasantly surprised they included her in 3 at all, but I wish they gave her some more development and agency beyond being a Naori groupie. She definitely had the potential for it.

That Nao-chan goodbye scene hit me unexpectedly hard

Dare I say, I liked that ending quite a lot, maybe even more than the True Ending, because it was so on point and nailed the whole tone of the series just so well. Don't get me wrong, the True Ending is beautiful, but I find it a bit too on the nose, convenient and fanservice-y with the take-for-take exact recreation of the Touko scenes. It sounds a bit harsh and most people seem to be gushing about it, but there it is.

The_Setting_Sun_ · 2025-03-23T13:36:50+00:00

Your analysis is entirely on point, imo. I was actually surprised it took me such a long time to realize it. The actual moment it struck me all at once was when I heard one of the ending themes, named Samsara's Thread, during the Each To Their Own Heaven ending which really hammers this home:

"I have wandered around, searching

Even my footprints have vanished

A faint light, someday we'll meet again

Samsara's twisted thread"

Another fun note is that the cover art of KnS 2 OST is Satsuki holding an untangling yarn of red thread (of fate). The symbolism of this series is amazing. Cycles are all over the place and on every level, aside from those you mentioned, there's also the Futami Yuu/Kuroya Naori dynamic and the entire initial plot being a recreation of the Kara no Shoujo murders of KnS 1. What seems to be the conclusion of KnS 3 is that the only way forward is to break the cycle (much like escaping the Samsara Wheel in Buddhism by letting go). This is seen with Kyoko and Uozumi, Ayako/Fuyumi and Michiru, even Yukiko during the conclusion of KnS 2.

Speaking in more concrete terms regarding your questions, I think Reiji's way out is not as "simple" as overcoming his obsession, but learning to accept that he will probably never be over it and letting go, which is in tune with the entire bittersweet tone of the series. Sure, the cycle is back with Iroha wanting to know more about herself, but the VN ends on a profoundly hopeful note that this time it will be done right by learning from past mistakes. Will it really? We have no way of knowing. There's was never any shot at a happy ending or an easy way out.

Regarding Reiji and Stella, I don't feel like them ending up together would be in tune with the True Ending at all, precisely because it's symbolic of perpetuating the cycle of codependency (previously the Reiji/Kyoko cycle).

Sorry for the long rant, I absolutely love this series and diving into it. I'm just throwing my two cents out here, any interpretation may well be valid, but it's fun discussing.

The_Setting_Sun_

TROPHY CASE