~°~°~°~ Hello sweet people ~°~°~°~ My name is Lola, I'm French, and I am living for fluff All the arts on this blog come from original Tumblr artists or have been authorized to be reposted with their consent. DO NOT REPOST OR EDIT ANY ILLUSTRATIONS!!! Multifandom blog, SFW mostly. The profile picture is a portrait of me by my talented friend @ooriens <3
-I can’t sleeeeeep! And I’ve got work tomorrow. Husk, talk to me about something~ - You, seriously… That’s a lot to ask out of the blue. Ah, wait… if you want a bedtime story… Once upon a time… - Snore, Zzz (- Guess you were sleepy after all, huh)
Winter is cold in Tokyo this year, and my little cat paws instinctively lead me to this abandoned station where I usually take refuge. But this time, it’s not empty. A young Japanese girl, her sister, and a young Chinese man now occupy the place. I begin to observe them from a distance, following their daily routine, which doesn’t seem particularly fulfilling. But once the cold weather is over, will they leave a trace behind them or vanish like snow?
❤ The story relies on beautiful illustrations, enhanced by some truly creative staging. Rather than settling for a simple static background accompanied by text, the settings are subtly animated and the images and written narration shift across the screen, giving the story a much more dynamic and lively dimension. This screen composition always evolves according to what the story seeks to emphasize, setting it apart from the classic format of many visual novels, which I think is worth highlighting.
❤ The characters are quite endearing, thanks in particular to the alternating points of view, which allow us to sympathise with their situation and what they are going through. The development of the two main protagonists unfolds gradually and subtly; we see them slowly opening up to others, and their relationship never falls into the somewhat cliché “boy meets girl” dynamic (which I admit I expected at first). It’s more of a spiritual connection, like an echo of their respective experiences, which in my opinion is much deeper and more poetic. The secondary characters also receive brief glimpses into their past, providing more context to the whole story. ❤ Once the year and their story are over, the game offers an extra bonus with a very cute and heartwarming scene, which is a welcome relief after such a sad story, like a little ray of sunshine.
+/- The cold brings with it a sense of melancholy, and this story is steeped in that same winter atmosphere. The game tackles realistic and timely themes such as immigration and social hardship, as well as more universal ones such as the meaning of family, without ever sugarcoating the situations. The narrative remains sober, often harsh, ending with an open conclusion far removed from conventional happy endings. Yet, some repetitions and inconsistencies creep in. In the first half, the scenes pass by and start to feel very similar, with the lack of communication between the two young people stuck at a standstill. It becomes frustrating to watch them persist in speaking their respective languages, fully aware that the other will not understand, and without even attempting another way to communicate. Other elements also lack logic: Kanna and Emi’s parents, who let their underage daughters live alone in Tokyo despite the younger one’s serious illness, without ever checking on their well-being; Jin, who after a year still doesn’t know simple Japanese phrases to communicate more easily; Emi’s illness and Kanna’s injury, which clearly have no impact on their daily lives except to add a little drama to the story; the mystery surrounding Tina the cat, who refuses to be touched throughout the game before suddenly being carried around towards the end without explanation, etc… All of this can make the reading sometimes quite annoying because, although the story aims to be deep, this lack of detail makes it difficult to create a totally credible universe. +/- This visual novel features fully voiced dialogue, with very convincing acting in both Japanese and Mandarin. This relatively rare choice effectively reinforces the language barrier between the two characters and contributes to the immersion of the story. As for the music, it discreetly accompanies the languor of the story but in my opinion, remains too subdued, never offering more expressive and memorable themes. On the other hand, the ending song is particularly beautiful and at least concludes the whole thing in a more memorable way. +/- The English translation is generally correct, but still contains minor typos and punctuation errors here and there. Some transition screens also feature spoken dialogue that has not been translated, a rather careless oversight. More regrettably, two DLCs are not available in English, depriving players of side stories that could have provided more insight into the characters’ pasts. I think this is something they should have anticipated, given that the base game was fully translated.
✖ Despite a certain attention to detail, the limited variety of settings is noticeable. The game is confined to two or three main locations, in which we end up hibernating due to their constant repetition.
Even though I eventually cohabited with these humans, I decided to leave despite the freezing wind, carrying a rather lukewarm feeling. It had been a cozy year with them, despite the sadness radiating from them. While they left footprints in the snow all around the station, my memories of them will likely fade away, like snow when the sun returns, leaving only a fleeting trace.
