Rewrite "Review"

~Rambling~ So I am writing this review because of a couple of reasons. First, to prove that I am an “incompetent writer”, moreso than Tonokawa. Second, foppery and whim. Third, to showcase how long I take to write terribly. Fourth, catharsis. Fifth, to demonstrate how terrible my writing is when I splurge on the keyboard. Therefore, do not expect a review that is “in-depth”, because it will not necessarily contain this so-called “substance”. It might even contain personal opinion! Honestly, most of what I say would have be somewhere else already. Maybe one day, I will Rewrite this review (huehue so fanneh). Yeah, when a meteor hits the ground next to my window. Or I magically transcend humanity. Or my foppery and whim gets worse. Spoiler-free. I think. Makes a bunch of things a bit hard to talk about. Whatever. I will name drop a lot, though. I apologize if I end up coming off as incoherent, because this might end up being a pseudo-stream of consciousness with a lack of editing. I may also get too sardonic or whatever. So, without further ado… ~Oh, more KEYshit!~ Rewrite is KEY attempting a chuu2 shounen Chinese power point. Stay clear at all costs. I did not know what to expect of it at first. It was from the infamous KEY, often associated with Jun Maeda’s nakige that many would bitch at for melodrama or some silly stuff. What really interested me was the fact that Romeo Tanaka, the one behind the kamige CROSS†CHANNEL and Saihate no IMA, wrote the main scenario. While I would sort of fall in the target audience for both these areas, the fanbases between the two are very different. So it would definitely seem like Rewrite aims to be multiple things at once. And that is actually the case. ~Where is my forced drama?!~ So the story of Rewrite is… pretty good. Unfortunately, like with every other KEY title, its structural formula is undoubtedly one of its biggest flaws. The whole idea of going through a long common route filled with slice of life events and then the typically drama-focused character routes in order to get to the essence that is the true route is one that is time-consuming (In fact, this has a higher script size than that of Clannad. It felt shorter though, probably due to the common route. Basically, this is KEY’s longest work to date, although apparently Kud Wafter is slightly longer?). The usage of multiple writers certainly does not help. So yes, Moon and Terra are really the reasons to read this title. With a different main scenario writer, the whole core of Rewrite is a noticeable departure from your typical KEY work. The whole theme of humanity dealing with its world is just something you would not see from Maeda. In turn, this makes the scenario move towards a more depressing tone. Personally, I really liked the themes it dealt with, but your opinion may differ. You can read a synopsis somewhere else. I will now go through each segment. Common So this is something like most KEY titles. Light-hearted. High school and slice life. Comedy. Introducing the cast. It is all standard fare, really. Of course, Rewrite’s cast seems to one that stands out in comparison to KEY’s previous works. I cannot say that any of the main heroines are outright moeblobs or whatnot. Certainly, they are likeable, and some of their routes actually do flesh out their stories or develop them. Some. The comedy was funny. I really do not what else I could say for it. It is the result of the likeable characters and the exchanges between Kotarou and everyone else. The characters do have a sort of distinctive speaking style, and their dialogues are fairly natural, yadda yadda. Obviously, there will people who will spout silly stuff like the comedy being “poorly-integrated”, reduce it to “moe high school slice of life hijinks” or what have you. One issue with the comedy lies with the translation. This is actually noticeable in the classroom exchanges between Kotarou and Chihaya. The jokes are rather nonsensical, and do not seem to be translatable. Which is unfortunate. At the very least, the common route is good from a “pure entertainment standpoint”, so to speak. It is, ahem, excuse the word, fun. It could have definitely been trimmed down, though. There was a lot of potential for foreshadowing, exposition, and such that was not used, given the length. It is still there, but still. In the grand scheme of things, the common route does not matter much. I do not have much to say about the Mappie minigame. It is basically another form of comedy and storytelling. And it can be skipped. My approximate read time: 5-8 hours, first run Characters Again, like other KEY titles, the individual character routes vary in quality. Two routes written by Romeo. One by Ryukishi. Two by Tonokawa. Kotori (Romeo) Definitely a good route to start out on, as it is sort of a natural “continuation” to the common route that has a high amount of relevance with Terra. Plenty of information and backstory is given about the overall setting, though this route ultimately focuses on Kotarou and Komari, revealing some things about the latter that were sort of foreshadowed in the common route. Romeo also tried out the nakige formula here. Not to say that it is a bad thing. Perhaps there are issues with the route’s narrative and how it unfolds, such as the revelation of Kotori’s past. Anyway, it easily evoked the most emotional response out of me in Rewrite, as I managed to shed a tear or two. Highlight: Chibimoth My approximate read time: 3 hours Chihaya (Tonokawa) I enjoyed it a lot more than I should have, but this route is just... “lackluster”. Battle shounen clichés just fly at you, with morality of villains, how the battles were carried out, and perhaps “tryhard dialogue”. There is also the whole inconsistency issue with Kotarou’s power and his left hand. There might be more, but whatever. Add that to a particularly long route that drags on its events, and you have a winner. Chihaya herself hardly gets any development, if any at all. She honestly develops more in one of the Guardian routes. This should just be Sakuya’s route, since the relationship between him and Kotarou is dealt with, as is the rewrite power. This route can sort of be compared to Unlimited Blade Works of Fate/Stay Night, due to that relationship (and not the battles). It could have been better if it focused more on that connection, as it ends up being relevant in Moon and Terra. Sakuya is a bro. Highlight: Philosophyz playing My approximate read time: 4-5 hours Shizuru (Tonokawa) I do not know how to describe this one, other than the fact that “stuff happens”, and at the same time, nothing happens. The narrative lacks some sort of clear direction, and the events lack proper build-up. Lack of any real development. And Tonokawa inconsistencies. The most contributory thing this route does is probably the Guardian perspective. This is another route similar to the nakige style. Though some might call it utsuge. And seriously? A bad end during a flashback? Maybe it is just me. Highlight: vroom vroom pew pew My approximate read time: 3-4 hours Lucia (Ryukishi07) Oh, R07. I was basically going through a checklist when I was reading this route. I will admit though, I liked the creepiness of the “mystery”. SPOOKY BOOGIE. I suppose this can be considered a great route. It is by far the one that is most focused on its heroine. Lucia’s character is explored, and the plot is sort of another side to Rewrite, especially since this is the only route that goes deeply into romance. The thing is, it does not seem to contribute to Moon and Terra like the other routes did (besides replacing Shizuru’s). And Kotarou becoming Battler towards the end was questionable, making the drama a lot more heavy-handed that it should have been. While this route can be considered standalone, it would be pantsu-on-head retarded to read Rewrite solely for this route. If you want R07, stick with Higurashi, Seacats, Higanbana, or Rose Gun Days. Or even Ookami Kakushi. Highlight: Date My approximate read time: 4 hours Akane (Romeo) Basically the “objectively” best character route. It has fleshed out story and character development and stuff. It also has the benefit of being sort of thematically similar to Moon and Terra, both as REAL DEAL and in scope. The most questionable thing is how the ending is carried out in regard to Kotarou and Akane. Considering all that happens, it is really weird to end it like that. Highlight: “Evolution” My approximate read time: 4-5 hours Moon Excellent route. It is definitely different from the rest of Rewrite, and some people will have problems with the pacing, abstract approach, and perhaps confusing revelations. It aims to tie the character routes together and stuff. Pretty cool ending, too. This might just be a prologue to Terra, but I liked both nearly equally. Highlight: Timeline simulation My approximate read time: 1.5 hours Terra And here it is, the pièce de résistance. In some ways, it feels similar to Akane’s route, yet it is a completely different story. Hell, you know it is going to be REAL DEAL when Kotarou’s lines become voiced and the reading interfaces changes. Honestly, I find it difficult to really fault the overall execution and handling of this route. Kotarou goes through the ultimate development here (WELL GEE I WONDER WHAT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE TITLE “REWRITE” REFERS TO?). I also really liked the subtle references to some of the characters here (well, there is Yoshino, not sure who else), as well as the use of choices, for some reason. Like the other routes, the “solution” offered in Terra is just one possible answer. Romeo left it rather open-ended. It is a pretty large issue to tackle, after all. Also, it does not end with a Disney ending like other KEY works. REAL DEAL fans can rejoice. Highlight: boke/tsukkomi, Esaka scene, Epilogue My approximate read time: 4-5 hours -Minor spoiler for Terra- Certainly, if there is a flaw in Terra, it would be because of the main characters. Or, rather, the lack of them. That is not to say that the side characters in this route were not great or amazing (Esaka is a bro), but it makes the character routes much less significant. Sure, Moon tied them together and events in Terra put some of the events of the character routes in context, but just how much does it matter? Well, some of the information in the routes certainly matter, but it is not like it could not have been handled in another way. I do not know. KEY’s formula strikes again. Oppai Ending Hahaha oh my fucking god. おっぱい万歳！おっぱい万歳！おっぱい万歳！ My approximate read time: 1 hour to finish the quests and the ending ~Technico Mumbo Jumbo~ You have KEY’s resident artists working here. So you will have Hinoue Itaru’s big-eyed uguu faces and such. Thankfully, she has improved since the Kanon days. While she also managed to improve from her art in Little Busters!, she still makes those occasionally derpy faces, especially at angled character shots. Voice acting is top-notch, especially from the likes of Chiwa Saito and Kitamura Eri. Music is excellent and appropriate, like most of KEY. “Philosophyz” has some sick guitar and “Rewrite” sounds cool (also, that animation). You have Maeda and a few other composers for the soundtrack, which is fantastic overall. And then there are Nagi and Tada Aoi singing the EDs. It is a damn shame Lia was not available for this, since the Terra ED could have easily been one of my most favorite songs if it was sung by her instead. Ah well, I will just have to settle for the beautiful title screen music, the appropriately named “Journey”. Although, KEY always seems to have a problem with production values or something. For such a big company, a Chinese power point of this length could do with more “consistencies”. What I mean by this is the lack of sprites and voices for some characters, even though they have some sort of relevance to the main plot. I mean, one character exclusive to Akane’s route has a sprite and voice, yet really was not crucial to the story as she should have been. KEY could also do with more CGs, maybe. ~And The Judge Finds The Defendant…~… Not guilty? Like I said near the beginning, KEY’s formula is what affects Rewrite the most. Honestly, you could probably get away with going through Common -> Kotori -> Akane -> Moon -> Terra, or something like that (maybe, maybe not, whatever). I cannot really fault length, though, because it is a problem that is inherent with how the industry works. Overall, I would say that Rewrite is definitely an excellent game, particularly due to its thematic execution and characterization. It can certainly make you think, and Kotarou’s character is just remarkable (and it is not just because of the video game analogies). However, it seems to lack that “oomph” that truly outstanding titles seem to have. It covers a wide scope of genres and hits the right points for its better parts, sometimes surprising you with a twist along the way, but it never seems to blast you away or blow your mind like [your favorite title]. There is also how one will take the genres handled throughout Rewrite. Genre shifts are a thing that some people will not like. Whether it is because it is a structural writing flaw or what have you. The most notable example of the genres themselves lies with the shounen battles and cliches, which a fair amount of people seem to absolutely loathe. However, tragedy and drama also pose potential issues. I know a certain group of tossers that somehow managed to make me adverse to drama of any sort, and I felt that every character route had that. Which is why I cannot consider any of the character routes excellent. But that is just me. Subsequently, the character routes show the lack of planning involved. It is cool that Hinoue actually thought of the idea for Rewrite, but it really seems like there was a lack of communication among the three writers, especially with Tonokawa’s contradictions. It is difficult to recommend this to a KEY fan when it lacks the emotional impact that is so prevalent in Maeda’s works. Terra lacks the impact that After Story and Refrain had. It is also difficult to recommend this to a Romeo fan when they already have Saihate no IMA. Or the Jintai LNs. Or even J.Q.V. Also, his writing style was undoubtedly toned down for KEY (perhaps there may be personal reasons at work for choosing to translate Rewrite, but the translator even said that he will not translate Saihate until he felt that he would not butcher it). I suppose the people who would actually like this the most would be the KEY haters, to be convinced it is actually Maeda who they have a vendetta against. Though, the common route (and Tonokawa) could still pose a problem for such individuals. Was it worth my time? Definitely. But, was it worth all that translation time? Unfortunately, I cannot answer that, because I am still an English-only peasant. In the end, if I had to describe Rewrite, a term like “flawed masterpiece” would not seem to really work. And it certainly is no kamige. I will just go with “moon dinosaurs”. ~The Revolutionary War~ Oh, right. So, excluding the common route and Oppai ending, I would rank the routes something like this: Terra ~ Moon > Akane > Kotori > Lucia >Shizuru > Chihaya Incidentally, my girl preferences lie in that order if you take out Moon and Terra. So Akane is the best main heroine. But Nishikujou is the best girl. ~Edgy Rating Association~ Finally, the rating. As you should know, I do not like numerical ratings. So, based on my special rating scale, I award Rewrite a resounding… 8.8 As you also know, I am someone who rates lowly to seem more objective, intellectual, critical, pretentious, cool, and edgy. All at once. So if I had to assign an actual rating out of 10 for Rewrite, it would be somewhere around... 7~8.5 So there you have it. KEY’s latest work. And perhaps their best. Approximate writing time for this review: ~5 hours for ~2865 words + 1~2 hours being autistic and adding pictures