Sharin no Kuni

It wasn’t too long ago when I was browsing through various forums, bored out of my mind. I happened to remember a conversation I had online with my friend. As I recalled that conversation, I was reminded of a visual novel that interested me: Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo. It was still being translated at the time, so I didn’t give it much thought. When it was fully translated and released however, I suddenly started hearing all sorts of praise for this. It was being regarded as the “new age Ever17”, among other things. I’ve played Ever17 before, and I found it absolutely astounding. Everything about it was beautiful, from the characters to the story to the music. So I thought to myself, really? Something that can compare to Ever17? I had my doubts about it, so I decided to play it. Needless to say, by the time I was finished with Sharin no Kuni, I was absolutely blown away, much further than I had been when I played Ever17. Having the experience of playing this title still hanging around me, I decided to write this review as to let the public know of this masterpiece.

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Characters:
Morita Kenichi: The protagonist of the story. At first look, he’s an average young teenager who looks full of himself. In truth, he’s your superhuman young teenager who excels at everything in life who is full of himself. Throughout the story, the player will view the world as Kenichi sees it. Morita Kenichi was sent to his hometown as his last Special High Class Individual cadet test. If he passes, he will become a privileged member of society and the youngest Special High Class Individual (I will shorten this to SHCI from now on) in history. Kenichi narrates his experience throughout his test with a voice unlike any other male protagonist seen before. He’s full of himself, he acts like a sarcastic bastard, and he knows it. He’s always looking for an opportunity to manipulate people like tools, and spouting out words that make himself seem superior. Despite this, he’s an easygoing guy in most cases, and he’s not afraid to lend a helping hand to his friends when they are in danger. I personally loved his character. He was completely original and unique, and his narration throughout is satisfying to follow through the course of the story.

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Sachi Mitsuhiro: Your average energetic and vibrant teenage girl with big breasts at first. However, as the story progresses, she’ll slowly undertakes a drastic character change that can only inspire the reader to be better themselves. She’s naturally selfish and quick to blame others for her faults in the beginning. She lets on a strong front when presenting herself to others, but in actuality she’s longing for companionship. My favorite heroine in the game, I always found myself smiling whenever she appeared in the story.

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Touka Oone: The class president of the school the characters in the story attend, she’s outspoken and very brash, always criticizing others. She acts violently at times to others, due to her very short temper. However, when the tough gets going, she becomes contained and weak, unable to decide for herself. Just like Sachi, she shows a hard exterior to others, but she’s afraid of deciding decisions for herself. My second favorite heroine of the game, her often humorous personality and antics has led me to favor her immediately at the start of the story.

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Natsumi Hinata: The “main” heroine of the game, she’s the first person Kenichi meets on his exam. She’s extremely shy and reserved. She’s quick to reject any form of social interaction. She’s prone to stuttering, and often places the blame on herself. I did not like her at all at the start of the story. That statement did not change until much later in the game, where an event takes place that involves Natsumi. I honestly like her least out of all the heroines, but others might think otherwise. She’s just not my cup of tea. I found her character to be absolutely amazing near the end of the game however, but you can find that out for yourself.

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Sepia Uzuki: Or rather, Isono. Sepia Uzuki is just his pen name as a fairy tale writer, or so he claims. A wonderful character throughout the story, he’s always cracking the most out of place jokes that will guarantee to put a smile on your face. Of what you might write off as absurd nonsense coming from Isono, his opinions and thoughts hold deep importance within them. Although, just looking at his face, one really can’t take him seriously at all.

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Masaomi Houzuki: Kenichi’s SHCI supervisor. He’s a respected and high standing SHCI, with his reputation and influence spread nationwide. He was designed to scare you out of your pants, and he does so indeed. You can never comprehend his thoughts, and his actions and ways of manipulating others are cruel and spiteful. He’s a great character, for I have never feared a fictional character more than I have for Houzuki. Did I mention he’s voiced by Norio Wakamoto? That’s right, Wakamoto.

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Overall: The characters in this game are unlike any stereotype I’ve seen before. They’re all completely original, and the story is really built on the characters themselves. Each heroine undergoes a drastic change throughout the story, which can only be described as inspiring. I’ve never experienced a more enjoyable cast before in my experience of visual novels.
10/10


Story
In a not so distant place.

There exists a society where law is based upon deterrence and criminals are assigned "obligations" fitting for their crimes.

Within this society, a man named Morita Kenichi aspires to the position of Special High Class Individual, one who holds authority over said criminals.

For the purpose of fulfilling his ambition, Kenichi returns to the town he once called home. There he will encounter three girls bearing "obligations" and there he will encounter the past he left behind.

Won't you join him in this story about how people relate to their society?

In this story about how a society relates to its people.

In this story about the girl amid the sunflowers growing in the country spinning like a wheel.

From the get-go, things start off with a bang, literally. In the first few minutes of the game, you’ll be guaranteed to be hooked, all the while screaming in your head internally, wondering what just happened. The story does a wonderful job of keeping the reader’s interest throughout the course of the game, never missing a beat. The entire concept and theme of the story is completely intriguing, as it attacks society and human will with clever satire. The controversy regarding the setting can really force the reader to rethink their moral views and ideals about society and the government in our current day. Never before have I witnessed a story that has forced me to overly think and doubt my own moral views. The story keeps a very nice pace throughout; always continuing at a speed where I don’t feel rushed or held back. As the story progresses and progresses, you’ll also find yourself asking: Doesn’t something seem off here? The game continuously builds on the suspense that will stick with the reader throughout the course of the story. It all continuously builds up to the crucial moment at the end of the game, where the story really shines bright. Regarding the emotional aspect of the story, I can safely say that I was absolutely inspired to become a better person myself at the end of the story. I’m a sucker for emotional stuff, so I cried a fair bit. The story’s brilliance also lies within its use of emotional invocation. As far as I’m concerned, I would say it nearly matches CLANNAD in terms of invoking emotions. However, the story does also invoke a strong sense of pathos within the reader, ranging from pure outrage to fear. What it does is make the reader feel as if they’re part of the story itself, experiencing it first hand, not just viewing it from Kenichi’s perspective. However, for you avid mystery fans out there, there are plenty of mind blowing revelations and discoveries in store. These plot twists aren’t as amazingly deep and complex as say, Ever17, and there are not a lot of them either, but when they do occur, you’ll already be out of your chair, screaming at your monitor from only three inches away. The story offers more than just a plot; it presents different ideals and views on society that will force the reader to rethink their opinions, emotional and distressing events that are bound to move the reader to tears, and amazing plot twists that will keep the reader on the edge of their seats. By far, I can safely say I have never experienced a story as amazing as this.
10/10

Sound
The music is superb. It’s much better than one would usually expect out of something of the “eroge” genre, at least. The music does more than just serve as background music to accompany the background and the characters. It serves as an emotional trigger that compliments the story and setting in an absolutely flawless way. Different BGM’s play at different events with precise timing, whether it be a mellow, melancholy track or a happy, upbeat one. Never have I once thought of the music as unfitting to the mood of the story. However, some of these BGM’s are distressingly short, and at times they replay over and over during certain scenes. I never found this a problem as it sounds amazing, but that’s about the only issue I have regarding the soundtrack. As for the voice acting, I can safely say that I have never heard a more superb cast of voice actors for a visual novel. Each voice actor perfectly portrays their respective characters with emotion and personality. None of the voices sound unfitting or out of place at any time, and the amount of pathos these voice actors put into their voices really compliment the story as a whole. And seriously, Wakamoto’s in the cast. What can go wrong?
9.5/10

Graphics
Beautifully rendered pixels. The expressions are wonderful, each different pose fitting for any sort of mood the story throws at the reader. The characters are well drawn, and the backgrounds are absolutely breathtaking. However, there are some CG’s that just seem oddly drawn at times. The CG’s are barely inconsistent, but there are times where you take a look at it and feel as if something’s off. Overall, there’s not much to say as the focus of a visual novel isn’t graphics, but the visuals for this are fresh, crisp, and lively.
9.5/10

Technicality/Interface
This game goes for simplicity. The menu and in-game menu isn’t overly complicated and easy to follow. However, regarding the technical details of the game, there is one very big flaw in the system. As you may know, this game has routes. However, seeing as the story is linear and routes are a second priority thing imbedded within the story, if you want to start another route for another heroine, you’re forced to replay the entire game from start to finish again. It’s long and tedious, and a waste of energy. It takes a lot of effort to sit through the entire game three times and over just to obtain a different girlfriend. The game itself is fairly long, ranging from 25-35 hours on an average playthrough. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to get around this problem.
7.5/10

Overall
Definitely a masterpiece. The characters and story complement each other like sugar and candy, and the music fits for any mood within the story. The graphics are beautifully rendered with lively expressions that attract the reader. I would even go as far to call this visual novel flawless if not for the fact that playing through two or more routes is extremely tedious. Overall, I would give this a score of:
9.5/10
And here ends my review. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.