Sigh. Long time lurker, first time poster. Perhaps because I've never felt so inclined to sharing my thoughts with others about something like an Eroge. Heck, it's been three years since I've stopped playing them, and even then they were just sporadic urges to read a story or interact with the 2D world for a bit.
This game has had the same effect on me that Clannad did. Nothing the real world throws at me stirs me up anymore, and yet Anime and Games do it all the time. I simply can't get myself to go past the Fuko arc because of the two weeks of shitstorm that I went through after I finished watching it. Great series, but I guess I'm really sensitive to things like the passage of time and death. That's just how I am. I can't get myself to cry, but sometimes I feel like really wanted to. Sucks being a faggot, huh.
First off, I had my heart pinned down through the entire prologue. I'm someone who loves dogs more than people, more than anything, so seeing Mikan in that situation got me pretty down while playing. I had my eyes in tears during the cemetery scene, while she cried, and I thought I should've just stopped there. But the pace changed, it became lively and funny. The story progressed, things happened, and it was really a very smooth ride.
I first went the Nadeshiko & Kotarou route, simply because everything about Kota is cute. Her voice, her habits, her personality. I skipped most of her owner's scenes, since I'm not really interested in her. And because I've become so inexperienced, I missed the opportunity to save before most of the initial flags. So I went along, and it was a fun story. I guess you can say the author must love dogs, too, since there's a lot of information on their behavior there that even common dog owners wouldn't know.
The Tiger scene really had me down, too, since I didn't want her to be depressed or have her feelings hurt. Seeing Kota cry made my heart tighten in a way I haven't felt in a while, and it seems that the ride was just going to get worse from there. To me, that was basically the end. I know I must've missed a few flags here and there to get to the Nadeshiko main ending, since it seems it didn't go my guy's way. But seeing how so many years passed since then, well...
As I said, I'm hella sensitive when "time" becomes an issue. Seeing Mikan and Kota grow up and bear children, really hit home for me. The conversation at the end, where Mikan and Yuuichi talk about the future, and how she wants him to keep a son/daughter of hers, how she looks as a grown-up, and how she "won't die of old age"... Urgh, I don't know. Were I a little more prone to showing emotion in the real world, I'd probably still be crying now. My hands won't stop shaking, and I'm not sure I'll have the peace of mind to go to sleep tonight.
It all sounds very retarded, I know. And, yes, I'm pretty far out there when it comes to insanity. I hate the future, and I hate thinking about it. It's just, it was so nice when everything was like before. I don't know, Eroges usually end with what the future holds for your character depending on the choices you make. But talking about Mikan's death? That's no way of ending it, god damn.
I guess that's it. Feel free to rage/laugh/agree, and thanks to the Fakku staff and the people who uploaded/translated it for this bittersweet experience I shall never forget.