There is an organization known in shadows and whispers, as the Last Train Car. Membership of this dark society view women as little more than sex toys, and obey a practice that centers around one concept: whatever sexual misdeed is seen happening within, never actually happened. Thanks to the actions of a shady associate, Shindou Takumi is invited into this sinister brotherhood, told that so long as he holds true to their principals and occasionally provides fresh meat for his fellowship, carnal pleasure will always be available to him. It is an offer that no one has ever refused, and Takumi is certainly no exception, for he would not have been initiated were it otherwise.

 
Saishuu Chikan Densha 2 (最終痴漢電車2) is a train molestation eroge published by Atelier Kaguya in 2003. The title is a direct sequel to Saishuu Chikan Densha. Due to its popularity in Japan, a three episode OVA adaptation of the eroge was produced by Milky in 2004, later licensed and translated into North America under the name of Midnight Sleazy Train 2 by Kitty Media in 2005.

 

 
Despite an extraordinary – though always appreciated – count of event illustrations, in my experience the train molestation genre has always been victim to gimmick features that weigh down the overall experience. More likely than not, the molestation process has the player engaged within a semi-complex mini-game that increases (or decreases) an arousal meter. While I applaud eroge seeking game play innovation, elements such as these tend to slow everything down if this integral part of the title is poorly implemented. Enter the original Saishuu Chikan Densha. Negative game play gimmick? To sum it up short, it’s like a watered down version of Dance Dance Revolution, where hitting the keyboard up and down to “catch” symbols scrolling across the screen will make the victim more receptive to being molested further. Failure in achieving a predetermined score will result in the victim reporting you to the authorities, thus providing a clearly unwanted bad ending. Inherently the system is not incredibly detrimental, as the collision detection is nearly flawless, but individuals who detest Dance Dance Revolution (or simply suck at it) will never get past the second or third event. Given the nature of everything, this “feature” appears over and over again, causing more time to be spent on the mini-game than the main system itself. The entire debacle is truly a pity, since Saishuu Chikan Densha contains magnificent artwork and voice acting. Fortunately Atelier Kaguya took notice of these damaging factors, for the sequel took a refreshed approach.

 

 
By simply throwing out a time consuming gimmick and preserving the core material that worked, Saishuu Chikan Densha 2 becomes an incredible improvement over its predecessor by leaps and bounds. As in the original, you choose where the protagonist will spend his morning, afternoon, and evening via a map interface to intercept his target from the train station. Yet instead of the stressful wannabe Dance Dance Revolution interface, for molestation the title utilizes a menu selection interface where the player selects a series of “techniques” to perform on the intended victim, with the results displayed accordingly on a pleasure meter. Each woman has different likes and dislikes to how she is being violated, and performing certain moves in a particular order can increase their overall effectiveness, as well as unlock new techniques. The sheer simplicity adds an incredibly large amount of replay value, as it becomes rather amusing to experiment with the dozens of various options and see what reactions will result. For veterans of the genre who prefer imaginative innovation, this presentation system will unquestioningly seem unoriginal and archaic, but for those who are the opposite, it’s a breath of fresh air to actually have something that focuses directly on tangible sexing, rather than use an abstract analogy of pleasure through an irrelevant or tedious sub-game.

 

 
The arena of plot and character development have always been a difficult challenge for the train molestation titles, given the inherent complexity of explaining why someone would willing submit to rape, is a deeper psychological mystery than most eroge have the inclination to realistically explore. Saishuu Chikan Densha 2 suffers in this regard, but surprisingly makes a serious attempt to not fall deeply into that trap. The player takes the role of an unassuming university librarian named Shindou Takumi, who finds himself involved with an underground criminal ring known as the Last Train Car. This dark organization operates on the principal that any man who brings a woman into the last car of specially designated train lines, can rape her without fear of judicial reprisal, for fellow occupants will do everything in their ability to provide counter testimony and security against wrongdoing in a court of law. Of course such generous privileges demands generous repayment: namely the regular provision of attractive females who willingly submit themselves to others in the brotherhood for sharing and enjoyment. While Takumi himself has zero noteworthy character development, each of the potential molestation victims has a personal crisis that attempts to explain why she allows herself to become a sexual plaything. Further interaction causes the protagonist to be instrumental in the resolution of this problem, earning the woman’s fawning attention, thus giving you the opportunity to accept it and be rid of the Last Train Car in the pursuit of true love, or merely handing her over to the organization as an advanced fee.

 

 
More than anything else, Saishuu Chikan Densha 2 is a triumph of graphical excellence. The paper dolls and backgrounds are absolutely beautifully, with character designs and environment layouts that are appealing on multiple levels. The complete attention to detail, smooth mixing of colors, and judicious use of shading/lighting effects, impeccably demonstrate the artistic mastery of the illustrator. This splendor for the eyes is especially important, since the paper dolls and backgrounds suffer from repetition due to the low variety of them, and the gorgeous appearance of everything allows you easily overlook that negative. Equally impressive is the female only voice work. Although far from faultless, since there are some not-so convincing moments during the sex, the actresses are an overall solid selection, matching each of their respective roles and imparting a sense that they had enthusiasm while doing it. The soundtrack is a worthy mix of various techno inspired tunes, each of them well suited for the metropolitan feel of the game, but incorporates piano and classic music for romantic events. Nothing remarkably memorable, but nothing remarkably annoying either.

 

 
Even among the ranks of its sex-centric peers, Saishuu Chikan Densha 2 has a massive abundance of images dedicated to the erotic content. There are literally hundreds of illustrations, each of them basking in the aforementioned glory of artistic excellence, although the majority are simply variations of each other: the girl with her skirt on, the girl without her skirt on, the girl with her underwear on, the girl without her underwear on, etc. The duration of each scene is highly dependant on the player’s choices – the sooner you stick it in, the sooner it obviously ends – but the longest events can stretch to ten individual images. Because the general tone of the title is a rape flavor, the majority of offerings tend to be on the darker side of the tracks, but consensual true love is achievable for those who seek a path of redemption… and many of which offer better closure and sense of satisfaction than the cliché harem option. This is an interesting fact to note, considering that the harem option is supposedly canon, and strongly reflects on the sympathy a player feels towards the individual heroines.

 

 
For a train molestation title, I have no serious complaints against Saishuu Chikan Densha 2. Granted it’s a bit on the easy side, but that makes it more recommendable for those who aren’t highly proficient in Japanese, since reaching a bad end requires intentional dedication. This is not to say the game is perfect, but the most reasonable expectations are exceeded beyond the norm. It’s hard to hold serious grudge against a title that does such a thing, which makes the eroge one of my favorites in the train molester category. Sometimes avoiding a memorable gimmick provides a memorable experience.

 

 
— Central Characters —

 

	Naruse Yuna   A popular and successful honor student, Yuna is a national rhythmic gymnastics champion renowned throughout academic sports and actively sought by Olympic recruiters. While she is appreciative of the encouraging attention she receives, Yuna occasionally wishes her life was not so rigid and scheduled. She harbors an unrequited sexual attracted to a certain university librarian, and even fantasizes of being forcefully overpowered against her will and raped by him.
	Akizuki Mirei   Mirei is the argumentative and self centered daughter of a powerful politician, flaunting her prestigious social status and exuberant wealth to demand an unreasonable level of respect she deems is her birthright. Mirei openly despises men for what she sees as barbaric mannerisms and hated by women for the overwhelming air of arrogance surrounding her. Above all else she despises weakness and uncertainty, taking the view that anyone not willing to standup for themselves does not deserve respect.
	Katase Mizuho & Katase Maho   The Katase sisters are identical twins with opposite personalities: Mizuho is full of cheer and easily befriended, whereas Maho is taciturn and reclusive. Despite their surprisingly differing views, the pair are inseparable and always in the company of each other, even going as so far as to aggressively prevent would be suitors from breaking them apart. Many have jokingly whispered that the sisters are incestuously in love with each other without even knowing it: sometimes fantasy is closer to reality than people are willing to accept.
	Kamizyo Maya   The English instructor of a private extracurricular academy, Maya takes perverse pleasure in wearing tight or revealing attire in front of her teenage students. The overall situation brings a sense of sensual control and authority she absolutely savors. Ironically enough, Maya is not as confident about her sexual appearance around older and more experienced men, falling into a lull of submissiveness to the slightest arousing touch.
	Yanagi Ayaka   After Ayaka’s husband was transferred to America, she took employment at a local supermarket to pass idle time and earn extra income on the side. Such trips by her spouse are not uncommon, and since their recent marriage the pair have experienced constant separation from each other. Nevertheless, Ayaka has grown incredibly sexually frustrated at this predicament, and often questions the principals of matrimonial life.
	Sena Yuzuki   Yuzuki is a highly motivated conductor of the municipal railway company, and even volunteers unpaid off time to continue the strengthening of security. In her personal crusade to rid the Japan of lingering sex offenders, Yuzuki typically views all men as potential criminals. She has also begun to gather rumors about the elusive Last Train Car, and seeks to reveal its existence to the public and media.
	Sonoyama Kyoko   Kyoko is the chief librarian of Saint Anthurium University, and therefore the immediate supervisor of the protagonist. While she has a sisterly relationship with her subordinate, it occasionally reveals sexually teasing overtones, which are reflective of Kyoko’s true feelings. A kind and intellectually sharp woman who asks many questions about others, but keeps her own past tightly hidden.

 

 
— Scored Summary —

 
Scenario: 7 out of 10. The actual employment of character specific plot elements makes the title more than a mindless reason to justify sex. For that reason, it’s practically effortless to connect with someone and not want to callously hand her to your heartless associates. Unfortunately there’s zero interaction between the heroines, thus each story route is completely isolated to itself and tends to end quicker than desired. Grand total of nine endings; including the bad end.

 
Visual: 17 out of 20. Tons and tons of high quality artwork that truly makes this eroge an image masterpiece. The background scenery is especially praiseworthy, frequently surpassing and taking attention way from the paper dolls, and the numerous event illustrations are nothing short of perfect. Only the limited amount of differing paper dolls and individual environments hurt everything, but can be quickly forgiven.

 
Audio: 13 out of 20. There’s a lot of voice acting during the molestation scenes, with lines that significantly vary depending on how successful or pathetic you’re doing on the touching and grabbing. When all things are considered, the actresses did a virtuous performance. Music is universally appropriate, but there are no songs which would cause you to seek out the soundtrack.

 
Erotica: 40 out of 50. Make no mistake that this eroge is all about delivering the adult material, and everything exists merely to do just that. Each girl averages about five scenes, all of which are appropriately lengthy and image diverse. Of course there’s a general lack of imaginative variety since the majority of settings takes place aboard train cars – you can only do so much in there – but a handful transpires in less mobile locations.

 
Mechanics: +5 bonus. The typical “choose your response” menu system that most eroge share… which is further expanded into the train molestation sequence with a few more selectable options. To be certain this is not original by a long shot, but developers on other titles seem to have forgotten that sometimes a little simplicity can go a long way to avoid gamer frustration.

 
Final Score: 82 out of 100. I am greatly impressed with the end results of Saishuu Chikan Densha 2. Essentially the eroge sticks with the basics building blocks that work, and greatly proves when the individual parts of an eroge are given the proper attention; the finished product will practically polish itself. Recommended for purchase, and might even convert a few into the subgenre.