Following the death of their parents, Akira made it a solemn duty to ensure his sister could live a normal existence, doing everything within his power to bring happiness into their inconstant lives. As Akira’s bond to Aya inevitably grew closer, others began to jealously whisper how the siblings were forging a relationship that went beyond the accepted conventions of brother and sister; allegations neither showed particular concern towards. Yet this idyllic innocence was not meant to last, and the devotion between Aya and Akira would be sorely tested by an incomprehensible world they never knew existed – a reality that threatens to smother both in malicious darkness.

 
Zaishuu The SiN (罪囚 The SiN) is a dark thriller eroge published by Tactics in 2003. The title was remarketed with zero content alteration in 2007. It has no sequel, side story, or noteworthy doujinshi.

 

 
Were Zaishuu The SiN released twelve to eighteen months earlier, it might have made a name for itself. Created to capitalize on the surging market of gothic themed eroge with plot heavy scenarios – an opportunity sparked by the popularity surrounding Shingetsutan Tsukihime – it faced itself against first-class competition such as the far more superior Izayoi no Hanayome. In of itself the title is not an inadequate product, as the studio used every resource they had available to market its success: veteran scenario writer (SAY), an acclaimed in-house composer (Baseson), and the outsourced artistic talents of Biwa Biwa. Coupled with a strategy to offer the player frequent opportunities in choosing their fate via the tried and true “pick your response” methodology, the presentation achieved every general expectation and reasonable requirement. As such the title was advertised in returning to the roots of what made eroge so successful: good story, good graphics, good voice acting, good music, and good player interaction. It must have been bittersweet and surprising when the company discovered all of these painstaking efforts, just weren’t good enough.

 

 
The events of Zaishuu The SiN take place within Akatsuki City, a battle scarred metropolis recovering from the ravages of urban warfare and military occupation. Assuming the role of Akira Kamijou, an athletic but otherwise normal high school student, the story opens with a portrayal of the young man’s daily routine. At the center of Akira’s concerns is Aya: a frail and compassionate sister whom he treasures above all else in the world. The tranquility of this livelihood is suddenly shattered when revelation of a dark curse imposed on Aya, invokes the attention of supernatural threats who seek neutralization or reclamation of the young girl. Thus a beleaguered Akira undertakes efforts to ensure her safety and freedom, disregarding his own powerless situation against the ever surmounting malevolence that could consume him. Yet the more Akira discovers and understands the nature of Aya’s powers, the more it becomes apparent that she may very well be the single greatest threat to herself.

 

 
Zaishuu The SiN critically suffers from the fallacy of emulating an epic dark eroge, without actually being an epic dark eroge. Rather than foster tension and exploit anticipation from a slow building narrative, the scenarios are resolved with uniform brevity, resulting in critical plot devices immediately finding resolution or diminishing significance so another can take its place. Understandably this rapid march of events has an adverse effect on the cast, as little time is spent towards their exploration and development. Characters and the setting come off as hallow and incomplete, not for lack of background, but for lack of divulging into it. This mishandling of potential tremendously cheapens the experience, making everything far less appealing than it could have been. Given the priority production resources assigned to the title’s development, I can only assume that this blunder is due to staff inexperience or not devoting enough time towards storyboard planning. Before the mainstream advent of Type-Moon styled stories, substandard treatment of this crucial element could have been overlooked, but since the market provided availability of better managed eroge in the same genre, it falls short of the redefined mark.

 

 
Although some might find the exaggerated breasts a bit too much, there’s no denying that artwork is where Zaishuu The SiN gains most of its attention. The seventy beautiful event illustrations are truly devoid of noticeable negatives, and this trait joyously extends to the background designs – heavily detailed to the point of overkill – featuring alternate images to simulate the passing of night and day. Unfortunately the paper dolls are not as perfect. While drawn to high expectations, only facial expressions change with the corresponding dialog, leaving bodies “frozen” in the same position (at most an individual character has two or three body poses). The music in Zaishuu The SiN uses synthesizers from its timeframe, but exceeds the quasi-MIDI garbage that was slowly being phased out at the start of the century. Although unremarkable from a memorable standpoint, the tracks are incredibly well done and perfectly accentuate the situational mood. Voice acting is only provided for female characters, all of which is quite acceptable and fits the individual roles.

 

 
There are twenty-two sex scenes in Zaishuu The SiN – the shortest consisting of two illustrations and the longest running at seven, with the majority averaging three. Sadly much like overshadowing failure in plot delivery, about a third of these are incredibly short: one even has the duration of a single minute. While consensual sex is present, most is of the dark variety; predominantly limited to the rape, tentacle, and gang-bang genre when doing so. Aside from hymen sundering and supernatural bondage, there is a complete lack of blood and mutilations being inflicted, thus easing concerns for material becoming too brutally excessive. The overall acting holds itself together during the erotic situations, although Aya’s voice does not transition very smoothly due to her “cute” intonation.

 

 
It’s upsetting to render judgment on an eroge that tries so hard to be something worthwhile, yet fails to achieve that goal simply by not evolving quickly enough to stay within changing standards. Zaishuu The SiN could have been a success if it was released prior to 2002 or extensive effort was undertaken to create greater plot depth. As it stands, the eroge clings to “old school” provisions far too much, resulting in an average and mundane ambiance. This is truly a pity given that the artwork and music favorably compare to titles released years later. With a structurally sound story concept, the potential was always there, but poor execution squanders an excellence that might have been.

 

 
— Central Characters —

 

	Kamijou Aya   Akira’s younger sister by two years, Aya was always close to her brother; a fondness that grew impossibly stronger since the loss of their parents during the war. Aya’s bright green hair and pale white skin distinctively mark her as an albino, unfortunately yielding her weak constitution in strong sunlight and widespread environmental radiation.
	Okitsu Nagi   Dressed in the uniform of an academy outside the city districts of Akatsuki, the air of mystery surrounding Nagi is further enhanced by the exotic foreign features that betray a heritage not of Japanese blood. Humorless and to the point, Nagi brooks no interference towards her goals, possessing an array of inhuman combat skills that are more than adequate in removing anyone or anything that dares stands in opposition.
	Shindou Mayuki   Remarkably gifted in sketch and painting, Mayuki is an easily flustered girl who secretly fell in love with Akira the first day she encountered him. Mayuki is generally feared by other classmates for her aggressive tenacity and surprisingly direct attitude, but routinely weakens emotionally whenever she must confront Akira on personal matters.
	Kusakabe Murasaki   Working as the substitute teacher for Akira’s art class, Murasaki is an inquisitive woman who pokes and prods to learn as much about her students as she can, conversely revealing little about her own origins in the process. Murasaki is surprising straightforward when taking about romance and sex with her pupils.
	Shin Atsumi   Atsumi is Aya’s best friend, an active shutterbug who is never without her camera, much to the trepidation of the unfortunate victims she captures as front page news for the school newspaper. Atsumi’s exuberant cheerfulness is also reflected in the colorful attire she wears.
	Kasakka   Kasakka is a strange girl who unexpectedly takes up residence with Akira and Aya without much choice on their part. Kasakka’s heterochromatic eyes and unusual manner of speaking, eccentric as they are, merely takes second seat to the authentic canine ears attached to her head and waging dog tail on her rear.

 

 
— Scored Summary —

 
Scenario: 12 out of 30. The setting concept holds itself together, but lacks an innovative or unique element to differentiate it from other eroge. From a design prospective the cast is highly entertaining, but hasty plot pacing ruins the potential for deeper enjoyment. Three true endings and three false endings.

 
Visual: 15 out of 20. Superb character designs and a distinctive wardrobe. Having detailed backgrounds (particularly the cityscapes) and event illustrations is absolutely exquisite: on the other hand, ridiculously unchanging poses for paper dolls is not.

 
Audio: 13 out of 20. It’s surprising how the music is so utterly appropriate yet relatively unassuming. Voice acting meets all expectations.

 
Erotica: 12 out of 30. Sex is peppered throughout the various routes, but seems too scarce since a significant number of scenes have remarkably brief duration. Uses the old school technique of one image for the start, one image for the middle, and one image for the end. As the saying goes, “just barely enough to get by.” There’s a huge penalty for not allowing Murasaki or Atsumi to win!

 
Mechanics: 0 point neutrality. The typical “choose your response” menu system that most eroge share, but occurs far more frequently than its contemporaries. However making different decisions has no actual bearing on route branching, as there are only three major arcs. The choices only effect getting a good ending or bad ending for the particular path being followed.

 
Final Score: 52 out of 100. For all the effort put into it, Zaishuu The SiN was doomed the moment its release date hit fell into 2003, as rival studios were releasing competing titles that outperformed in every regard. In spite of the fact that it possesses a number of noteworthy qualities, Tactics had slipped too far behind in presentation standards. Not recommended, if only because better titles can be found for the same price.