Eroge Review

Father Asamiya has devoted his life to serving the less fortunate, following the merciful tenants of the Catholic faith to bring compassion and kindness to those who need it most. Yet in spite of his deep dedication and strong convictions, there remains an empty feeling that the Lord has something else in store for him: another role that he should be serving. Thus when a peculiar letter is delivered to him, christening the young pastor as custodian of a small orphanage, Asamiya seizes upon the chance. For who needs hope and guidance more, than children who have little hope and guidance at all?
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Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe (こもれびに揺れる魂のこえ) is a lolicon eroge published by UNiSONSHIFT in 2003. The title was followed by the fandisk Komikyan!! in 2004, providing short stories and mini games influenced by the original (particularly the triplets). Since 2005 the title was remarketed on DVD storage format (as opposed to the original CD storage format) under the label of Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe Memorial Edition, but is otherwise identical to the original release.
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Even when the definition and understanding of reality versus fantasy are firmly in place, I’ve always found it amusing how the general population of North America lambasts anything that promotes Lolita media, irrespective if its presentation might serve a philosophical or intellectual purpose - admittedly rare as that might be. This blanket negativity ranges from classic literature (the eponymous Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov) to motion pictures (Dakota Fanning in Hound Dog), which occasionally can spur entire left-wing institutions to demand government sponsored censorship and religious reeducation of the masses. Yet a quick trip to the local porn store and one immediately discovers the hypocrisy. How many adult movies have terms such as “babysitter” or “school bus” in their titles? What sane person would argue against the fact that adult actresses such as Jersey Jaxin and Kitty Jung owe their successes to having petite prepubescent bodies and realistic role-playing of being childish? Why would the porn industry unfailingly continue to release such things on a regular monthly basis, if the market was not favorable for them? The answer is simple: the polls might claim Lolita should be culturally banned, but there’s a huge chunk of those pollsters who have some in their own closet… right next to those videos were Catholic nuns are not virgins and wholesome. Tsk-tsk. Just admit it, you like the forbidden stuff!
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No matter what your personal stance on the loli genre may be, despite the passing of half a decade, Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe can be counted among the most heartwarming eroge available on the market. Indeed several notable moments are bona fide tearjerkers; a testament to the masterful skill of the scenario writer. Its story begins with a young pastor receiving a mysterious letter that instates him as the inheritor and caretaker of an orphanage in the rural countryside of an isolated community. Securing congratulations and approval for reassignment from his elated superior, the priest immediately sets forth to embrace the destiny God has laid out before him, hoping to make a difference in the lives of those needing spiritual guidance. Upon arriving to the orphanage, the pastor discovers three adolescent girls who already call the expansive estate their home: serene Sui, selfish Ayana, and sensible Kohara. Thus this fateful encounter begins a tale of one man’s attempt to erase the void of familial loss in his innocent charges; not just as a respected preacher, but as a kind father and loving brother as well. In turn the girls lavish their absolute trust and unquestioning admiration upon him, unlocking potential that would have otherwise never been found. Yet this idyllic life will not pass without challenges against it, and as the young girls weather the problems thrown against them, they find confidence and invincibility through an adult whom they know will never abandon them.
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Impressive as its total assets are, the premiere offering of Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe is character development. Through the passing of a masterwork narrative, the day to day routine of each orphan is beautifully brought to life, revealing the unique quirks and charms they distinctively possess. Yet at no time is too much focus placed on a single girl, for the trio possesses an inseparable bond of friendship that inevitably brings their individual challenges together, resulting in massive cross interaction between the cast. The end result is sheer perfection of characterization: a genuine sense of camaraderie and group dynamics that most eroge tremendously fail to seize upon. When Ayana materialistically demands for something frivolous, you witness Sui’s expressionless interest of the situation and Kohara’s maternal concern against her spoilage. When Sui discovers an obscure object in her vast collection of picture books and requests the pastor to somehow explain its function, you’ll find Kohara readily available to lend a hand if it’s unknown to yourself and Ayana desire to always be the center of attention suddenly burst aflame. Through these amusing trails the preacher slowly discovers more about himself - his greatest strengths and most terrible limitations - while earning the undivided devotion of his charges in the process. As such, even the littlest mundane of task can grow into a wondrous escapade due to these cascading interactions, bestowing a true sense of purpose to the player’s role and creating deep emotional connections with each heroine.
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Thanks to the incredible talents of Noizi Ito - the same Noizi Ito responsible for the renowned character designs of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - no sane individual would dare argue against the graphical magnificence that Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe unleashes on the eyes. The appearance of each heroine matches her idiosyncratic personality in sheer perfection, not merely in unique clothing alone, but minor characteristic such as posture and emotional facial expressions. The backgrounds illustrations are detailed on an absolutely insane scale, going so far to focus on particulars such as moss covered tree trunks, wood grained doors, and concentric patterned furniture upholstery. More over there are dozens upon dozens of unique scenery, resulting in a total count that rivals the sheer number of paper dolls. As for the paper dolls themselves, the employed drawing technique oftentimes blends their outlines into the background seamlessly, and has the breathtaking effect of causing many gameplay graphics appearing as high quality as the still frame event illustrations. Not to be outdone on the audio contributions, the music of Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe is superbly composed, with each of the eighteen songs being an ideal companion piece to whatever event is being portrayed. Furthermore every character has a unique theme song (the lead girls actually have two apiece), enhancing the overall story and mood by making it clear who is currently “star of the moment.” Needless to say, voice acting is also of divine quality, and with exception to the player’s character, every role is provided a speaker regardless of how brief or insignificant it might be.
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While a highly emotional story, fantastic character development, and top notch presentation quality clearly denote Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe as something far beyond your run-of-the-mill eroge, it unfortunately suffers from several significant hindrances… starting with the erotic content. This is not to say the adult scenes are subpar, far from it, as twelve events are contained within in the title; a majority consisting of four to five images apiece. However the reasons why sex occurs in the story excludes a “just thrown in there” feeling. For all intents and purposes, with the exception of Koharu’s bad ending, adult content could have been omitted without having an adverse effect on the plot. This factor tends to be a blessing and a curse. Nevertheless the greatest stumbling block for Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe is the lack of scenario diversity. No matter which story path you choose, 75% of the plot is identical to each and every girl: the actual change only occurs near the plot’s conclusion. Because of this, replay is tremendously tedious, causing those with little time on their hands to quit after achieving two or three, thus completely ignoring the hidden bonus endings while doing so. Lastly the triplets are not winnable heroines, and this oversight screams of rushed deadlines.
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Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe is a great lolicon that brings out the best in the genre. Story, characters, artwork, sound… this title truly has it all. Yet it is difficult to say that the eroge justifies loli as something everyone should experience before they criticize it, simply because a detractor might claim everything would have been better without the sex. In my opinion that evaluation would be highly correct: the combination of powerful parental love and poignant childlike innocence makes the erotic events seem completely out of place. Nevertheless, those who already enjoy Lolita will certainly find the offerings in Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe to be top notch and highly appeasing. The replay value is somewhat awkward, but the meat and potatoes of what makes a good eroge are very tasty and filling.
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— Central Characters —
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	Sui . There is nothing that Sui appreciates more than a good book. Frail yet elegant, she moves and speaks with an incredibly measured tempo, making it seem as if time itself freezes in her presence. Yet beneath this slow motion exterior resides a keen mind that is ever ravenous for textbook knowledge, be it a fantasy fairytale or the hard academics of philosophical teachings, but of course she loves books with pictures the best.
	Ayana . Artistically inclined, Ayana tends to see the world from a self-centered point of view. She is the quintessential spoiled child, yet ironically is rarely spoiled to begin with. Upon deeper inspection one can see the reason for her difficult behavior: to never be ignored. So long as she is the instigator of some new trouble, no one can forget Ayana is around, and for a child without parents to call her own, that feeling of recognition is of the greatest importance.
	Koharu . Koharu is far wiser and mature than her appearance belies. She is warm and motherly, quick to chastise others for doing something wrong, but even quicker to forgive and forget the worst behavior. Where Koharu draws this unusual experienced outlook is a mystery to even herself, but there are times when a situation occurs that Koharu’s impressive maternal instinct cannot bring an answer too, and it is these moments when the hidden girl comes forth: a child who suddenly realizes she’s still a child.

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— Scored Summary —
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Scenario: 35 out of 50. There are completely unexpected plot twists for each of the orphan heroines, all of which are brilliantly executed, but the title has to be repeated at least three times to see them all - once each for Sui, Anaya, and Koharu. The story pacing is superb and the character likability is supreme, but the identical script that covers three-fourths of every girl’s story makes this venture incredibly tedious. Three good endings, three bad endings, and two bonus endings. The triplets are unwinnable.
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Visual: 18 out of 20. It is such a pleasure to know that Noizi Ito is a staunch supporter of the eroge industry, and even her newfound fame in mainstream entertainment has not stopped the contributions. That she’s a lolicon addict even makes it more wonderful. This title truly benefits from her experienced hand and velvety colorization techniques: especially the exhaustive detail on background scenery. Unfortunately there’s a minor problem, in that the girls only have two sets of clothing attire (one for home and another for school). Even lowly orphans should have a few more outfits…
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Audio: 18 out of 20. The soundtrack is nothing but the purest gold and the voice actresses clearly gave 110% to the roles they portrayed. The only point of consternation is how the player is unvoiced. This omission stands out strongly, since everyone else is performed.
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Erotica: 7 out of 10. Lengthy and featuring more than a handful of illustrations, the adult content puts emphasis on quality over quantity, clearly providing enough to exceed the “common” expected standards. However there are times when the sex seems completely unnecessary, and from that standpoint cheapens the experience. Surprisingly there’s no hymen blood, which in this case is a very good thing.
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Mechanics: 0 point neutrality. The typical “choose your response” menu system that most eroge share. The way the story is scripted, your replies have no impact on the immediate responses, but eventually these decisions will alter how the last quarter of the plot transpires.
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Final Score: 78 out of 100. If you’re hunting for a loli title that features excellence on a broad scale, then Komorebi ni Yureru Tama no Koe is a Nirvana worth acquiring. It has a few rough edges, but the luster of this huge diamond shines brightly. Though released in 2003, it has qualities that put the newest 2007 selections to shame. Let the loli-haters continue to hate: they have no idea what they’re missing! Recommended for purchase.

1. Aqualta Sekai Says:
   February 25th, 2008 at 7:59 pm

   Nice, I’ve been curious about this one for awhile. Mainly because of Itou Noizi’s
   illustrations. Found an artbook for it awhile ago, and since then I’ve wondered what it was.
   What a coincidence to find it here!

   Another good review as always.



2. Zeroblade Says:
   March 1st, 2008 at 7:17 am

   Huh, I’ve always had a whole bunch of wallpapers of the girls from here, but it’s only now that I find out the title of the game they came from lol



3. Extrange Says:
   March 16th, 2008 at 4:16 pm

   The lolis are ODDLY similar to the loli cast of Kodomo no Jikan….



4. Baldo Says:
   March 17th, 2008 at 1:34 pm

   Kodomo No Jikan?
   “sees the cartoons on YouTube”
   Hey, Extrange is right, the Loli trio of this game has SURELY inspired someone…