So Lilja and Natsuka: Painting Lies came out last week. I finished it the other day and was positively surprised, didn't expect smth this introspective from Frontwing of all studios.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2840900/Lilja_and_Natsuka_Painting_Lies/

Unfortunately the main pairing did not go anywhere in the end. I appreciate the explicit yuri side-pairings at least. Still somewhat baffling, unless they have planned a sequel already.

Not sure what you mean by that, they're as gay and together as can be. Maybe you missed their kissing at the christmas party?

It was one of those cop-out "kisses" that can be explained away by circumstance. In this case it was an "act".
There is no confession, no confirmation of any relationship and generally a huge lack of commitment. I would not consider this a major yuri work at all because of that. It's a good subtext VN with more explicit side-pairings, just as Bushiroad wants it. For some unfathomable reason they have decided to flood the market with yuri subtext VNs, something nobody has ever asked for. It certainly is on brand though.

I don't see the sense in it. Visual Novel readers are used to explicit content and there is no audience overlap... nobody who likes yuri wants subtext VNs and nobody who wants... uh... VNs with stuff other than yuri(?) wants these strongly yuri leaning subtext VNs. These are not CGDCT anime, they do not have a waifu chaser audience that has to be placated.

Supposing that they are leaning into the nakige/drama angle I perhaps can see some broader appeal, but that's stretching it. Heaven Burns Red this is not.

PS: Before I get eviscerated, I am not questioning the quality of Lilja and Natsuka as a story. This was solely about the yuri content.

last edited at Aug 3, 2024 10:01AM

There is no confession, no confirmation of any relationship and generally a huge lack of commitment. I would not consider this a major yuri work at all because of that.

I vehemently disagree with this not being an explicitly yuri work.
Setting aside that all the side couples are in committed, romantic relationships, the only reason there's no formal "I love you, please go out with me" style confession is because every single word they utter to and about each other just drips commitment. They're each others' other half, they'll be together forever, they're the type of couple that's 30 years married after knowing each other for 6 months.

And the kiss being a cop-out I also disagree with. The puppet show was a metaphor for their relationship that literally put the two in the roles of the Protagonist and the Love Interest. The whole chapter ran with that metaphor so it makes sense for them to go "a happy end needs a kiss between the MC and the love interest". It's not that they're only "acting" to kiss. The kisses (note: plural, they kiss twice) are the real culmination of everything ending well, including their relationship. Also reminder that Natsuka literally "can't act for shit" so we know what she does, she does earnestly.

Imho there's a big difference between actual "subtext" and "just not putting in the most literal words possible" and this VN def falls in the latter category imo. Ignoring all this feels like the equivalent of seeing a character saying "The moon is beautiful tonight." while giving a longing look and thinking "Man, she must really like the moon, huh." xD

Imho there's a big difference between actual "subtext" and "just not putting in the most literal words possible" and this VN def falls in the latter category imo. Ignoring all this feels like the equivalent of seeing a character saying "The moon is beautiful tonight." while giving a longing look and thinking "Man, she must really like the moon, huh." xD

Using the biggest example of not committing to actually showing romance and relationships in Japanese culture as an example was perhaps not the wisest move. You know that the majority of stories that use the moon line use it to not make the character openly confess to avoid showing a proper resolution? Subtext revels in the ambiguity. It was mostly used in fiction to nod at the audience that a character has romantic feelings and then regardless of the crush's response it is vague enough that it doesn't commit.

Anyway, it is easy to say that the romance works out or that it's "obvious" in this case, but if it is so obvious, why does the writer dance around it and give plausible deniability for no reason? This harkens back to the days of "superfriends" content where everyone always claims it's obvious that characters are in love or dating, but nothing on screen ever proves it and the author is laughing at yuri fans who will take anything. "They want to be together forever, they are soul-mates, they are like family, they care about each other" etc. etc. All used for superfriends media to justify the interpretation that they must be a couple when they openly state to being friends.
Lilja and Natsuka should not rely on these kinds of tropes or force people to use them in 2024.

I hope you understand that I am not stupid and can tell what the intention was. I am not ignoring all the obvious material here. It's clear that they are in love to me. But I do not fancy the writer relying on people to do the work for them to... to what? What end is there to justify the ambiguity? As you say there are plenty of confirmed and explicit side-couples. Is there any reason to not give the protagonists the same treatment?

It boggles the mind. As I said before, I can perhaps imagine a sequel being planned which will be more explicit and they are saving it up for that. Still what a turn from this author, who is known for his disgusting excessively mysoginistic non-con het porn to be so non-commital on yuri. I really do think there must have been some mandate from Bushiroad.

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But enough about the issues with the yuri, the actual character drama of the VN is mostly well executed. Perhaps some of the suffering was gratuitous, but I like the positive resolutions. This game could have been hopelessly edgy and self-indulgent, but it felt genuine where it mattered and Natsuka is always a highlight during the entire story for me.
The only complaint I can muster in regards to plot is that some stuff was way too obvious.and telegraphed. But that may just be my overexposure to this type of story.

I'll do something I don't usually do and talk about some upcoming titles I look forward to a great deal. It may be presumptuous to talk about VNs that are not yet released, but these have quite the pedigree, so to speak.

At the end of the month (August 29th) we will see the release of Everlasting Flowers, a yuri VN that is described as utterly cinematic. Hundreds of CGs that make it feel like a visual narrative, amazing voice acting and a great soundtrack were already shown off. The steam page has the animated intro movie and shows off everything I discussed. This is my most anticipated yuri VN of the year, bar none. Evermaiden's translation would be nice too, but this is honestly even more exciting.

The other project does not have a release date on its steam page yet, although the Japanese version is allegedly scheduled for 2024. It's the visual novel adaptation of Vampdoll. I think many in the yuri community are familiar with the main artist Saku Takano. She has done a lot of unique yuri manga and has a very obvious obssession with vampire content. This VN promises both of those + some top notch battle manga style action.
I have never interacted with Vampdoll before, so please do not treat this as some kind of informed recommendation. I simply love Takano's art and the premise.

Let's hope both of these deliver everything they promise and hopefully I have spread some minor awareness for them.

last edited at Aug 4, 2024 3:24PM

Well I put Aoi Shiro on hold after my interest began to wane a bit. Made it through 2 routes but the lack of real yuri has left me a bit unmotivated to continue reading. I may get back to it at some point because it's pretty well done overall.
It has nice variety of characters and a pretty decent plot. My biggest complaint other than the yuri being far too light is that best girl Ayashiro doesn't get a route.
So I do recommend it if you're fine with the yuri not amounting to much.
Vndb: https://vndb.org/v710

I dropped Highway Blossoms because the writing wasn't up to my expectations. A lot of the flirting was pretty good but the overarching plot and a lot of the character interactions were too nonsensical.
I'm told that Heart of the Woods is better and that Please Be Happy is much better. The Vndb scores for them are much higher than Highway Blossoms, so I'm optimistic about enjoying these other Studio Elan works despite not being a fan of my first VN from them.
Vndb: https://vndb.org/v18381

I've started reading Seven Days With the Ghost, which gets spicy pretty quick. Definitely making up for the yuri deficit I was experiencing while reading Aoi Shiro.
The main character is a total goof, always mucking things up and is "totally not into yuri". I can't tell if it's going to get more serious or stay mostly goofy and smuty.
Vndb: https://vndb.org/v6341

I'm also reading Salome's Kiss. This one is definitely a serious work and I'm enjoying this main character. She's trying hard to contain her inner demons (AKA her homosexuality), but I look forward to her losing that fight.
The prose does a wonderful job of fitting the Victorian England setting, though there's been a few more obscure words I've had to look up.
It's nice to read a OELVN with solid writing after my disappointing experience with Highway Blossoms.
Vndb: https://vndb.org/v32852

Next up was going to be Katahane, but I'll have to hold off on that since I've been very much looking forward Everlasting Flowers.
I've often dreamed about a yuri version of Aokana with Asuka as the protagonist, and while this isn't quite that, it does look promising and may scratch that itch. Hopefully studio Sprite will deliver with this one.
Katahane Vndb: https://vndb.org/v22
Everlasting Flowers Vndb: https://vndb.org/v46543

Well I put Aoi Shiro on hold after my interest began to wane a bit. Made it through 2 routes but the lack of real yuri has left me a bit unmotivated to continue reading.
So I do recommend it if you're fine with the yuri not amounting to much.

Did you play Akai Ito first? It's the first VN in the same universe and I think it is overall better, especially for the yuri. It also explains a lot of concepts that Aoishiro relies on. Of course some routes are just better than others.
Furthermore, did you rely on the fan translation? It is much better than the official mess of a MTL.

I dropped Highway Blossoms because the writing wasn't up to my expectations. A lot of the flirting was pretty good but the overarching plot and a lot of the character interactions were too nonsensical.

Nonsensical...? I can understand not being a fan of the writing or the melancholic atmosphere, but this is a new one. What about the "plot" was so nonsensical in your opinion?

I've started reading Seven Days With the Ghost, which gets spicy pretty quick.
I can't tell if it's going to get more serious or stay mostly goofy and smuty.

I'm also reading Salome's Kiss. This one is definitely a serious work and I'm enjoying this main character. She's trying hard to contain her inner demons (AKA her homosexuality), but I look forward to her losing that fight.

I'd usually prefer you'd recommend them after you finish them. Though of course they are already on the thread's recommendation list, like all of these VNs you listed, so I suppose it's fine.

I've often dreamed about a yuri version of Aokana with Asuka as the protagonist, and while this isn't quite that, it does look promising and may scratch that itch. Hopefully studio Sprite will deliver with this one.
Everlasting Flowers Vndb: https://vndb.org/v46543

Yes, like I said in my last post, Everlasting Flowers certainly has a lot going for it in production value. It's only a week away, so I'm getting rather excited.

last edited at Aug 24, 2024 2:27AM

Did you play Akai Ito first? It's the first VN in the same universe and I think it is overall better, especially for the yuri. It also explains a lot of concepts that Aoishiro relies on. Of course some routes are just better than others.
Furthermore, did you rely on the fan translation? It is much better than the official mess of a MTL.

I was using the fan translation. It was pretty solid.
This is the first time I've seen anybody describe Akai Ito as a prerequisite of sorts for reading Aoi Shiro, but then again I haven't seen that much discussion about these VNs. I would've gone with Akai Ito first if I had known.
I decided on Aoi Shiro first because:
1. The fan translation was completed as opposed to the ~90% for Akai Ito.
2. I liked the MC's design...which in retrospect was a stupid reason since you never see the MC except for a CG here and there. You'd think having read several dozens of VNs that I would have realized this but I can be quite thick at times.
3. I had read somewhere that the yuri was slightly stronger in Aoi Shiro. I should have asked in this thread first so I could've had that misconception cleared up.

Ultimately what stalled me on the VN was that the yuri was lacking. I found the actual story to be relatively engaging and the cast quite charming. The somewhat dragged out SoL scenes didn't put me off either. They weren't a chore to read because it peppered in a decent amount of banter between the characters.

But that lack of yuri...
I was most optimistic about the first 2 routes because they seemed the most viable as love interests for the MC. Since the other 3 are A blood related relative, some form of supernatural creature, and a child. The last one is particularly demotivating since it seems to be the True Route.
Yasumi the kohai's route is the closest to romance, but there's only a vague acknowledgement of feelings for her by the MC and the ending is "up to interpretation" on their relationship
Migiwa's route isn't particularly romantic despite there being a kiss. And in the ending they are literally just rivals without even the benefit of "up to interpretation" for their relationship to be anything more.

If I could ask you about your first page list, why do you have Aoi Shiro listed under "VNs with Yuri focus" and then Fatal Twelve under "VNs with majorly Yuri content"? Because personally I'd either switch them or put them both in the latter category.
Admittedly I haven't finished the other routes for Aoi Shiro (but I'm expecting less, not more yuri in these routes) and it's been awhile since I read Fatal Twelve.
Both VNs have a main plot that drives the narrative with any yuri secondary. At least Fatal Twelve has an explicitly sapphic love interest who makes her interest in the main character clear at several points throughout the story, which is more yuri than what I saw in Aoi Shiro.
Also, don't they get together in the end, or am I misremembering? Which is definitely more yuri than Aoi Shiro. In fact it's a bit of a sore spot for me as far as Aoi Shiro's concerned.

But perhaps there's some unexpected hidden yuri in the remaining Aoi Shiro routes or I'm misremembering Fatal Twelve?

Did you play Akai Ito first? It's the first VN in the same universe and I think it is overall better, especially for the yuri. It also explains a lot of concepts that Aoishiro relies on. Of course some routes are just better than others.
Furthermore, did you rely on the fan translation? It is much better than the official mess of a MTL.

I was using the fan translation. It was pretty solid.
This is the first time I've seen anybody describe Akai Ito as a prerequisite of sorts for reading Aoi Shiro, but then again I haven't seen that much discussion about these VNs. I would've gone with Akai Ito first if I had known.

I don't want to give the impression that Akai Ito is absolutely necessary, in the end these are two different stories, simply set in the same universe with similar concepts. But while many consider Aoishiro the better of the two, I always had a preference for Akai.

1. The fan translation was completed as opposed to the ~90% for Akai Ito.

In regards to this, with the official release + fan patch you now have the entire game translated. Akai's official release was slightly more competent than Aoi's, so at the very least it's comprehendable if you read those last 10%.

Ultimately what stalled me on the VN was that the yuri was lacking. I found the actual story to be relatively engaging and the cast quite charming. The somewhat dragged out SoL scenes didn't put me off either. They weren't a chore to read because it peppered in a decent amount of banter between the characters.

I will not lie to you, neither of the two VNs is as explicit and strong on the yuri as I would like. Akai will not suddenly become FLOWERS. All I am saying is that the yuri aspect feels more supported. You barely have to use headcanon in Akai, though it rarely ever goes fully direct confession territory. At least the true route isn't disappointing.

If I could ask you about your first page list, why do you have Aoi Shiro listed under "VNs with Yuri focus" and then Fatal Twelve under "VNs with majorly Yuri content"? Because personally I'd either switch them or put them both in the latter category.
Admittedly I haven't finished the other routes for Aoi Shiro (but I'm expecting less, not more yuri in these routes) and it's been awhile since I read Fatal Twelve.
Both VNs have a main plot that drives the narrative with any yuri secondary. At least Fatal Twelve has an explicitly sapphic love interest who makes her interest in the main character clear at several points throughout the story, which is more yuri than what I saw in Aoi Shiro.
Also, don't they get together in the end, or am I misremembering? Which is definitely more yuri than Aoi Shiro. In fact it's a bit of a sore spot for me as far as Aoi Shiro's concerned.

No matter who I talk to they consider Aoishiro a yuri focused story. Everything revolves around these "relationships" and there are several "heroine routes". I think most people played it a long time ago when this level of subtext was treated as equivalent to yuri, especially back when it came out.
If it were up to me I wouldn't put it in the yuri focused category either to be honest. And yes I know, my list and all, but I try to find a general consensus.

Fatal Twelve is way more yuri than it appears at first, but it still is mostly a death game/detective story where the yuri is really only relevant to two characters out of a huge cast. Considering the major plot relevance the yuri has I could probably put it into the yuri focused category. But it's a coinflip and ultimately makes little difference.

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Update: Added Chrono Jotter and Seraphim Slum to the list. Excellent yuri VNs.

last edited at Aug 27, 2024 6:11AM