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#1041
09-09-2012, 12:07 AM
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#1042
09-09-2012, 12:17 AM
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#1043
09-09-2012, 12:19 AM
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#1044
09-09-2012, 12:25 AM
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--- On a different subject, now that I've read and reviewed Planetarian, I'm not sure what to read/watch next. Still waiting for a couple of visual novels to finish up their translations, but until then... Last edited by HalcyonSpirit; 09-09-2012 at 12:54 PM.
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#1045
09-18-2012, 01:03 AM
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Well... this one was interesting. It’s another visual novel, but it’s not like the previous ones.
Hopefully next time I'll be back with an actual anime write-up. Since, y'know, it's an anime thread, and this will be the third VN in a row from me. At least I'm maybe bringing a little extra exposure to the visual novel market with these; they're definitely worth checking out. ---------- Saya no Uta Song of Saya  CAUTION: Adult Content Saya no Uta is a visual novel with horror elements made by Nitro+. It tells the tale of one Sakisaka Fuminori, a medical school student who, after a brain surgery to save his life from injuries in a car accident, must deal with a sense of reality greatly warped from what it actually is. All of his senses portray the world as a grotesque, fleshy nightmare, and other people as horrid monsters. The horrors of this new “reality” cause him to contemplate suicide as he recovers from the accident and surgery in the hospital, but he is then is visited by an unexpected person: a girl who, unlike everyone and everything else, appears normal. Her name is Saya. Her visits during the night are what keep him from committing suicide, and after his release from the hospital, he asks her to come live with him in exchange for helping her find her father, whom she had been searching for at the hospital. Fuminori attempts to continue his life as normal despite the warped reality he perceives, clinging to Saya as the only beautiful thing in his world despite not knowing who she is, but as time passes, Fuminori slips further away from the world around him. This visual novel is definitely something different. I’m not overly familiar with the genre, but I would probably classify this as a sort of Lovecraftian horror story, though it isn’t so much horror as it is just plain creepy and disturbing. Many of the themes of Lovecraftian horror are present in some form or another, though again, I feel they’re played more for creepiness than horror. Things like a world turned on its head, the fragility of sanity, feelings of helplessness, and so on are given ample time to be developed over the course of the narrative. One final theme, that of love, is also played with during the narrative, and it plays both an insignificant and a significant role in how it all plays out. Going into a story, the very first scene often sets the tone for the rest of it, and Saya no Uta is no different. We’re treated with incomprehensible dialogue, grotesque imagery and pictures, and harsh music right from the start, made even more potent once we’re told that this scene should be rather ordinary; a normal lunch among friends in medical school. Instantly, we’re given everything we need to know about what Fuminori is going through, but it continues on. Shortly after, we’re given another scene, a scene with him and Saya at home, presenting the stark contrast between what he experiences in the outside world and what he can experience when he stays home. This contrast gives reason for him to live, to remain with Saya, to isolate himself, which only sets himself up for trouble later. These contrasts occur throughout the story, right down to what the reality is compared to what Fuminori is able to perceive as his own reality, and it is usually what hammers home the creepiness. Much of that contrast is effective solely because the story is told from multiple perspectives; or, rather, from two: Fuminori’s and his friends’. This could have simply been a mindless, gore-filled horror story, but the addition of multiple perspectives allows us to keep one foot planted in reality. We are able to see both perspectives, and the way they are told to us allows Saya no Uta to ascend past mediocrity and into a much more meaningful position. There is an absolute lack of a clear “hero” in the story. At first glance one would say it is Fuminori, but by the end, one could argue it could be either him or his old friend, Koji. Regardless, by the end, you’re likely to sympathize with at least one of them, or even both, perhaps even Saya. It is difficult to pin down one perspective or another as “right”; both sides feel justified, feel as though their world is real, and to them, it really is. When the inevitable clash happens, we know why both sides feel the way they do. When it comes down to it, it’s hard to argue that they’re not doing the right thing for themselves. In all three endings to this visual novel, no one comes out unscathed. They all have bitterness in one manner or another, and what you perceive to be the “best” ending may reflect on what you value in your life. It’s hard for a story to hit those notes in people, but this one does. The images and music in the VN do their part as well to capture the moods and convey them. All the music is crafted specifically to invoke feelings of horror, discomfort, or even simply eerie calm. There isn’t a single track that doesn’t do this very well, and they’re used especially well within the context of the story. Perhaps most impactful aren’t the scenes with the grotesque imagery and harsh music, but the ones that surround you with such an environment yet present you with apparent beauty in such a world alongside music that is peaceful with a distinct tint of something perhaps being wrong. The music is beautiful, but not entirely comforting, exactly what is needed in a story of this type. The scenes involving the horror pictures are certainly disgusting, but Saya no Uta does well in not overdoing it. These images are distorted somewhat, giving detail yet not allowing you to see the full picture of what you’re looking at most of the time. More important is what the VN doesn’t show you. In keeping with the Lovecraftian themes, the true forms of the monsters are kept in shadow, if they’re even shown at all, and descriptions are spotty at best. The lack of detail here helps the reader to form their own mental image and create the fear within themselves, rather than have the VN attempt to force it on them. Aside from a few scenes, there’s nothing really special about the artwork, but then again, that may be to its benefit. Between the lack of many details in Fuminori’s world and the rather ordinary look of reality, the two sides are contrasted quite well without needing fantastic artwork. Where the artwork does shine is where it complements perfectly the mood being shown, and that occurs at several points in the story. The characters are the most important part, of course, and Saya no Uta continues to hit the mark here. From innocence to mentally disturbed, the characters each have a unique personality that drives them to their ends, whatever they may be. Aside from the three main characters, the rest of the cast remain fairly static from their introduction to their exit, but their purpose is to drive the other three. Of the three main characters, the most interesting are definitely Fuminori and Saya, and they are the ones that change the most. I wouldn’t say they grow as people; that would be a gross misuse of the concept. Without getting into spoilers, their transformation from beginning to end comments heavily on the nature of humans and people. What can a normal person take before he breaks? How does one adapt to a world completely foreign to them, one that threatens their sanity? How can someone form such a wide rift between the morality of society and the perceived morality of an individual? How does one judge between what is right and what is not when the two sides have completely incompatible priorities and morals? These types of questions popped into my mind when reading this story. Saya no Uta uses the characters and wraps them into a situation that presents no good options, and it is here that we see the limits of people and absolutist thinking. The characters almost become concepts which force you to reflect upon their actions, and it takes good writing to create characters that have such an effect. Saya is the most interesting character of them all, but one might not realize it until after finishing the VN’s three different endings. What seems to be a relatively simple character that doesn’t play a large direct role in the story ends up showing the greatest contrast with both of the two other main characters. However, her details are best left to be experienced yourself. In essence, Saya no Uta is a well-crafted story that pulls all the right strings in a relatively short amount of time. It plays with your perceptions just as Fuminori’s perceptions are distorted. The characters play into their roles nicely, the artwork does what it needs to without going too far, and the music does a superb job of setting the mood. What you value in your life may play a role in what you see as the best ending, or even the “right” ending, yet there is also bitterness in every ending because nothing in this story comes without a price. And to top it all off, you are shown exactly who Saya is and what she represents compared to everyone else. This is where the story may make its biggest impact on us, the readers. Ratings Story - 7.5 Characters - 9 Artwork - 7.5 Sound - 9 Overall - 8.25
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#1046
09-18-2012, 04:37 AM
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Reading Saya no Uta's wiki page, I felt down just reading a summary of the whole thing. I imagine it's a whole lot more intense for those who play it..... and I hear there's a whole slew of games that are even worse! (Worse not being a subjective term, but rather a positve in how it might be seen objectively)
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#1047
09-18-2012, 09:09 AM
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think for a second what the old art style would look like in that cg anime style
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#1048
09-18-2012, 11:20 AM
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When talking about Saya no Uta you should probably mention Urobuchi Gen since he's the mind behind the plot. All of his works are somewhat similar in nature (Fate/Zero, Madoka Magica may be familiar) and he's doing PSYCHO-PASS this season. Unfortunately his writing is somewhat predictably melodramatic nowdays and it can be easy to get weary of since it's constantly the same cycle of overdramatics.
If you're interested in a detailed breakdown of most of what's airing next season. Also the answer to the thing I posted last time that I completely forgot to post earlier.
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#1049
09-18-2012, 04:28 PM
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 "I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not so bad. There's no one else I'd rather be."
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