Genre: Indie Casual Visual Novel
Developer: code:jp
Publisher: Sekai Project
Release Date: Nov 22, 2016
Being new to the world of indie gaming, my interest was piqued when I came across a little game called Japanese School Life. I have never played a visual novel before, but I have seen them around. I thought to myself “sure, why not?” Because as I always say, one can never know if a game is good or not unless one tries it. First impressions of the novel is that it has fun music and a decent story about a boy named Brian and his journey through Japanese high school. Within the first 10 minutes of the novels’ play, the story totally sucked me in and made me invested in the characters and plot, I couldn’t wait to see where it was going.
If everything that is being stated in the novel happens to be true it is quite informative. The cute atmosphere of the novel is quite comfortable and you don’t feel like it’s teaching you. It makes me think that this particular novel is directed to Americans, especially since the character you play as is an American. That being said, I can see how the reverse holds true – one can see how an American may act when being added to a culture that is unfamiliar to them. I myself have started investigating some of the terms used in the novel, it has sparked a real interest in Japanese culture for me.
The two characters Chiyoko and Arisa are so adorable and fun. They helped me and my ADHD brain stay on task, one is calm and informative and the other is a goofball and rather rash and upbeat and just fun to talk to, if one talked that is. The main character, Brian, tends to ask most of the same questions I would and that is just so nice. Seeing his internal dialogue is also helpful and shows that the character isn’t just a voice, I see he has feelings and that adds to the depth of the novel.
Personally, I do not know much about Japanese culture, so I can neither confirm nor deny the validity of what the novel is saying. I will say this though, from all the anime and manga I have watched and read I think it is pretty accurate. This novel is so informative about Japanese high school life and the culture, and it presents it in a way that doesn’t make me feel like I am being taught. For instance, I didn’t know that Japanese school has three terms. At times, though, there are a few typos like “You don’t need to scare with me a cold drink, though.” – I am pretty sure it should read “You don’t need to scare me though, let’s share a cold drink.”
So, overall I highly recommend this novel, it is quite a fun read. Japanese School Life seems to be just that, an American boy adapting to the daily life of being a Japanese student. Despite it obviously being a learning tool, it is funny and totally immersed me into a culture not like my own and let me experience it all from the comfort of my own home in a way that is close to anime and manga. Having been a total otaku most of my life, I guess I am a bit biased, but I still loved every second of it.
Zero’Clock gives Japanese School Life a Drastik Measure 8.3 out of 10 (83).
Pros:
- Easy to follow story
- Cute as hell charters
- Beautiful, fun story
Cons:
- Typos
- Story can drag on
