Current location:	Not where I should be
Current mood:	nostalgic
Current music:	Miku Hatsune - *Hello, Planet.

10 Reasons to not trust your instincts
So a long time ago in a faraway year, I wrote this post. Aside from being really long, it was also something that gave a lot of people a good laugh and myself some chuckles while I was writing it. For a long time I've meant to do a sequel but since I felt doing the same thing again was kind of lame, I decided to revamp it a bit.



We all have those interesting first impressions when we get into things. For me, playing as many eroges as I do, it comes natural I would have the judgmental nature to find a girl and make her my entire purpose to stay with a series. Alright, so that might just be me. But! This is what our main purpose will be for the day. I decided to compile 10 girls from both anime and eroge alike who I simply needed to follow a series for, or so I had thought.

What nightmarish experiences did they bring? What was the appeal? Where am I now because of it? All those questions and more will be answered my friends.

Subject Name: Momoha/Momo
Series: Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight
First Encounter: Anime


In the beginning...: I'm pretty sure I was drawn to Momo the second that Manabi Straight actually started. It wasn't a series where I actively prowled the characters before I watched it and I had no fucking clue who Saki Fujita was at the time. Actually, I'm pretty sure I watched the series partly because of Yui Horie and Ai Nonaka. But aside from being literally stupid and a side appearance in the first episode, I did make Momo my personal pick.

What happened?: Well, there's the unfortunate sad truth of how much screen time Momo actually managed to grab in Manabi Straight! On a scale of 1-10, I'd give her appearance time a 1.2 at best. And about 80% of that time was spent staying silent. Little to say, I was actually kept watching Manabi Straight! in hopes of actually seeing an episode where some focus was drawn on her. I don't think I ever started to hate Momo any less during the series but I had my reasons to start liking other characters.

After the fact: Well, I can't say Momo managed to remain on the top of the character ranking but she created plenty of funny memories about the series. On account that Manabi Straight! was actually a great series, I had no reason to be bitter once it was all after. And as well all know, Saki Fujita would soon advance her career and do the voice sampling for Miku. So more or less, I get to hear her more then a few times a day. All's well that ends well in this case...I guess.



Subject Name: Funny
Series: Alice Parade
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: It's sad when a good character is named so oddly that it becomes a turn off. Actually though, Funny is one of those characters that was an instant flip switch. It doesn't take long for you to get "formally" introduced to the Alice Parade cast and there was a nice standout to me when the time came around to make my decision. I really wish I had some humorous reason to say I had chosen Funny, but I assure you it can really just be blamed on the fact that I am who I am. ロリコンホイホイ！

What happened?: Unlike the former case, Funny is a character who continued to strike a chord with me. With her little 「はひ」 noise and general chilled traits among the cast, it's something I couldn't quite deny going crazy over. The only real flaw here was the undeniable fact that the writers of Alice Parade were not in a stable mental state or they just felt like writing one actual story for one character. It was one of those games where you were best off replacing about every menu option with the word "SEX" and calling it decently constructed. That's about all I could say about that.

After the fact: Despite the complete lack of game there is in Alice Parade, I managed to leave with some fond memories. Game aside, I could mark Funny continuously at the top of the character tier and I do have to go back and play the game (?) every once and awhile just to hear her dialogue at certain points. I will mention that after playing Alice Parade a bit extensively it made me do a in-depth analysis of the transformation of the "Alice in Wonderland" story from it's origins to different mediums. Actually if I had half a brain, I would just publish all those thoughts into a book or article and publish it. But to be honest, I realize all that research motivation rooted from an eroge which is pretty sad and probably reduces my credibility to about zero. In hindsight it does become odd picturing a character as strange as the Mad Hatter, as someone like this though.



Subject Name: Mint
Series: Galaxy Angel
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: I'm not sure if I've ever went into how Mint was the character who got me into Galaxy Angel. Surprise surprise! I'll say it again for the record. ロリコン！ホイホイ！ My female mentality aside, Mint was a character that got me into the series before it was even out yet. Looking back, this is possibly another case where you could site me liking a character with a large amount of money in the bank. The first being Sayuri from my previous post as well as Momo earlier in the countdown. Hmm...

What happened?: After three games, I don't think my tastes necessarily evolved at all as much as picking out a personality more suited for a guy like me. It would take awhile but Mint would get overshadowed by Vanilla and even Chitose and possibly Milfie. Alright, so things KIND OF went downhill. It's a mildly sad tale but it's the obvious result when you have a harem thrown at you in a game, manga, anime, and more then a few character CDs.

After the fact: On account GA is a series I hold very dear to my heart, I still have he utmost reason to blame Mint for all of it. Frankly, looking at the amount of money I've put into GA CDs by now, I should hate Mint or at least, the money grubbing side of me should. Perhaps this should all be chalked up to an extreme case of irony where a wealthy character was the one to set off a chain reaction that leaves my pockets empty. That or a bad case of karma.



Subject Name: Remilia
Series: Touhou
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: If you ask any of my good friends, you'd know that I was really stubborn when it came to Touhou. Not that I hate the type of games but it took me a very long time to step anywhere outside the games. One could say it's a case where I really despised most of the fans who got into anything other then the games. I guess I should blame Remilia dearly for somehow lulling me out of simple gameplay when it came to Touhou. This is especially the case since now I randomly browsing artwork sites and listening to more then the occasional arranges. I really believe this series has become some gigantic mind devouring monster.

What happened?: Among the games, the hundreds of hundreds of girls, and millions upon millions of artwork there's really no excuse. Actually it wasn't a huge jump since my prime interests in Touhou still remain among the Scarlet Mansion (Embodiment of Scarlet Devil). This is a case where a girl was seized advantage of only to lose to a friend, in this case, Sakuya. But this is yet another repeating case of offensive behavior on my part. Mai got screwed over in Kanon as I probably would have never done her route to completion so quickly if it didn't allow you to trigger Sayuri's route. Yep, bad person to the core. But hey, what can I say. Turn down a vampire for a maid, at least it's normal right? Well as normal as things can get anyway.

After the fact: Touhou will forever be Touhou and a slew of new characters get added with each new game. But it's always the charm of the first few characters that will probably keep me around my general interests. At least I'd like to hope I'm a good person like that. If not I doubt any guy would blame me if a new character is created in the mess that ranks higher then another. And with each character being interpreted in a new way by fans, who knows what the heck will happen. I will admit that in a realistic situation though, running out on a vampire would be somewhere near a bad idea.



Subject Name: Setsuna
Series: School Days
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: Oh yeah, I played School Days. Was for the bad endings? No. Was it for that bitch Sekai? No. Was it for that psycho Kotonoha? Well... Was it for the animated scenes? Alright, maybe. But! Was it for Setsuna? Damn right. I think there were far too many reasons why people really did play School Days but it was really nothing out of my usual routine. I had heard all the bells and whistles of things to look forward to in the game beforehand but even gazing among the character roster, was there any doubt who I would choose? Even among starting the game there wasn't much temptation otherwise. Then again, School Days is one of those normal situations for the most part. No way to charm otherwise then a good old fashioned look and personality. And well at least in School Days, I guess personality would mean a lot.

What happened?: Absolutely nothing. Well, not really anyway. It was a clean first hit that was right on the mark. Granted there are still other characters I like as far as School Days goes, I don't think I ever had any real trouble sticking Setsuna up there. Well not counting Summer Days where you could throw in Kokoro...but that's just not fair. I mean...cut me a little slack here. There's very little times in this world where you're given a fair chance to be a good person. Summer Days is legitimately not one of those times. But the entire game did focus on Setsuna for the most part, which allowed me to retain my former statement.

After the fact: Setsuna being who she is allows me to think that I play it smart. Just gauging who is involved in the worst routes, then it's a fair play. I mean, I didn't choose a psychopath as my favorite so it's all good. I feel like this is one of those times that I didn't draw the short straw and I possibly (?) have something to brag about. I don't quite know where this victory falls but it's really about the small battles...right?



Subject Name: Kudryavka/Kudo
Series: Little Busters!
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: Can we talk about when I first glanced over Little Busters! characters that I had something against Kudo? Actually I think it might have been the panic shot of her where she had the ears and tail poking out. Oh man, but it was one of those love hate situations to be sure. I was really hesitant to play Little Busters! because of this because who I did like off the cast weren't making much of an impression to play it. It wasn't until I really started playing the game and saw all of them in action that things clicked. And they clicked alright...man did they click. It took Kudo maybe two boxes of dialogue max before I was hooked.

What happened?: 「わふーっ！」 That line alone can sum up about everything that happened. Was it even fair? Nah, Kudo suffered very little competition until Little Busters! EX rolled around. I think that at the time I had thought that I may have liked other characters more but in reality it took about listening to Kudo for awhile before my brain snapped back into place. It's something almost like training a dog, when I pick up a lick of Kudo's voice my brain goes into a certain state. It's almost sad really.

After the fact: Kudo will probably still go down as my favorite character of all time in about anything. I mean if the question was posed I'd probably say her name about 98.9% of the time. Don't ask me why I wouldn't say that the other percent of the time but I've just recognized the fact that I need to give my brain a margin of error for everything. Really though, Kudo was the character to motivate me to get some of the stranger purchases I've made. We all know how I reacted about the pillowcase when it came out. But it's possible that in my daily routine, I could probably be among Kudo's presence for most of the day. Wake up next to my pillowcase, put on my t-shirt, drink out of my teacup, browse with my mousepad and stare at my wallpaper on my computer. Either way, it could have been much worse but self control is one of those things I can practice every once and awhile. I really can't say enough about Kudo for the most part. It's really just one of those things for me but sticks me with plenty of fond memories.



Subject Name: Nadeshiko
Series: Shugo Chara!
First Encounter: Manga


In the beginning...: I really started reading Shugo Chara! out of a whim when it first started coming out. Granted it was mahou shoujo manga from Peach Pit, I guess that was enough reason to begin with. Anyhow when I began reading it took awhile for me to really pick a first pick. But on account that everyone was in a classification of girl I couldn't hate, what would I do? Well it actually came down to picking level headed Nadeshiko since it let me sit between the two extremes of the girls that are presented early in the story. Actually, I have to admit (and since I frequently compare Shugo Chara! and Cardcaptor Sakura) that Nadeshiko reminded me everything of Tomoyo from CCS without the whole creep factor. Either way it became rather solidified and allowed me to enjoy the series in this perspective.

What happened?: So this is some massive spoilers towards Shugo Chara! but it's the big way to get my point across. After a good portion of the series, there is almost a bonus chapter of sort where you get to learn more about Nadeshiko. This to me seemed like a fine sort of idea until of course it gets to the end. Unfortunately in all the chaos of this, it's revealed that Nadeshiko is in fact Nagihiko...a guy. 「・・・。」 Well...this would be the first time. And it did not feel good. Way to be cruel to me Peach Pit and have my favorite character turn me gay. SERIOUSLY? Thanks.

After the fact: Nadeshiko will go down in history as the first trap character that ever got me. For the most part all have been very obvious or made very obvious but this one was just sort of out of nowhere...and cruel. But what can I say, eventually Nadeshiko was replaced in spirit and in my heart as a girl by Rima. I really do have a fond memory of Nadeshiko in the series though and it almost bothers me when Nagihiko does show up on screen. But now my affection has just had to swim over towards Rima and I try to look on it as a fond memory. Go figure that a new trap would get me this year but I'd like not to think about that.



Subject Name: Shiro
Series: Fortune Arterial
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: Fortune Arterial was really a game that I played out of a whim. I can't say that I scouted anything beforehand aside from a few recommendations from friends. But I can say that Shiro was another quick click in the game. She was a pretty one of a kind thing in the series that stuck out like a sore thumb. You know, I posted a picture here. Take a quick analysis here to realize the blatantly flat chest. Her hair is yet another weak point for me and while it's not as obvious in this picture she's not exactly a tall character either. Pile this on with a completely innocent personality and we're good to go. This has really just turned into a bad cooking show really. Maybe I'm just out of ideas at this point.

What happened?: Shiro is the prime reason for me wanting to invent none other then this handy button here. It's for when things are just too moe for words. Actually it stemmed from the fact that when Shiro was on screen sometimes it caused me to pound the ground/desk/whatever surface my laptop was on because she was that moe. I had long wanted to replace said pounding with the pounding of a button that could help me gauge just how moe she (or any other character for that matter) was. Really though, Shiro literally had my squealing at times because it really got that bad. Granted I did enjoy the presence of some of the other characters, it just wasn't a situation where you had a fair chance of upping and outing Shiro.

After the fact: With little else to say, I can mention that Shiro was indeed yet another character that I ended up getting a pillowcase for. While it wasn't as bad as an investment as Kudo before her, it wouldn't be something I would up and do for just any character. And I still have plans to someday construct the moe button for the pleasure of enjoying future experiences. Other then that, Fortune Arterial itself was a remarkably noteworthy game as well and I'm sure that with how long certain parts of it felt, I could thank Shiro for keeping me in the ring fighting. It always helps to have some kind of motivation for reading through a Bible's worth of text.



Subject Name: Lolotto
Series: Twinkle Crusaders
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: You know, I really don't know why I started playing Twinkle Crusaders. I can't think of one good reason to be honest. I had never heard of anything pre-wise and I'm not even sure if it was on a recommendation. I think it was honestly one of those good times where I was looking for an eroge and picked one that looked of somewhat good quality. So I guess being more or less skeptical stepping in, I more or less skeptically picked Lolotto as my first choice. Being the only main character at the time that struck me as remotely interesting, I hopped on board for the ride. She had her charms to begin with to be honest and it helped me to enjoy the early game time.

What happened?: Hell, would put my experiences playing Twinkle Crusaders lightly. Perhaps I was expecting too much from the game with it's visual quality but about everything in it made me want to bash my head into the table. Well, I'll be fair and say that the battle system was fun for awhile, before it became obnoxious that I had go through their repetitive flow throughout every route (only being able to skip a few early bouts). But that wasn't the half of it, after awhile the game itself felt like a badly written, stereotypical nightmare with very little merit. I don't really know why the eroge segments were quite written in since most felt random and some of them made me want to throw myself into a ocean of sharks wrapped with bacon. And I talk of this whole game since this deal didn't only apply to Lolotto but about every character in the game. Actually, maybe I enjoyed other routes more and going through Lolotto's was the one that made me just want to hate the entire game. Little to say, I found a certain affection towards other characters that weren't in the main cast. Why? Probably because I didn't have to sit through a long, terrible story about them.

After the fact: With all offense to those that enjoyed this game, I hate Twinkle Crusaders and find it very hard to start liking Lolotto. I can enjoy some of the humor when watching the intro scenes of the game but it really just amounts to mind numbing pain later on. Maybe I've just come to hate the stereotypical but all of it really just got to me after awhile and drove me off a cliff. Actually you can see everything I feel "After the fact" by just reading about what I thought about the game in the previous paragraph. Feelings have not changed and I still grumble at my time playing this like an old man. If I didn't have a need to complete things then this disaster may have been slightly avoided. Unfortunately this isn't the case and severe trauma thus continues.



Subject Name: Yui
Series: Flyable Heart
First Encounter: Game


In the beginning...: When the Flyable Heart site first went up and characters were first revealed, I don't even know what it was. Maybe I was just in a crazed state but I went WILD for Yui. I'm usually not the kind to fall for the heroine for the most part but Yui is easily the exception in this case. Even with good options and other characters that might have been more my forte nearby, I just couldn't help it. I was struck with rage when Yui didn't have her own real section in the demo and went crazy when I got my copy at home. I'm hardly one to hype a game either and I'm sure several may vouch for me in saying that I went rather crazy around the release date. And when I got the game, I almost tuned out other characters in some new crazed frenzy. Little to say, it wasn't a competition or chance for the others at the start of things.

What happened?: As I got to see more of Yui through the games, it was still a turn on for me. What couldn't I like more about a girl who was crazy about donuts? Well, maybe if a girl was theoretically into potatoes hardcore then it possibly be better. But I think that coming from anyone who wasn't me would seem kind of awkward. Something about Yui's affection for donuts and top knots is far too endearing and adorable. Even though I've not finished the entire game yet, I'm sure that my opinions on most characters have been solidified. And even though Yui had some fairly fierce competition, I believe that she still sits pretty on top and strikes me as nearly perfect for my needs.

After the fact: Yui has not only become yet another example of a perfect girl for me in my book but also has become my alarm clock in the morning. That aside she gets a nice little throne at the top of the mountain with the likes of Sayuri from my older post and Kudo from earlier in this one. Perhaps it's something about her that's just different...or impossible for that matter. I'm not quite sure that a girl could eat like she does and remain so beautifully figured. Actually if that were possible then I would be a luchador, have enough money to both bathe in and hurl at my enemies, and look exactly like Jean Pierre Polnareff. But on account that I'm none of those things, I'll just have to settle for the fact that Yui is my ideal type of girl for a reason. That aside, I enjoyed Flyable Heart thoroughly with my hype and thus may have avoided some of the biggest backlash of my life. Hard to believe this is the same company that turned out Alice Parade but, hey, miracles happen. But I'm pretty sure that my donut, Yui loving self will eventually land a Yui pillowcase next to me if she ever gets one. I'll wait...


Summing it all up...

In all, there's a few things you can pick up from this post about me. The number one of course being that I have unhealthy obsessions with a certain type of girl, but I've had to discuss that business more then once. Second would be that I possibly would marry into to money given the chance. Third would be the case that I would totally use a girl to get to her friend, if need be. Actually all of these things will eventually get me killed so now all of you know the reasons why I'm going to die. Despite my better judgment when it comes to women, I doubt I can protect myself from the incoming knife that's looming for my chest with all of words aside.

Either way, yet another thing to throw into the backlog and laugh at. I'm pretty sure I was draining my brain to write some of it but it was a fun article to write nonetheless. So until then, I need to let my brain recover from digging in it's deepest chambers.