As much as I'm enjoying the VN version of Clannad, I haven't been playing it seriously. Probably because I already witnessed the whole saga on the anime, but I'd rather hold off before trying to complete. With that said, I picked up another VN. This one is legal to own for free. It's a game that's a doujin . . . of a doujin.
"Oh gawd; more Touhou!?"
But that is where you are mistaken, for one can never have too much Touhou in their life.
Eastern Starlight Romance.
It's told from Marisa's point-of-view. Her unnamed father has died, and she has vowed to avoid his fate . . . by becoming a magician youkai. Okay, this isn't the first time fanon speculated this, but ESR is really well-written for a fan project. The backgrounds are bland, and most of the character art is merely okay, but the story itself is very interesting. It's still a demo, and I haven't gotten that far yet, but any hardcore Touhou fanatic will appreciate it.
One complaint I have is . . . well, it's more of a "this character wouldn't behave this way in my touhouverse" but Marisa seems . . . more serious than usual. Okay, yeah, death in the family, and she is occasionally serious in my fanverse, but Marisa is usually more snarky or silly in the canon, as well as most fanons. However, I love the portrayal of Alice; not only is it very close to my own portrayal, but she avoids the cliches associated with her. Reimu is well done too. She's not easily agitated like my version of Reimu, so it's fresh. Also, ESR's portrayal of Remilia is dangerously close to my own. Although its portrayal of Nitori is . . . unique.
One thing I appreciate about ESR is it's made by the English-speaking fanbase. No, I'm not being ethnocentric, here me out. Many foreign works translated by fans sometimes have the problem of being too literally translated. They get the message across, but in a way no natural speaker of the new language would say it. This plagues some Touhou doujins I have read. I suppose it's one reason Touhou fanfics in English are on the rise, so as to avoid this problem. ESR doesn't have this. It feels like a professional-quality fanwork.
But you know something? I've noticed that I have the ability to criticize stuff that I even love. I mentioned this on MAL. I've noticed this with Touhou fanons as well. No matter how much I may like someone's version, something about it will always be disagreeable to me. Sometimes, it's just because it's not I would portray a scene or character, but watch now as I become nitpicky.
Actual Touhou Canon: There is a lot that is still not known to the world. Explain, ZUN! Explain!
"Touhou Ibunshu" by Usually Dead: I reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaalllllly don't like his versions of Keine and Mokou. And combat sequences almost always lack the two ingredients that make Touhou combat what it is: flying, and danmaku. The action sequences feel more like fight scenes out of a generic fantasy novel because of this. Also, Reimu is not fucking suicidal.
"Touhou Nekokayou" by KimikoMuffin: That many same-sex relationships among that many people is extremely unlikely. Okay, realistically, with as many females as there are in Touhou, a few of them may be lesbian or bisexual, but that many? Puh-leeze! Most of the ships make no sense! Also, long-running arcs can become extremely convoluted, as well as confusing.
"Life of Maid" by Colonel Aki: YOUMU IS NOT A FUCKING FANGIRL! Also, SAKUYA DOES NOT WEAR PADS, GOD DAMN IT!
"Though the Wind Cries" by Iyokan: I like Usually Dead's explanation of Sanae's lineage more.
"Eastern Starlight Romance" by Dai-Sukima Dan: What the hell is with Koishi's appearance? She looks exactly like Satori when you first encounter her! Also, the portrayal of Nitori is just a biiiit OOC.
This Really Cool Sakuya Story I Read On FF.net Whose Name Escapes Me: UPDATE IT ALREADY! It had a really great interpretation of Sakuya and Remilia's relationship! (No, it wasn't shoujo-ai.)
"Moon Series" by Jasper Star: What's with the random boob shots?
"(Insert fancy Japanese name that will come later)" by xm0123: Why is Reimu so irritable? Are you trying to portray her as a tsundere? And why is Alice more of a woobie than she was in canon? And what's with all of the random Gratuitous Japanese? Also, what did Yukari write about in her memoir!? Explain, xm! Explain!
Whoa. I can even criticize myself.
