General:Kageaki is an incredible protagonist. The fact that he radiates insane self-insert Chad energy, as well as being the most unfortunate and miserable motherfucker (haha literally) on the planet makes him such a fascinating character and just what the VN needed for a lens through which the various themes in the routes are explored. I just love how all of his aspects as a dignified and stoic protagonist, a compassionate and infinitely self-critical but unfortunate soul thrust into horrible situations where he has to kill the few for the sake of many and a weirdo pervert all come together to make the first ever character that I would personally describe as actually three-dimensional. The people around him make him rethink his worldview constantly, but he also comes to a lot of conclusions on his own, leading to him being an incredibly dynamic character that changes a lot throughout all of the routes while also never really losing his initial appeal. Ultimately, even though I might enjoy some other characters a bit more, I think that Kageaki in this cast of amazing characters still manages to stand out because he feels the most like a person, and the VN would be a lesser piece of art without him tying everything together.
The minor characters are all good. Not much to say further, they're fine and they do their job. One standout, however, is Jo'ansai. The guy is just so cool and I like how you learn a lot about him as a person, even though you practically don't learn all that much, which only adds to his appeal, really. The Four Generals were also really good (I'll talk more about them in the specific route sections), but I do think Raicho could have gotten a bit more. I do believe that they kept him alive to appear in any potential sequels (I believe he does appear in Re: Blade Arts), so it makes sense, but he is nevertheless really entertaining in his banters with Chachamaru and you do feel kinda bad for him since you can tell he's the least politically skilled (and most likely the most morally decent) of the four. Wolf surprisingly never got annoying with his "PANTSU!" schtick.
Sorimachi was also excellent as a rival to Kageaki in terms of both skills and ideals. At first you think he's just a sleazy double-siding opportunistic prick (which he absolutely is, in all fairness), but his own morals and ideology really do shine through. I like how he influenced Kageaki in the end, as well. Like, I expected to hate him, but at the end of the Conqueror route I personally ended up really liking him. Hikaru Midorikawa's outstanding performance also really helps. The cackling was really good. I did not know the man had such range.
As an aside, things like the Jewish being dwarves that can turn into atomic bombs through the power of hatred is the kind of alternate history schlock I live for. The worldbuilding in general was really interesting and it sets itself up for a lot more than was shown here. The entire concept of America having several failed revolutions, as well Britain never ending its colonial reign and having most of the world under its rule are cool and a great jumping off point for more stories.
Tsurugi/cruxes are just such an interesting and well thought out concept. They combine the best elements of samurai and mecha fiction for maximum chuuni enjoyment. Just the thought of them saying the vow, armoring up and having aerial dogfight duels gets the blood pumping.
I just skipped the sex scenes. Not that they were bad or anything, it's just that whenever they happened you could tell that the story went in "Sex mode" and it just took me out of the experience. The buildup and everything was fine, it's just that I was so invested that I wanted to get back to the main plot ASAP. I will, however, say that Muramasa got absolutely shafted in this department. I mean, she's the main heroine, and all she gets is a footjob and blowjob scene? Fucking travesty, I tell ya.
I also skipped the r*pe scenes. Felt like they were mostly unnecessary, even if I would agree that they do underpin how fucked the world is. Still, i just couldn't stomach them. It is what it is, I guess.
Hero route: I did not expect to enjoy this route as much as I did. It was pretty decent until the final confrontation, where it went up immensely in my book. Just how the relationship between Ichijo and Kageaki was done and how both of their beliefs made sense, and they both knew and acknowledged it, but still had to fight to achieve their goals was so expertly done. When 'Uzuki' started playing I was hyped to the max. Masamune's justice-obsessed kinda racist grandpa personality was great, and a nice contrast to Muramasa. The Noh scene really got me. The 'wholesome situation turning horrible' trope is one that I usually see a mile away, but not this one. It really did exemplify Doshin's personality. He' such a great and memorable character every single time he is on screen, in this route and the other ones. I do really like him (even though he's a humongous piece of shit, of course), and his basara philosophy was really interesting. The only scene I can kind of criticise is Ichijo's confrontation with Doshin's retainer kid. I feel like it overdid it a bit 'SEE WHAT YOU DID?!' bit and missed the mark because of it. Maybe if the sister commited suicide instead of just accidentally falling down the stairs and/or the siblings being fucked over now that Doshin wasn't around to take care of them would have worked better. With all that being said, though, I do like the scene because of what it meant for Ichijo's character.
Of course, the element that makes this route as good as it is, is Ichijo herself. Like the route itself, Ichijo was a surprise hit for me. At first I found her kind of ok as a character because I could see where her character arc was going, but execution is important and that is the part where her story shines. Her journey from a young and idealistic girl to a true hero who understands that justice itself is an act of evil which deserves retribution, as well as how Kageaki influences her and vice-versa, was amazing to witness. The way the VN presents its characters' ideologies is just so brilliant in general and the reason why I feel like it resonated with me so much. I find Ichijo and Masamune to be the most memorable musha/tsurugi pair because of how Masamune's Sacred Treasures and shinogi thematically relate to his mission and worldview, but also how Ichijo's own attributes, namely her drive and willpower, make her a perfect match for him on an ideological and practical level, allowing her to use a tsurugi that would kill most other users to its fullest potential, despite her own relative inexperience. Also Masamune's entire arsenal is so awesome and the greatest tool in his characterisation as a batshit insane avatar of justice. The bittersweet epilogue of an older Ichijo continuing to follow her justice despite knowing she will have to kill innocents as Muramasa's master is wonderful icing on the cake, as well. Absolutely fantastic route.
Nemesis route: Overall I would rate this route the lowest of the three. Not because of its lack of quality, but rather because of the thematically appropriate feeling of emptiness that follows its ending. Rather than Hero's triumphant climax or Conqueror's synthesis of all the VN's themes, the Nemesis route is ultimately a tragic story of two people who loved each other, yet kept stubbornly following their paths of punishing sins (including their own), causing them to die at each other's hand. This route also has a focus on the political aspects of the conflict, but I do think that it was presented in an understandable and engaging way. The Ootori household stuff was also entertaining to watch unfold. You do kind of end up feeling bad for Shishiku once you find out his backstory, although personally I think he ends up being the least memorable out of the four generals, though that makes sense with him being a former assassin, now that I think about it. I also loved the scene where Kageaki finds the modern art statue. It conveys an amazing sense of dread, and the realisation that Kageaki killed all those people for nothing (at least in his mind) is great at further establishing the route's thesis. Guts Eider was a loving pastiche of Super Robots (still don't know how whoever owns Kotetsu Jeeg didn't get on their ass because of the design, but I digress) while also being a macabre parody of them and especially Gattai sequences. Also Konatsu's VA did an amazing job here. Wonderfully manic energy. Again, it also enforces the route's main theme.
I think that Kanae has the best chemistry with him out of all the characters. She chews the scenery every time she's on screen, and the fact that you only see her true nature in this route conveys her cunning and two-faced nature wonderfully. I like the contrast of how Ichijo is, for all intents and purposes, a normal person who becomes a hero through because of her unflinching will, while Kanae is a complete aberration of a human being with a warped sense of what is morally just. Makes each of them stand out even more. I was also impressed how genuinely off-putting they managed to make her in certain scenes (such as when she's telling the story about that monster when they were walking along Enoshima's beach).
Sayo is still Best Girl though. The fact that you can make Kageaki flirt more with her than anyone else while all of the other girls protest is hilarious. Loved her reveal, although I do wonder: does she just come off looking as a Japanese person, despite being European? Again, minor plot point that doesn't matter, but it's shit like this that my brain latches onto. Kageaki doesn't question that the other guy was her brother (that whole thing being a front, I assume), so I might just be his lack of awareness, but I don't know. It really is shit like this that keeps me up at night, I swear.
Quick, aside, yes that airship sequence was kind of whack and I needed a guide. The logic was sound, but the fact that you had to do the actions in a certain order was what made it weird and confusing.
Again, while this route might be the weakest for me, I still found it amazing to experience and I think overall it is the best at reinforcing its own theme through minor elements (Guts Eider, Kageaki not being the one to kill Hikaru, Kageaki's doomer attitude, Kanae's nature, etc.). In the end, Kageaki does not die as a great villain, slain by a hero, or even live as a symbol of might. Here, he dies as a regular, pathetic killer who finally understood that all he could ever do is kill without protecting anything. And as this route says: all who kill deserve to die.
Conqueror route: Definitely my favorite route when you add up all of the stuff that happens. Not much to say on it overall, but a lot to say for the characters themselves. The Green Dragon Alliance side of the story was a cool concept and I liked how Evil Kageaki was Chad enough to impress the other generals instantly. Loved how few fucks he gave. Also his portrait gave off huge 'What you see vs. What she sees' energy so that was pretty fun, too.
The Konjin was a very cool final boss (not counting Hikaru, you know what I mean). No wonder the devs mentioned they hope this series would get into SRW. The Konjin is a perfect fit. The whole time travel segment was also pretty cool. Loved how the Moon breaking was actually foreshadowing. Very cool. Very kino. Also a giant golden Nagasaka Ukyo manifesting for a little while was as hilarious as it was shock-inducing.
Muramasa's development was well done, but she has the unfortunate displeasure that her route also features Chachamaru and Hikaru, so...
In all seriousness some of the moments she got with Kageaki were absolutely wonderful. The bonding scene was wholesome, and her arc from believing that Kageaki is only her tool, to her doubts and their resolution, to her and Kageaki finally becoming a true Musha was great. It was all believable, even the fact that she wanted Kageaki to have a normal life without her, but it is her prior development that made their resolution to become a symbol of might in the end all the more gratifying. Again, amazing scenes that were, for me at least, unfortunately overshadowed by the other girls of the route.
Chachamaru was an outstanding sub-heroine (I guess that's would you would call her, right?). She absolutely chewed the scenery every single time she was on screen. The most entertaining charcter in a story filled with entartaining characters, by far. From her Bullet Liger schtick, to her fourth wall breaks, to her chemistry with Hikaru in that dating VN segment (which was brilliant, btw, it's a shame I didn't play any other Nitroplus VNs so I didn't really get any of the references), she was amazing to witness. I also liked how her relationship with Kageaki affected him. Kotetsu is an amazing tsurugi design. Really enjoyed that mini route if you choose Chachamaru over Muramasa.
Now I come to Hikaru. I think that she might officially be my favourite fictional character of all time now. The parts with her were what I constantly awaited, and it is the focus on her which makes this route my favourite. Everything about her is superbly executed. How she can make the first half of the story pants-shittingly terrifying every time she appears, how alien and above everything she appears despite her otherwise goofy personality, how the scope of her goals pairs with the absolute purity of her desires due to lacking the most basic of human relationships (the love of a father), it all comes together so well. She is the first villain where I genuinely wondered how the protagonist was going to beat them. The difference between her and Kageaki legitimately seemed like that of heaven and earth, as he himself puts it. The scene where she asks Kageaki what he thinks happens when they die, as well as her own thoughts on that, exemplify her character in a single sentence.
At first I found the reveal of her being a dream a bit schlocky, but ultimately came to understand that it makes sense. She is not something that any one real person can achieve, but she is not real. She is the dream of a little girl wishing for love, the most powerful force in the universe, as she sees it. The same love that ultimately ends her life.
Yet despite being a dream, it is the love which drives her that makes her the most human character in the story. She is not perfect, her visage of absolute confidence breaking because of the fear that Muramasa is tearing Kageaki away from her. It is her love that gives her both strength and weakness, as it does for all of us. And even then, despite her being driven by love, the most human emotion of all, it allows her to commit the most inhuman of acts. She claims to kill without malice, but due to love, therefore bypassing the Law of Balance. She is a dream that desperately refuses to accept reality.
I feel that is why I find her character so compelling. What drives her is the reality which drives all of us: the hole in our heart. Yet it is because she rejects reality for a dream that she is able to do what she does, that which we cannot do. In the end, however, it is the rejection of reality (the source of her power), and Kageaki's acceptance of it, his acceptance of his love for her, which spells her doom. He won because he did what she could not. A dream rejects reality, rendering it obsolete, yet it also crumbles under the weight of reality. The dichotomy of reality and dream is what gives The Silver Star its shine.
The final clash between Kageaki and Hikaru is what I dare call perfection. When it is revealed that Kageaki is her father. When all of the pieces start to fall into place. When 'Rakuyo' starts to play. When you realise that the love Hikaru craved, her goal is what would be her undoing. When the clash happens. When Hikaru realises the truth, her quest fulfilled, her life ended. I was in a state of bliss watching it all. I think that is the first time I ever felt this way. I the VN ended right there, I would have no complaints.
The twist itself was genius. Subtle enough that the story presented did not seem too suspicious, yet with ramifications big enough to recontextualise everything. It made Akitaka's rather aloof attitude towards Hikaru's actions and goal make all the sense in the world. It gave Kageaki that much more pathos. The one scene it elevated immensely was when Kageaki was teaching Hikaru about the story of Cronos, how he married his own mother. The moment that foreshadows the truth is also the moment that serves as a catalyst for Hikaru's actions, and the entire plot in general. Fucking brilliant.
At first I was a bit iffy on the epilogue, at least when it started, but now I do really appreciate it. Obvious sequel-bait and all, but the fact that it was framed as the beggining of a new story is amazing in its own right. It is ironic that the timeline where Kageaki becomes an evil mercenary warlord is the one where he is probably the happiest. And I honestly love that. Go off, King.
I only have one aspect of the story that I'm not totally 100% sure on: the split helmet. I think it might be explained in Janen-hen, but I don't know. I guess it is intentionally left up to interpretation, which is fine and all. The way I understood it is that it represents Kageaki's rebellion of human rules after Hikaru falls into a coma. As in, he was told that he must not be Hikaru's father, as well as told that musha need to accept that they cannot split the helmet/do the impossible. As such, when Hikaru falls ill, his regret over not being able to care for her as her father causes his anger to flare and split the helmet. At least, that's how I understood it. If anyone has a different interpretation or even the definitive explanation, I would love to hear it.
And that's about it. For anyone who dared read the absolute word vomit that was this review: I am sorry...but also thank you. Again, I'm sure there are many other reviews out there that could do this incredible piece of art more justice than I ever could. It's just that this honestly impacted me in a way that no other stories have up to this point in my life. It made me feel so many emotions, resonated with me on so many levels and gave me so many things to think about. I just had to write something about it. This is now one of my favorite pieces of fiction of all time, period. I can only hope that I didn't come off as wanting to suck it off to much. It has its faults, for sure, but I guess it just goes to show you just how much I loved it. I believe that it is stuff like this that sticks with you for the rest of your life. This piece here might not do it for everyone, but it sure as hell did it for me.
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Originally Posted by bassgs435
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