Review: Neyuki no Genei

Descartes once pondered what it was to be. I ponder whether this is a nukige with plot or a plot game with too many sex scenes.

This article was originally written on 7-5-2015. May contain mild conceptual/structural spoilers.

Neyuki no Genei (根雪の幻影) is bound to be a controversial work. On one end, it’s ambiguous as to whether it’s a nukige with a focus on plot, or a plot-focused work with a lot of sexual content. I don’t find this distinction to be particularly important — what should be noted is that Neyuki no Genei has a great deal of sexual content & a central plot. It’s at its core, a mystery work (similar to its predecessor, Nanairo Reincarnation). While this is tagged as a ‘horror’ work, I don’t find this aspect of it particularly convincing or existing (if we’re to count suspense/uncertainty as being horrific, then certainly, all mystery works would be horror series; while there are particular portions of the work that fit more soundly into the horror genre, these arise in form of scenes rather than a continuous motif). The mystery within Neyuki no Genei was surprisingly, not that awful.

Now, I’m not saying that the mystery within this work is fantastic. Comparative to first impressions, the mystery turned out to be somewhat thought-out, and not just ‘groundless plot’ (for the sake of developing the sexual content around). I don’t think that the work told or presented the mystery that well, as the work relies on a deus ex machina at the end of the series in order to explain the ‘mechanics’ of the work (the means to which the events of the plot are carried out). Furthermore, the work fell into the common pattern of telling more than showing (little to none of the major plot points are discovered, or pieced together by the reader; they’re basically all told blatantly through a verbal exchange, or through a line of questioning). Indeed, we can see this pattern demonstrated through the fact that this game has a great deal of choices (most of which are in question format). Nonetheless, even though the plot of the work (the central mystery) made sense (in that we accepted its assumptions, no matter how groundless or unrealistic they may have seemed), the work wasn’t fulfilling for a variety of reasons.

For one, the work’s very difficult to build an attachment to. This work truly feels like a nukige at times. This is apparent from the direction that the work takes. On one end, a lot of the plot points are characteristic of games focused on sex (e.g.’I want to know about x, and I think the only way to learn about x is to have sex with a particularly attractive girl. Despite the fact that I’m in a committed relationship, my girlfriend certainly won’t mind if I apologize’ and ‘I guess it’s fine if you want a mistress.’). On the other end, a plot of the plot points are virtually found only in games focused on sex (e.g. dark sexual scenes focused on certain, pivotal characters — granted that the fates of some characters are generally ‘known’ prior, it’s hard to actively relate & to open up as much). Some of the plot points are absurd, insofar as being fairly misogynistic and nonsensical (e.g. a certain love born out of sexual slavery, the notion that sexual slavery can be good, etc.).

And second, for most works dependent on its story, there’s generally a theme or purpose of the work (similarly to how character games need to have affable characters & meaningful character development). Neyuki no Genei, while managing to tell a comparatively decent mystery (mind you that the initial bar set was not very high), does so in a rather ‘pointless,’ or non-thematic way. The reader’s never really told why to care about the plot, or what reason the plot means to demonstrate. Indeed, the mystery within Neyuki no Genei would be akin to an ‘arc’ found within a larger work. In other words, it’s a work without a purpose, but a work that could be provided a purpose.

Nonetheless, I don’t think that Neyuki no Genei is a ‘bad work.’ Despite its dodgy storytelling and questionable direction, I did actually care (to some extent) about the events which were uncovered & were further developed in the true route of the work. In this sense, the work crafted a mystery respectable enough to not be ignored entirely by the audience. Furthermore, even though I’d argue that the majority of the characters within the work play more functional than purely affable roles (i.e. the characters serve roles, and are identified most by the role which they play rather than their individual unique traits), it’s not to say that they were entirely unlikable. In fact, the player’s expected to sympathize with virtually everyone within the work — whether it’d be a philandering protagonist, the pitiable heroines, a misunderstood sex-ring mastermind, or even self-professed ‘low lives.’ Whether or not the player does sympathize with them is an entirely different matter though (the point being made here is that the work provides some grounds for making the characters more likable than purely detestable).

So, at the end of it all, Neyuki no Genei is a work with a great deal of sexual content, but not a work constituted solely of it. It has a cast of characters whose existences are not definitely solely by their functional roles. It has a plot, whose intricacies are poorly told & defined, but whose intricacies still exist. At the end of the day, whether Neyuki no Genei will be remembered for its sexual content or for its more substantial features is up for debate. I personally don’t think that I’ll remember this work that much in respect to either. It’s ultimately an ambivalent work — it has strengths and weaknesses, neither of which obviously overpower the other. On topic of its aesthetics, while the work boasts commendable visuals, its soundtrack is for the most part, forgettable.

mdz
I enjoy reflecting on works which I've read and sharing my thoughts on them.

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