Review: Mirai Nostalgia

This is a work with lackluster execution of its otherwise decent premise.

This article was originally written on 7/11/15 . May contain conceptual/structural spoilers.

Mirai Nostalgia (未来ノスタルジア), translated to ‘Nostalgia of the Future’ is a work that has an interesting concept. Generally, when we think of nostalgia, we think of the past (as nostalgia specifically seems to reference past events to reminisce about). So then, a reader might wonder just how exactly we can reminisce about the future. I think that on any singular timeline (a past, a present, and a future), it would be difficult to envision a future that we could be nostalgic about. But, Mirai Nostalgia isn’t a work focused entirely on one timeline — in fact, it’s a work that has time travel as an apparent mechanic (in facilitating the storyline). In this case, the nostalgia refers not specifically to the reminiscence of past events (connotation of there being one discrete past), but simply, known events (not as stringent a connotation). In other words, as long as an individual knows, and has memories of what’s to happen, then certainly, they can be nostalgic about it (perhaps in the scope of our reality, it’d be something like fulfilling a dream once strongly dreamed – or deja vu).

I think that ‘nostalgia’ is an interesting phenomenon because it has that internal connotation of being something ‘pleasant’ or ‘wished-for.’ It’s not strictly-speaking, a purely ‘objective’ phenomenon (there’s an experiential aspect to nostalgia; it’s not something as ‘straightforward’ and explainable as physics is). Thus, for a work to properly develop the notion of a ‘nostalgia for the future,’ the work will strictly, have to accomplish two things. First, the work will need to demonstrate the physical possibility of a ‘future nostalgia’ (even if theoretical — as long as there are appropriate premises to the reasoning posited). And second, the work will need to properly develop the contents of the nostalgia (more simply put, the events to be nostalgic about — in order to do this, we’ll need to develop scenes that we’d care to remember, to reminisce about). I think that Mirai Nostalgia is a work which manages to effectively (even if slowly & frustratingly choppily so) develop & showcase the latter requisite. But, I think that Mirai Nostalgia, or MiraNosu neglects nearly entirely to develop the former part of it (although ultimately, this might not be that big of a deal).

I had came into MiraNosu expecting a meaningful storyline. After all, if a work has time travel as a mechanic, then certainly, it has to care about its plot to some extent, right? While I had come into this work expecting just that, MiraNosu betrayed my expectations. It’s not to say that Mirai Nostalgia is a work which has no central plot, or a meaningful true route (as it does have these). But, Mirai Nostalgia is first and foremost, a character game. It’s a work split up into five routes — four of them need to be completed until the final, presumably true route, is unlocked. My problem with the work on this note isn’t that it’s focused on the characters (in fact, a work concerning nostalgia might appropriately be focused on its characters). My problem with the work on the topic of its characters is two-fold. On one hand, MiraNosu is annoying to read. It presents a great deal of meaningless, direction-less slice of life, and the occasional meaningful line (foreshadowing or providing some insight to what’s actually happening — the build up to the true route). But, as soon as MiraNosu provides a hint of what’s to come, it immediately devolves into more repetitive, slice of life. It’s not to say that slice of life is bad in a character game. It’s just that slice of life is bad in a character game when it’s direction-less (literal random events without true consequences, developed as a sole means to show the passing of time). Furthermore, slice of life is bad when it stretches for a long period of time (in my case, I took this especially badly since I wanted to read more about the plot, or I wanted to see a particular heroine characterized further; but, rather than that, often, I had to read a lot of inconsequential, dumb, slice of life). While most of the routes did ultimately end on the note of being meaningful (on level of both the routes themselves, and depending on the route, on level of being meaningful to the true route), by the time a lot of the ‘good development’ began, I was already too frustrated to want to care about the characters. In this sense, I’d agree completely that my perspective of this work is skewed because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should have during particular portions.

And second, like most similar works, MiraNosu is a work with a lot of irrelevant characters (i.e. not important to the true route of the work, or to any main theme of the work). While each character within the work had surprisingly, fairly decent individual routes, only two of the four (approximately half) of the heroines (outside the true) were truly necessary or needed in order to tell the story. In fact, were we to extirpate the existences of the two other heroines, I wouldn’t imagine the work being any less worse. It’s not to say that their works are badly written (surprisingly, they each get meaningful conclusions, and their routes were actually thought out & not done solely for the sake of it). But, in relation to the work as a whole, their existences lacked meaningfulness. Even in the routes that end up being meaningful to the main storyline, only one of them is truly central to the events of the true route, whereas the other route, while very meaningful towards the end, contains a lot of irrelevant baggage. But, it’s not to say that all routes subsist solely to benefit & develop the true route (as I often complain that the routes are too ontologically dependent [on level of importance] to the true route of whichever work). But, the events within some of the routes seemed entirely irrelevant or unnecessary. While they might have been subjectively satisfying to whichever reader, I personally didn’t enjoy it that much.

As mentioned earlier, MiraNosu doesn’t really develop the former requisite. That is, MiraNosu doesn’t really discuss how the ‘magic’ or ‘time travel’ mechanic element works. While the universe of MiraNosu has a recognized existence of so-called superhumans (more comparable to ESPers than to magicians), very little is developed on one hand, about their organization (the amount, importance, the reason for their being the way they are, why they tend to act the way that they do), and on the other hand, about how their powers work. Indeed, this is a rather large flaw in that a lot of the events within the work rely on the workings of the ‘magic’ within the work to subsist. Some opponents of the work argue that a lot of the events within the work (particularly the conclusion of the true route) is forcibly, a deus ex machina. But, it’s not that the work randomly introduces something which saves the day, it’s that the work merely never expands on how the original, given system of magic works (i.e. deus ex machina from ambiguity rather than of pure opportunism).

Nonetheless, I don’t think that MiraNosu is a work which is that dependent on its mechanics in order to be good. As discussed, for better or worse, MiraNosu is first and foremost, a game focused on its characters. But, MiraNosu, even if it’s not focused on its plot, places importance on its plot (on level of how the characters will ultimately develop, how their relationships will advance & develop). On one end, I didn’t really enjoy the character interactions that much (as the pacing for the slice of life was torturous). On the other end, the events which I did enjoy, were tied so closely to the plot, that to care about the plot would be to receive the work comparatively poorly (As the work fails to properly explain its plot). Yet at the same time, to not care about the plot would be marginalize the importance of some developments, as a lot of the ‘good’ characterization came in virtue of the plot. So, we’re at an impasse — it’s a work with a focus on its characters, that places importance on its plot, that fails to properly develop its plot. So ultimately, did this result in a simply, ‘bad’ work?

I think that I ultimately enjoyed MiraNosu. The true route, past its faults, had a really interesting idea (the notion of a nostalgia of the future on the side, the true route had developed a meaningful notion of ‘family’). In this sense, MiraNosu is a work with a very interesting concept. But, it’s a work with in my opinion, a rather lackluster execution of this concept. The work would have certainly been better were it more focused on the dramatic side of things, than on the purely, fan-servicey character side of things (i.e. more characterization in virtue of substance than of slice of life).  Nonetheless, as conceded early on within this review — I don’t think that my opinion of this work is as constructive as it could have been (as truly, I didn’t enjoy the work at points that I should have; this certainly changed my perspective for the worse). But, I don’t think that I’m erroneous in pointing out its structure (whether these are flaws or not, I suppose is up to be discussed).

On the topic of the work’s aesthetics, it has good art and CG quality. Its general soundtrack is decent and used well on occasion, and its vocal songs are probably the more memorable parts of the work.  I still dislike Purple Software’s engine — it’s outdated, needs to be burned.

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

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