This may not be the bow tied happy ending type in fact it's a lot of sadness and depression however very realistic situations. Definitely worth every penny to me. The angels are unique and very likeable the song they perform on one route is simply beautiful. Try not to get any spoilers, you must clear the three human girls to unlock Aine's special unforgettable route. I sincerely hope you enjoy it half as much as I did, I've read VN for a very long time and this is the first that I had to review. Enjoy!

I don't want to get too in depth, but basically, there aren't a lot of visual novels that have an anthology format, and I don't think that there are any that do it like this VN.

The protagonist, Tomoe, is fairly unusual, being someone completely bitter on the very notion of romance. It would be easy to simply dismiss him as an unreasonable edgelord, but the VN makes it clear that he has a very good reason to be bitter, even if the specifics aren't revealed until the true route. His discussions about what is ultimately best for people with the extreme idealist that is Aine make for some of the best dialogue in the VN. The VN makes it clear that both the extreme cynic protagonist and the extreme idealist angel heroine Aine have valid points in their arguments.

The common route of this title detail the trials and tribulations of 6 different couples. The first couple has only one type of conclusion and the sixth couple has unusual circumstances that aren't made clear until the True route, but 4 of the couples have 2 different conclusions that you can pick from; both which lead to a bittersweet resolution. Which conclusion is happier isn't very clearcut, and the fact that both conclusions are about as equally bittersweet is a credit to the VN. The VN could have made it so one conclusion was obviously happier, especially since the true route mandates that you pick a particular choice every time. However, they did not, which drives home with the moral ambiguity of the decision being made with the couples.

There are 4 different routes: 2 I would call subheroine routes and 2 I would call main heroine routes. It's a similar format to Deardrops, though the subheroine routes are more substantial in Bokuten. Minamo's route resembles the common route the most in tone, and the endings to that route are about as bittersweet as the conclusions of the common route relationships. Yuri's route is where things start going a bit crazy and is a small taste of the extent of the drama that occurs in the major heroine routes. Naruko is when the setting starts revealing its true colors and is what I personally think is the most depressing route. Aine or the True route answers any remaining questions about the protagonist, the setting, and the plot and has what I believe to be the most satisfying ending of all of the routes, even if some of the revelations might be a bit hard to swallow without some willing suspension of disbelief. I thought it worked out fine, but just be wary that there are a lot more supernatural elements in play in Aine's route than in the other 3 routes.

Ultimately, while I wouldn't call it my favorite VN, it's a title very much worth playing, especially if you want a change of pace from a more traditional romance visual novel. Just be prepared for some really morose events and endings.

This game is great. It has wonderful art, exceptional music, and engaging story. It shows how realistic love is complicated and how there aren't always happy endings, even when you want to try "doing the right thing".

If you're on the fence about getting this-go for it. It's hours open hours of mostly plot. They have chapter and route associated H-scenes, but they're not really the focus. I really think an all-ages version would still sell well enough due to how great this game is. Just black out scenes and reference enough so the reader/player knows what's going on.

There's a pretty long common route first time through. There's a skipping-text function, but I suggest saving now and then instead of waiting for the routes or anything. Each route (except the final) has 2 endings. All are worth seeing at least once, and there's not obviously a "good" and "bad" ending either.

**Route Opinions**
--spoilers ahead--

~Naruko: Childhood friend route...and they go into that theme HARD, if it wasn't obvious before you got into the route, seeing how utterly dependent Tomoe is on her. She's the tomboy who gets really girly as soon you return the shard-super cute and endearing when acting all embarrassed and shy (her tone changes drastically), but you only see it briefly for her route at all before the relevant drama occurs. Her route asks the question of would you rather briefly bright or on low for a very long time?

~Yuri: Her route is dark. Granted, as soon as you get into it and realize just what happened, it's kind of explained but still really messed up. She's quiet and oppressed but also nurturing and sympathetic. She's initially introduced from Tomoe's perspective as angelic, but I don't agree with that assessment. Her route asks a really screwed up would-you-rather: mind-broken life in a perpetually oppressive 3-way, or unintentional assisted suicide and hiding the truth for who-knows-how-many years from the one person who cared about them?

~Minamo: It seemed one-sided and Tomoe wassn't really into it until almost the very end. It was like rehashing the second chapter's worries to me. It has interesting twists to see it through, but a familiar question: Stand in the way of the person you care about and their dreams, or forsake it and take it on yourself to be there for them and fill that whole in their life?

~Aine: SO much plot and exposition is saved for this route it's insane. Aine-Eina? Really? They swapped 2 letters...I'm not an expert on Japanese naming, so I'll assume they wanted it similar on purpose, but if not, wow is that just too alike and could've been re-thought. You finally get to hear her song! It's short but beautiful! The guitar you've been repairing? It's put to use! For how he was acting for the rest of the game, I don't know why anyone didn't try restoring Tomoe's shard, ask about, or attempt to look for it (Yes, Aine had it, but still, no other angel talked about the concept despite being so into helping broken hearts and being better than Aine at detecting them)? The ending is heart-wrenching. I was never fully on board with the earth having a fractured heart, but it was unexpected enough to muddle through that knot of a plot tie-up. Her route is zenith of them all, the true ending and worth all the time spent wanting characters to understand the obvious and the their sulking. If you have a soul, there will be tears by the end and it will be wonderful.

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TLDR

-Long common route
-Real plot depth
-Shows what love is and can be
-WORTH EVERY PENNY

This is my current favorite Overdrive title (I've read Edelweiss, Eiden, Kira Kira, Deardrops, d2b). It's also one of the more unique visual novels I've read to date.

Most visual novels have this expectation that after all the story/drama/development, the main romance(s) still mostly turn out ok in the end.

Don't expect that in Bokuten. That's not to say this story is devoid of happy moments; some of the best moments in the game are the happiest. But the tone of the VN is very somber and many endings are at least bittersweet if not arguably bad ones.

But don't let that deter you. Bokuten has some amazing themes related to love and happiness and many characters to get emotionally invested in.

Bokuten has one of the most unique common routes in all of visual novels. Without spoiling too much, Tomoe, the MC, has to make important choices related to other characters and their relationships.

Many times there isn't really a "correct" choice, depending on the situation. You have to make your best judgment call based on how you feel about the characters at that point. These choices do affect which main heroines you romance eventually.

Every single main heroine story is just as bittersweet, if not worse at times. However, each route has a very different and beautiful theme and Tomoe develops quite well in all of them (in addition to the common route).

While most of my writeup seems heavy, a bunch of the stuff you see in typical eroge/visual novels is still there. We still have solid slice of life/light hearted comedy scenes before the drama starts. There's H-scenes of course but even the common route may have a few that'll surprise you if you're not ready.

I really really like the soundtrack. As stated, this story is very emotional and many of the tracks that play are fittingly emotional as well. There's happy songs, bittersweet songs, dark songs, somber songs, etc. They really help you get in the moment in key scenes.

Tomoe is a solid protagonist with deep yet understandable personality and good development. The main heroines are all likable and most side characters are quite interesting as well.

As long as you're OK with most endings not being unequivocally happy, Bokuten is an incredible emotional ride. As stated above, there are great themes of love and happiness spread throughout that you may even learn something from.

If you were expecting a light hearted moegi from this game, think again. While the storytelling and visuals in this are incredibly top notch, the story itself is so depressing, I had to call it quits. Thankfully, I looked up enough spoilers to know that each character route ends rather tragically, no matter what choices you decide. Some people like that sort of drama, so yay, whatever floats your boat.

Storytelling - 10/10
Art/CGs - 10/10 (From what I've seen.)
Music - 6/10
Interface - 9/10
Fun Factor - 2/10
H Scenes - Null (Never played them)
Overall - 5/10

Warning - This game has an NTR scene so just beware of that.