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skysenshi (12.08.2003)
Promising...
Endless Serenade is a Vanilla offering, brought to the English-speaking
market by Critical Mass Video. Just like Girl
Next Door, Endless Serenade breaks the tradition of sucky
and downright asinine Vanilla Series titles by bringing you
Yuji's romantic and somewhat touching story. Yuji doesn't
look like your typical h-protagonist, nor does he act like
one. At one point he becomes a jerk for taking advantage of
Miki's vulnerability and feelings of loneliness, but he doesn't
deny that he was being an exceptionally insensitive horny
asshole. He doesn't make excuses for his sexual cravings,
or that his tendré for his deceased brother's fiancée
is fairly twisted. Yuji is honest in his thoughts, which makes
the situation funny sometimes, especially when it comes to
his opinions about his co-workers.
The women of Endless Serenade, Satsuki in particular, are
common in most regular and hentai anime. In other words, they
lack distinguishing characteristics that go beyond the colors
of their hair. If you're an avid bishoujo gamer, chances are,
you've already "met up" with girls like them.
Despite this, Yuji's erotic night with Miki brought tears
to my eyes. It was the epicenter of all the emotional issues
laid out for this title. There he was, experiencing such blissful
peace in the arms of one girl, while his heart was crying
out for another. The events that followed were a series of
tumultuous, though somewhat hastily done, scenarios.
Speaking of flow, Endless Serenade was rather short. In fact,
there wasn't enough time for Yuji's love to go through proper
transitions. Things happen so fast that you realize you might
have reached the ending without having blinked. Yuji's rapid-fire
decision-making skills were pretty much disconcerting, considering
the amount of time he invested in desiring Satsuki. The story
flow needs work in that aspect.
The H scenes aren't too heavy. Sure you can see the private
parts, and blow jobs are the most predominant sequences, but
when it comes to the act itself, the important body parts
are well shielded from view. The art and animation aren't
spectacular, but they aren't too bad either. Music is something
to look forward to. I don't know how or why, but I find myself
gently lulled into a state of absolute relaxation everytime
I listen to the background sounds. English dubbing is okay,
except for Miki's voice actress. Miki in the Japanese version
spoke mostly in soft hushed tones. The English version's Miki
has that whining lilt that jumps from one decibel to the next.
Overall, I'm satisfied with Endless Serenade. With an unusual
lead like Yuji, I'm thinking the occasional bumps can be overlooked.
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