Boys’ Love Game Review: DRAMAtical Murder (Part 2)

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Part 2, now with more plot and more yaoi of course

Hey guys, after DMMD part 1 post last week, as promised, I am back with part 2. In this part, we’ll cover the other two routes, an extra route, and some mind-blown shits that you wouldn’t expect in yaoi. Though is there any yaoi fan in here except me, Kyokai, and Kara? I can already see my world-domination-through-yaoi plan crumbling… *sob*

 

Mink

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Now after some mushy-mushy routes, let’s go to the RAEP mode. Ehm, I mean Mink. He is voiced by Matsuda Kenichirou who is relatively not known in the anime world (doctor in Shiki, Gregorio in Toaru Hikuushi e no Kiouta), is the badass American-Indian native who will raep your ass till the end. Literally. He is oji-san as hell (not really), but he is a badass oji-san since he dresses like a damn hipster and rides a badass motorcycle that can even crush Koujaku’s long sword. He’s so badass, the things he does are so rough to the point where one can literally call him a bad ass. He’s so bad- Okay, you get the point that he’s mean as hell.

In the common route, he’s the douchebag who slams Aoba’s ass on the street with his motorcycle. Then he kidnaps Aoba because he is already aware of his Scrap powuh. Say whaaa? According to Mink, Aoba’s voice is “different” from other people (he heard it when he made Aoba fall on the street), and he wants to use that power to reach his goal. And what’s his goal? Not Aoba’s ass! But Toue’s ass! To be dead of course.

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Clear

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He’s the weirdo who always wears a gas mask everywhere. He appears out of nowhere, and not much is known about him. His VA is Nakazawa Masamoto, who is relatively new in the anime world but ASDFGHKL his voice is SO DAMN CUTE and definitely matches Clear’s personality that is flamboyant and random. Clear is just… THE BEST.

In the common route, he is the one who ends up fainting in front of the junk shop where Aoba works. Since then, he follows Aoba everywhere, and calls him “Master”. He also says something about how cool Aoba was when he rescued Tae (when Aoba used his Scrap), and his coolness is the thing that brought Clear here in the first place. To get Clear, just be philosophical when Clear does stupid stuff, and go to windows if possible.

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Secret Route

Now, there are some unanswered questions in DMMD, such as Aoba’s other personality, Usui disappearing after the tower collapses and who the hell is the bishie that always appear when the tower collapse, and so on. Rest assure, because everything is revealed in the secret route and Aoba’s partner in the secret route is no other than…

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Surprise!

HIS OWN DAMN DOG. I thought Nitro+CHIRAL have had its fun with half-bestiality in Lamento, but it seems that they’re taking it on a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. Just kidding. Aoba will have normal sex with Ren in the ending and definitely NOT with this cute and cuddly thing. Get your minds out of the gutters people!

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From Clear and Mink’s route, it is clear (see what I did there) that I like Clear’s route more than Mink’s. Mink is… How can I say it… Very rough, I guess? It’s not like I don’t like Mink’s overall route. I think his route is as enjoyable as the rest, and probably one of the most philosophical routes besides Clear’s. In fact, I think Aoba’s affection to Mink is one of the most complex feelings in this game. The guy abuses Aoba like mad, but somehow, there’s a point where the two people have something in common. I dunno man, I can never really describe the relationship between Aoba and Mink. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. Their feelings for each other are indescribable feelings that cannot be explained by words, as the two are the only ones who can understand their feelings. However, when the audience sees the two together (especially in re:connect), they know right away that the feelings between Aoba and Mink are something special. Now if only Mink is… Less rough on Aoba… Everything… Would be better.

But anyhow, Clear’s story, on the opposite, can be described with one word, and that is SO DAMN SWEET (ok that’s three words). Everything EVERYTHING about Clear’s route is so damn beautiful, literally. His route reminds me of Noiz’s route, how the game focuses more on the character rather than the relationship between the two protagonists. The player is guided to see Clear, the least human-like character in this game, slowly changing into the most humane out of all the characters. Clear’s route is probably the only route where I actually learn something valuable. When I finished the game, I felt a deep sense of appreciation of being human, how I am actually a human, and it’s all thanks to Clear. And seriously man, the little moments that don’t really matter to us became some of the most beautiful scenes that ever happened in this game. That moment when Clear traces Aoba’s face? I love that scene so much, because at that time, Clear finally opens himself and finds a whole new world that he has never realized before. Also his expression man. HIS EXPRESSION. The script for Clear’s route is one of the best parts of this game, as the DMMD writer actually describes how Clear feels more vividly due to his non-human state. Seriously, all the subtle things in this route became the gems that make Clear’s route sparkle the most than the rest.

The secret route, which is Ren’s route, is probably one of the most mind-blowing stories that Nitro+CHIRAL have ever done (with sweet pool taking the #1 spot). First, it ends with AN INCEST WHICH HAPPENED TO BE SELF-CEST ALSO. That’s literally selfception right there. Second, everything, as in EVERYTHING, fits perfectly in Ren’s route. Everything was explained in this route, and there is little to no plot-hole that leaves the player allヘ(。□°)ヘ. No, the player will be all 〜(^∇^〜) because everything MAKES SENSE in Ren’s route. And in here I want to applaud the DMMD team. DMMD, overall, is a complex story, and honestly, I think tying all the loose ends at the secret route has got to be one of the most difficult things that ever happened in this game. And what’s even better, those secret elements, those important part of the stories, are actually there in the other routes, but we just don’t notice it later on until we come across the secret route (though some players might already guess them). And yet, without having to explain those secret elements in the other routes, the other routes somehow can stand as their own stories. I believe that the writers handled every route flawlessly and perfectly.

Another thing I love about this game is the different elements that are perfectly fused within this game. From the oblivious childhood friend trope to self-cest, from an extremely gore moment to some of the cutest scenes, everything is here. All kinds of genre, everything is here. Having many genre together sometimes would create a confusing clash (stare at Kawamori’s M3), but this does not happen to DMMD. Despite of the diversity within it, the story is still clear, crisp, and easily understood. Now I might seem as if I’m exaggerating about the story, but comparing it to Togainu no Chi, the fans can actually see that Nitro+CHIRAL is actually getting better at storytelling, allegories, and so on. And I, as a big fan of them, am very happy with that.

Now let’s talk about the game system itself. Compared to Togainu no Chi¸ the system is definitely better. There are more choices for the players, and there are mini games that are actually entertaining. I am still disappointed with how the endings are decided though. As I said before, I wanted to get endings that are based on my choices. If I take these bad choices, I will get the bad ending and vice versa. Unfortunately, I don’t see it in this game. I only see it when I get Trip & Virus’s ending and when I played Noiz’s mini game. Now I might seem like a naggy fangirl because I complained about the game system, but I want to be more involved with the story. I want to get the endings not because of the outcome of the mini game but because of the choices I made. That way, I would feel closer to the game, stories, and the characters themselves. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it in this game. On the positive side, the mini games before the endings are definitely a breakthrough for yaoi VN. It’s a smart thing to do by the DMMD staff to make Aoba’s Scrap ability as the mini game for the players. This way, the player can put themselves in Aoba’s shoes, making the players feel more like the main character. Honestly, if the choices and the mini games can be balanced, it will be a great game system for a visual novel.

As for the other things, I think they’re awesome. The graphics are definitely A+++++++ for me because daammnnnn those graphics look SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL, with all the colors and all. I love how DMMD is so bold with their colors, ranging from the reddest red to the palest pink. Beautiful bright colors + great graphics are always welcome. I also love how futuristic everything in this game is, from the songs to the in-game menu. I mean, the setting is a setting with advanced technology and all, and DMMD actually makes it more believable with all the little things that support the setting. Such as? The upbeat opening and background songs that are by yours truly Goatbed, the super modern in-game menu, the retro 8-bit mini characters at the title menu and the sfx that will make us feel so damn modern when we see them/listen to them, the simple but stylish images when the game loads, and so on. And Christ that gaijin accent when they introduce the characters and their profiles is probably THE BEST THING in this game. I have nothing to say about the seiyuu because I think they are all perfect  and were able to portray their characters perfectly, but I’ll give more points to Satoshi Hino (Noiz) and Masatomo Nakazawa (Clear) because of character bias wwww O(≧∇≦)O

My conclusion? This game is effing great and everybody as in EVERYBODY including y’all non-yaoi people should play this game. Seriously, even if there is no yaoi element in this game, I would still think of this as a great game because it is. Great story? Check. Great graphics? Check. Awesome stuff? Check. Seriously, what more can a person ask for?

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Let’s re:connect again soon!

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Have read 418 BL manga and continuing.
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12 Responses to “Boys’ Love Game Review: DRAMAtical Murder (Part 2)”

  1. d-LaN says:

    Will definitely check out the anime. (NAZ, don’t screw this up!) Though I’ve been interested in the VN for a while.

    http://blog.mangagamer.org/2014/07/03/announcements-from-anime-expo-2014/
    Btw, MangaGamer is also translating a BL game No, Thank You!!. Maybe this means DMMd will finally have a chance at official overseas release sometimes in the future?

    • Kyokai says:

      I have a feeling the anime version will take out the yaoi part just like TnC did and label it under WE ARE ALL FRIENDS route.

      Good news on No, Thank you! (K-On! song?!), the premise seems quite interesting.

      • anaaga says:

        Yeahh I pretty much agree with Kyo. The routes are connected with each other though, so I can only guess that each guy will get at least 2 episodes for their stories

        WELL, NO I KNOW WHAT I WILL SPEND MY MONEY ON NEXT YEAR

  2. Kyokai says:

    This post just reminds me that I have to finish this because I have still few bad ends to play – Noiz, Clear and Koujaku’s to finish this >>;

    In terms of favourites, I loved Clear as hell. HE IS SO ADORABLE!!! After playing his route, I was like, why doesn’t his VA voice mainstream stuff because he IS pretty good! Overall, I agree with you on the fact that DMMD has found a good balance of genres with amazing light graphics.

    I do wonder what NAZ is going to do with the anime. I see the shounen-ai/yaoi genre missing from the genre so maybe they are going to play the WE ARE ALL FRIENDS route.

    • anaaga says:

      I think the bad ends in this routes are AMAZING. They definitely live up to the definition of bad endings, teheh

      Maybe Clear’s VA is new in the VA world? And maybe this agency is bad at promoting him. Thank god he plays this game though, because then some people will know about his amazing voice acting. He’s really REALLY good at voicing Clear.

      I expect the anime to be like Yosuga no Sora, where the seme will have a certain number of episodes dedicated to themselves. I don’t mind if they take out the BL, as long everybody’s stories are covered. Their stories are amazing, and they deserved to be known by this world

      • Kyokai says:

        Yes indeed! Btw, I forgot to say this the first time. Loved the last pic, so relevant to everyone’s character! Loved how the two Aoba’s are just lounging about with Sei, while everyone else is fighting over them. xD

        • anaaga says:

          The picture appears if the player completes all the routes. Didn’t you get the picture too Kyo? :3

          I can’t stop being amused at the fact that Aoba ends up choosing “himself” in the true route.

  3. Karakuri says:

    I know it’s a “bad end” here, but a Virus and Trip route would be interesting. So I should probably get around to playing this before re:connect. But Clear’s route looks great~ (while Mink’s looks the least appealing ahaha…). Actually, the pomeranian looks absolutely adorable too, though I don’t know how I feel about it getting a route.

    • Kyokai says:

      I was having the same thoughts before starting the Ren route but it wasn’t awkward at all because of the EXPLANATIONS that are given on time. Also, there is that cute scene where Ren stops Aoba from cuddling him with a paw in the middle, I died with its cuteness.

      • anaaga says:

        I loved that paw scene man, I knew right away that I HAVE to get a Pomeranian when I feel like getting a dog, and it’s because of that scene

        Self-incest-ception FTW!

    • anaaga says:

      Totally loved Virus’ and Trip’s ending… Until I do their routes in re:connect. They have their own routes there, and it’s just… So much worse… Than Mink. Mink is nothing compared to these two

      I was actually fine with Ren’s route from the start. It’s probably because I know his human avatar form, and I knew right away that they’ll use his human avatar for his secret route. The self-incest-ception was unexpected though, haha

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