Hanachirasu

 I think this is one of the most random VN i have read so far and probably my least favorite out of Nitroplus VN so far. Just like Kikokugai, Hanachirasu is VN with plenty of violent actions revolving around Japanese swordplay. However in the end the VN didn't make any lasting impact for some reason as everything falls flat in the end. I still don't really get what kind of message that Hanachirasu tried to convey or perhaps there was none in the first place but it does have some shock value. In some way Hanachirasu is kinda like reverse Kikokugai just that it is bit more nihilistic.

 Hanachirasu is a story of a revenge of a man chasing former best friend to settle score with. Taking place in Bakumatsu-esque modern Japan where Swords flourished and Guns Outlawed due to Jingoistic reforms when Japan took a different route after defeated in World War 2.  Hanachirasu's plot is similar with Kikokugai which its plot basically about a man chasing for revenge since the person close to him was killed by his best friend. it is just that in Hanachirasu the protagonist role is reversed. Instead of being the Avenger, the protagonist is the revenge target and sufficiently to say he is quite a jerk. Throughout the story the protagonist causing ruckus around and pointlessly sacrificing people that had a bond with him just to have a final confrontation with his former best friend.

 The reason i don't like Hanachirasu is that the reason why the Protagonist commit atrocities that initiates the story is just too weak and create unnecessary miseries for people around him. I guess the main core of Hanachirasu is about a man descending path to madness leading a self destructive life as a swordsman who seeks an equal to end his misery. The fleeting solitary path of swordsman is quite romantized alot in Japanese works and in the end Hanachirasu is one of the many that failed at conveying it. Should Takeda didn't end his own life he would likely walking the same path as Titus from Demonbane.

Moefied Yukio Mishima? not sure if want

One of the reason why Hanachirasu confuses me is the appearance of Ishima Kaigen in one of the story ending since now i wonder which ending is the canon one. Since i saw her before in Nitro Royale i thought Kaigen would play more active role in Hanachirasu but it turns out slightly different. Ishima Kaigen which is likely based on Yukio Mishima(a famous Japanese guy for his patriotic value and failed coup d'e tat) did play significant role but her active role in the VN just ruined the Atmosphere of the VN. Hanachirasu is supposed to be about a mortal combat between men with Revenge as the catalyst but her appearance just flipped the whole setting all over. In the VN near the end of the plot she is revealed to be an immortal leading undead legion to fight for Glorius Japan and confront the protagonist that leads everything to a cliffhanger. While i do expect Kaigen is supposed to portray the Jingoistic value of Japan it is just that her entrance was too awkward. In the end her appearance does bring shock value but nothing more than that.

Unlike Saya no Uta and Kikokugai, Hanachirasu didn't make good use of its short time to make any lasting impact for readers and resorted to Shock values which got a mixed result. The overall tone of the VN is rather nihilistic for no good reason which makes me wonder if the writer did get his message conveyed successfully. In the end Hanachirasu is still entertaining but don't expect anything spectacular from the VN