A route visual novel fans wanted.
No I have not played the game. Moving on,
From the a read of the synopsis, Little Busters! seems to be one of a basic high school romance story with stock characters sprinkled about. But looking closely, the visual novel it was based on was made by Key, a developer known for having great stories. As such, the dream team combo of Key and KyoAni was projected to make the anime (as they successfully did with other titles). But JC gave it a try instead. Many diehard fans were outraged (NSFW link) and expected another lackluster production from them. But to my surprise, the show was animated very well. So far fans of the game are not disappointed with the adaptation.
We follow the story of Riki and his friends as they make the most of youth. Riki is a member of the Little Busters, a group dedicated to doing fun things. The group is open for more members of course. But what good of a story is this if there is no conflict? Backgrounds and back-stories of certain members are slowly revealed as the story progresses. All this ties to the main theme of “trials and tribulations of adolescence.” There is a lot to put on this show, so much so that the producer is planning to put a ‘special message’ at the end of its 26 episode run.
The animation looks great and the characters pop with bright hues. I am entertained with this show’s lively cast, as well as the set of voice actors portraying them. The many aspects of a good (but sometimes predictable) story are there. But knowing Key, there is bound to be a surprise. However, I get the feeling that I needed to have played the game or at least know that it was based off of one in order to get the most of this show. Although lengthy, I believe this adaptation has been accepted by most fans as a fitting example for telling the story between the “clicks.” Truth be told, I want to play the game now.
Intuition says she’ll have an interesting “route.” She’s the cutest of the bunch at least.
The jamoe 