Kaoru Kirishima – Season 1 Sequel Review

(Wow, skip the flowers and romance.  This guy wants to get straight to the bedroom.)

Basic Story Premise: You and Kaoru are officially in a relationship.  However, you still have some difficulty understanding and interpreting Kaoru because he still prefers to keep his emotions hidden.  One day at work you are asked to manage a well-known erotic fiction writer who will be writing stories for your company’s magazine.   What happens when the writer declares you to be his muse and promptly asks you to act out a few scenes with him?  Will Kaoru remain stone-faced… or will some emotions finally boil over?  Will the situation just be too much for Kaoru to handle, forcing him to walk away from you and the relationship?

My review with some spoilers, screenshots, and the CGs after the jump.  No walk-through because both endings are available to read after you finish the story once.  

Kaoru: Kaoru continues to be the cool, aloof character who prefers to keep his emotions hidden.  He even talks about how his inability to open up to others has influenced past relationships in his life.  

Then Sosuke Taira bursts on to the scene — he literally does burst in.  (And, just to make things more interesting, he bursts in naked.) Apparently, Taira is an erotic writing extraordinaire.  And he’s the direct opposite of Kaoru.  He doesn’t mask his feelings or desires.  He has a passionate, excitable personality.  And he and Kaoru butt heads immediately.

Overall: This story allows you to understand Kaoru on a more personal, emotional level.  If you enjoyed Kaoru in his Main Story, you will most likely enjoy reading the continuation of his story.  Voltage has taken the time to show us how the relationship between the two main characters is like a journey for Kaoru: he comes to understand himself better, the MC better, and what he wants from a relationship better.  I personally felt that this story depicts a very real situation: true relationships aren’t only about kisses and romantic words.  They’re also about arguments, compromise, and honesty.  Successful relationships take a lot of hard work.  And Kaoru puts in some work in this story.

And one issue I do want to bring up in my review: paying $3.99 for 8 chapters?  Hmmmm… I don’t think Voltage is being very fair with their pricing here.  I think they should have set the price at $2.99.  If you like Kaoru but are trying to be frugal, you may want to wait until his sequel goes on sale.  It might take a few months, but it will go on sale eventually.

The Endings: 2 endings are available, and both are completely different.

During the Happy Ending, MC and Kaoru drive home after the awards ceremony.  Once arrived at home, Kaoru opens up to the MC on a very deep, personal, emotional level.  And then they get frisky in bed.

During the Good Ending, after the ceremony the MC and Kaoru return to the office.  It’s late, and no one else is there.  The couple decides to celebrate MC’s successful work with Taira.  Then, the two have a personal, emotional conversation.  However, this conversation is different from the one in the Happy Ending.  (Happy Ending conversation: about love and how Kaoru is trying to be more open about his feelings.  Good Ending conversation: Kaoru apologizing for how he behaved earlier in the story and explaining his actions.  

And here are his CGs!