Parfait ~Chocolat Second Brew~

Compared to Maruto’s later works, Parfait is quite unrefined, as it’s held back by a significant number of missteps. It’s apparent that Maruto grows a lot with each story he writes and Parfait is just another important stepping stone for WA2. Still, Parfait does have its own unique charms and quirks that make it stand out in its own ways. While I’m not as fervent towards Parfait, the characters all come into their own and are able to capture the spotlight well enough.

The prologue sets the scene in an effective manner. The growing buds of the character dynamics are set into motion here. Everything that Maruto is known for, crafting salient character relations, is all present here and the prologue builds up to it nicely, foreshadowing to some later elements in the character routes. I could see some of the themes being foreshadowed behind his cherry-picked words and some the ideas he wanted to bring to the forefront with Parfait. However after that, the common route proper begins and that’s when the curtain starts to crumble in terms of the overall quality.

The structure consists of short scenes you can pick out on a map. This repeats day-by-day until you get onto a character route. There are a few non-map selection scenes, but those are far and few between. My main frustration with the structure presented in Parfait is how limiting it feels. They only offer short bursts of character moments and don't expand on anything. No deeper themes, no character growth, no progression of the story. Just showing very small-scoped snapshots of the characters lives, removing all the thematic depth the prologue introduced. Making these scenes feel formulaic, there is a certain vibe to these scenes and they can seldom stray from that formula presented. To maintain order, a certain structure must be put into place for these scenes, as you can't assume that readers have read a particular scene if you want to go in-depth about a topic in the few non map selection scenes. It usually begins with the characters talking/working, then a short mini-problem is presented, discussion ensues and it ends with a joke. This type of format feels just like a drawn out sitcom that needs to do this in order to keep the show going for x number of seasons because it needs to rack in advertising dollars. This also stunts growth of the characters as they are trapped in this vicious cycle of sitcom hell.

The routes are heavily unbalanced with really only Ema and Rikako’s being worth anything of value and substance. The other routes, in particular Yui and Rea’s since those were the other two routes I read, are filled with drama that is only there to introduce some sort of conflict that was never there to begin with, as if something needs to be there to expand the script size and create something “whole”. Despite that, it just ends up feeling artificial and lacking any sense of integrity, which is a shame.

Fortunately, Ema and Rikako’s routes are able to pick up the slack somewhat and make something meaningful from the pieces of the prologue. Maruto plays to his strength as he dissects how aspects of the past can affect relationships in the present. Hitoshi, Ema and Rikako are left to figure out those pieces as they stumble and hurt each other along the way. The growing pains are bountiful, but the lessons and growth each of the three go through in those two routes is rewarding in and of itself. While the pacing doesn’t really let the characters catch up at times and it sometimes relies too much on the trite sitcom formula of stuffing in random humour scenes for the sake of “levity”, Parfait is able to ramp up the emotions to eleven when the occasion calls for it.

In the end, Parfait is a short and simple work meant to look into a facet of the meaning of love. While it can be asinine at times, when it shines, it delivers on the heights and emotions so effectively, thanks to Maurto’s simple yet compact writing style.