White Album 2

Introductory Chapter

“The three of us, we faced so many hardships together, enjoyed so many precious moments together, I’m sure no matter what stands in our way, the three of us will always be an inseparable team!”

White Album 2 IC has been an emotional rollercoaster from its opening scene. I already watched the anime years before, so I already knew the story ahead of time. Even with that, as soon as the credits started rolling again by the end, I felt emotionally drained. Everything about the introductory chapter serves as an amazing segway into Closing Chapter and ultimately Coda.

The first thing I want to commend is the fantastic writing. Maruto truly is a genius and with just the introductory chapter alone, has risen as one of my favorite writers. WA2 is one of those VNs where the writing takes the spotlight, as its main strength lies in its dialogue and character dynamics. Maruto is able to craft such deeply realistic human characters that interact in such unique and emotionally riveting ways. The main trio feel so complex and fleshed out, with every piece of dialogue breathing so much life into the characters. It's definitely a work fueled by its characters more than anything else. The writing style is not difficult; instead, everything, at least isolated, is simple, but when put together in the way Maruto does, it's written in a particular fashion that everything he wants to convey is done so very compactly. The weight each line can carry is sometimes overwhelming as the nature of writing lends itself to that. In the more emotional scenes, each line has enough punch to leave its emotional weight on the reader without being overbearing in how it's presented. Honestly, I could talk about the writing all day because I love it so much and it's definitely a step-up from the likes of Parfait and Damekoi. It's clear how WA2, at least so far, builds off both of them in its writing and cleans it up a lot more. Despite IC being only 0.5 MBs, its length works to its advantage, as there's a lot less extraneous fluff so each scene really feels that much more relevant and carries that much more impact. It accomplishes everything it wants to do in a very clean and short package and delivers where it counts.

As I mentioned before, the characters are the limelight of WA2. Haruki, Setsuna and Kazusa are all incredibly human and fleshed out during the course of the story. Their actions throughout the story reflect their characters well and every bit of dialogue slowly, but surely, builds up the many facets of their character. Reading through Kazusa’s painful anguish, Setsuna’s tragic self-blame and Haruki’s heart-wrenching romantic dilemma tore at my heartstrings, as all three of them want two conflicting ideals: [spoiler]the three of them to be together forever as friends and having their love blossom with their desired romantic interest[/spoiler]. These two conflicting ideals set up the core of the character turmoil and drama for IC. The first half establishes this relationship and ideal while the second half aims to bring the characters to their emotional breaking points as they realize they can not go on like this and their supposed eternal friendship will end bitterly. The unfolding drama is backed up by the writing, as mentioned before. Characters talk and think in ways that reflect true human behaviour: hiding our true selves in front of others, lying to save face and the petty jealousy and self-torment that comes with romantic drama. These characters are truly human and the story that unfolds around them is one that will always be in my mind for years to come.

Normally, music in VNs don’t invoke such deep emotion when I listen to them. There might be a few tracks that evoke certain feelings and make me feel various emotions; however, WA2’s soundtrack is much more than that. Given that one of WA2’s main music revolves around music, this isn’t a surprise in the slightest. I can not listen to Twinkle Snow anymore without recalling the emotional emptiness I felt when finishing IC. Many other tracks have a similar effect. The composer did a wonderful job in creating music that lasts. Whether it be a somber piano piece, a lonely guitar solo, each piece adds even more emotional weight to each scene on top of the already phenomenal writing. The OST in particular will be one that sticks with me for a long time to come.

Overall, reading WA2 IC has been an emotionally rending experience. Everything about this VN appealed to me in basically every single way and my only complaint is that it leaves more to be desired, which fortunately, the next parts deliver on that promise in a spectacular fashion.

Closing Chapter

Upon finishing this VN, I was left in a state of emptiness. In fact, I still am. White Album 2 does romance in a way that specifically appeals to how I want romance and scratches all the itches I’ve been searching for. It’s heart-rending, it’s filled with tears, but most importantly, it is cathartic. If you haven’t read my WAYR for IC, all of the points still apply, just amplified, so I won’t be discussing anything I brought up there.

White Album 2 is a story held up by its excellent writing. Maruto is able to create scenes that feel intense and painful as his writing lends itself to a truly impactful format while never overextending the amount he is writing. Even the shorter lines carry a lot of weight, which is also impressive. There is also the fact that the dialogue is written more realistically; characters speak in less direct manners, with their true intentions and thoughts hidden behind a shroud of cherry-picked words. One vivid example that sticks in my mind is during the early portion of Kazusa’s True route in Coda where Haruki decides to break it off with Setsuna. Before telling Setsuna his intentions, Setsuna can already guess what he wants to say. Therefore, she tries to dodge the issue and escape from it, including telling Haruki she is busy with family stuff to hear him out. Every character has their sparks that makes them feel truly human and the dialogue really brings it home. The layers of these characters are what really allows the romance and drama to work so well.

The romance presented in White Album 2 requires a lot of sacrifice to work at all, pushing the phrase “Time heals all wounds” to its very limit. Seeing the struggles needed in order to attain true love, the enormous barriers the characters need to scale to achieve this happiness, if it will ever come, is touching to say the least. Seeing the struggles of all the characters, especially the main trio, as they deal with their own issues and clash with each other is enticing and riveting to watch unfold. There is quite literally no good stopping point until reaching the end of the route as the tension is a constant upwards acceleration. Whenever the drama begins, there are no brakes. However, the ride is done so perfectly that I don’t mind that I could fall off at any moment. It executes everything perfectly, delivering on scenes that can destroy the reader, bringing upon a wonderful catharsis.

Closing Chapter is best described as a “walking the plank” of sorts. Its purpose is to set up all the necessary plot points so Coda can have the most soul-crushing effect as possible. However, this is not to say Closing Chapter is bad, far from it. Many moments feel reminiscent of Damekoi, where a bunch of broken people are thrown in the same environment and are forced to adapt to each other and their environment. Both Haruki and Setsuna bear heavy scars from three years before, and in these quiet times during the season of White Album, to find a way to heal or destroy themselves trying. Of course, forcing a resolution in a hamfisted way is unnatural, so the characters go about their own ways of realizing their faults after many moments of thoughts, though when they do, the optimal solution might already be impossible to accomplish. These actions greatly reflect human nature of procrastinating and ignoring the crux of the issue, and a lot of the frustration stems from the fact that these events feel so incredibly realistic that it’s impossible to think “What would I do in this situation?”. There is no right answer, as a party will always be affected negatively. Love is a complex emotion and trying to sort through it efficiently is nigh impossible. There will be stumbles and thorns along the path.

White Album 2’s story is one of love. Ever ephemeral, ever so delicate, like the powder snow itself. There is one monologue from CC that really stuck with me: For a manga/show to keep on serializing, the author has to stagnate and avoid any major developments, even though it might anger readers; they have to do it anyways, in order to keep the series going on for as long as possible. Taking this information in mind, White Album 2 feels like a commentary on other romance dramas and how much anguish and torment these characters are really put through. Scenes that are dragged out and the sometimes infuriating actions of Haruki are intentional, showing the emotional wear and tear the characters are put through. Usually when reading these frustrating scenes, I tend to start to zone out due to the sheer ridiculousness of the situation; however, White Album 2 was different for me in that regard. Nonetheless, I was still hooked, still awaiting that fateful when all the buildup would payoff. And it did.

Coda is truly where the main meat of the story lies. Kazusa’s True Route in particular is the culmination of everything built up previously, swinging the axe down in such a perfect regard. With the side heroines removed from the picture, Coda is the portion of the VN truly for the main trio to try and resolve what they could not five years before. The re-introduction of Kazusa and the subsequent emotional derailment is but the tip of the iceberg in how the drama starts unfolding. Later events start piling up, and just like the snow, reaches a tipping point where everything falls over. The routes are where the final execution happens, upon reaching the end of the plank, going for the final plunge. Here, White Album 2 truly displays its power in terms of its writing and themes, delivering on all expectations that were previously built up. All the dawdling will be finally over, the characters realizing they can not keep living these convenient lies and pushing everything away when it is presented to them so clearly.

The three main endings of Coda -Kazusa True, Setsuna True and Cheating End- each offers something unique to the story and brings home a certain facet of the main theme. Setsuna’s route deals with the trials needed to rekindle their relationship and start anew. Here, Setsuna and Kazusa clash with each other and make peace with what happened five years before. The main trio reunite for one last song, as they did with Todokanai Koi those many years ago. This ending is the most outwardly optimistic of them all, with the ED song “Toki no Mahou” describing that time is the elixir that provided the support needed to rekindle their friendship. The cheating end is a display of history repeating itself. The main trio falls for the same mistakes that plagued them five years before. Haruki’s contradictory headstrong indecisiveness, Kazusa’s refusal to face reality along with her own true feelings and Setsuna’s willingness to forgive. This ending is depressing not only to watch, but depressing for the characters, as they do not learn from their mistakes and engage in a saddening farce. Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat it. Thus, the result of hiding behind lies. Finally, Kazusa’s route. Quite possibly the best route of the game and everything Maruto was intending this VN to build up to. Here, Haruki finally confronts his sins from the past and faces the future with steadfast determination. Having finally made a decision, Haruki makes the first moves in this route, contrary to literally every route. Swearing to protect Kazusa, breaking it off with Setsuna and burning every bridge he formed over the years; all so that he can stay with his one true love and ensure her happiness and safety. Every scene in this route is extremely heart-wrenching as every character questions Haruki’s intentions and doubts his character. From his friends, to Setsuna’s family, everyone has lost hope in him. Except for Setsuna, who still clings to hope. However, with all the stress built up over the years having finally gone too far, Setsuna quite literally breaks, unable to accept her current situation. This route thoroughly explains why a harem route will not work in the slightest. To dedicate yourself to one person means giving your entire body and soul to them, not allowing anyone else to take room in your heart. Sacrifices have to be made, tears have to be shed and only then, the acceptance of changing times will cure the wounds of love. The path is a very thorny one, but it will ultimately lead to happiness. Two years later, we are shown that the characters have accepted that have happened and are making steps towards carving out their own paths, including the broken Setsuna, picking up the same guitar Haruki, signifying her independence, as she sings Powder Snow in the emotional epilogue of Kazusa’s route.

Ultimately, everything White Album 2 accomplishes will stick with me for a very long time. It is quite the unique romance story that explores intriguing themes and builds up complex and compelling character relationships that is backed up by phenomenal writing. A true romantic epic, it tells a tale of three people clawing their way through their battered emotions. As I am sitting here listening to Kazusa’s route ED, Closing, soaking in all the emotionally charged feelings from the song, I realize that winter will be approaching very soon, the ever so delicate powder snow shall dress itself on the ground anew.

And so, the season of White Album arrives once again…

Mini After Story

The Mini After-Story is just that. A short, sweet package that never oversteps what it intends to be. It has fun character interactions and small moments sprinkled throughout that offer a more optimistic outlook to the events of Coda, giving the reader hope that time, in fact, does heal all wounds. Everything about it feels just like White Album 2, to the tears and smiles. Kazusa’s ending to her after-story with her wedding is the final stop to a satisfying romance tale and is exactly what is needed to end a story like this.