Einstein Yori Ai o Komete: First Impressions

This will contain spoilers for the trial, so don’t read if you want to go into this VN completely blind.

Having finished the trial for Einstein Yori Ai o Komete (アインシュタインより愛を込めて), I thought I would give my first impressions of what I read so far and whether I’d be willing to give the full game a readthrough when it comes out in October.

The protagonist of the story is Shuuta Aiuchi, who can basically be described as a loner genius. Given that he spends most of his life alone, he doesn’t really understand how people work nor is he accustomed to the usual human behaviour. Instead, he prefers to browse social media and think about abstract topics in his down time.

I find Shuuta to be an interesting protagonist for the story. He definitely has his own set of traits and seeing his social cluelessness in various situations can be pretty interesting to see play out. His tendency to browse social media and gawk away is relatable for sure and something that most people who are online nowadays can relate to. He is also pretty cynical towards things in general. While he is quite intelligent, his social knowledge is lacking for sure and the way he reacts to certain events definitely follow a traceable pattern. I’ll be looking forward to seeing how he grows and develops throughout the rest of the story.

The main (?) heroine of the story is Romi Arimura. She doesn’t get a lot of screen time in the trial, so she’s a big enigma within the trial. In the various phone conversations she has with the MC, she does reveal that she is in fact shy around others and would rather keep her distance. When she does make an appearance near the end of the trial, it’s revealed that she and the protagonist were in fact childhood friends from before. Just like Shuuta, she is pretty intelligent, as she writes thesis papers online. There’s definitely more to her than what we know now, so I’ll be keeping an eye out on her.

Shinobu Nitta is the next heroine. She is neighbours with Shuuta and works at the cafe in the same building where they both live. She is a university student at the current moment, though she claims she’s taking a break from it right now. Out of all the four heroines, she definitely gets the most screen time, and I will say I like her quite a bit. She’s kind and caring, which causes her to worry for the MC because of his social ineptitude. She gives off a gentle vibe and it’ll be interesting to see how her dynamic with the MC will play out in the future.

Next up is Kasumi Nishino. She is the “gyaru” of the bunch and it sort of shows. She was last place in the exam rankings, whether due to her lack of trying or actual ineptitude, it’s clear that school work doesn't mean much to her, unlike with the protagonist. Instead, she spends her time boxing and improving her skills, as she’s already pretty famous already. The fact that she’s voiced by Kazane is a big plus for me, and I’ll be looking forward to her route and character arc.

The last main heroine is Iina Sakashita. She has the least screen time out of all the heroines so far. She’s shy and timid, and doesn’t really talk often, so she’s sort of mysterious as well. The MC fell in love with her at first sight and has a tendency to call her “My Angel”. It’s usually the quiet girls that have the deepest backstory, so I’ll be looking forward to what else her character has to offer, because so far there isn’t much to work with.

As for the story so far, it’s a standard eroge set-up for the most part, with a slight sci-fi twist. It’s revealed early on that Shuuta is suffering from a disease caused by a comet falling to the Earth 20 years ago. This disease causes him migraines and dizziness, though the doctors tell him it could very well kill him eventually. His doctor proposes a method that could treat him, though Shuuta rejects him because he remembers reading a thesis paper by Romi Arimura online about the disease. He decides to contact her for help, and though he is able to get into touch, Romi tells Shuuta she won’t help him until he finds five members for the Science club.

And so, Shuuta seeks out members for his clubs, meeting the rest of the heroines along the way and getting them to join the club. Once all the members are gathered, Shuuta gets in contact with Romi again, and she tells them they are allowed to do as they are pleased. Later that day, Shuuta meets up with Romi at a park and that’s when everything is revealed. Romi, whose former name was Akane Himura, and they knew each other when Shuuta was stuck in the hospital as a child for his disease. Romi tells Shuuta her theory: that the power of bonds and communication can help cure his disease. The purpose of building that club was so that Shuuta could have a support system around him, something he is currently lacking. With that, the trial ends, though I assume what will come next will be Shuuta getting closer with the girls and eventually falling in love with one of them.

The setup is a very typical setting for an eroge, a boy joins a school club with a bunch of girls and starts building up relationships with them. Yuu Nijima’s plotting is a bit spotty from my experience with him, and Aikome seems like no exception. The actual building up of plot points and elements is Nijima’s weakness, so this VN will definitely be carried by its characters if it wants to succeed. The intermarriage of high school elements with sci-fi elements always seem contrived and forced to me as trying to connect two parts that don’t really connect just doesn’t fit well. There’s also the fact that a comet falling onto Earth causing some sort of disease is pretty laughable at best. While I get the core theme Einstein is going with using this, the actual narrative is pretty questionable at best. Themes and the message of the story are important, but trying to introduce them in a way that’s questionable at least is not the most ideal for me.

The writing on the other hand, is superb. Nijima has a knack for being able to create a tone and mood immediately and executing that feeling really well. Part of why I think his plotting is pretty spotty is because his writing lends itself to be better for scenes that are for establishing a certain feeling or emotion rather than creating a cohesive sensible story. His vibrant descriptions bring a lot of vivid imagery to the reader’s mind and it’s this type of writing style that is better for setting stuff up rather than executing them.

The music pairs nicely with the writing. Ryou Mizutsuki is able to compose piano pieces that feel very nostalgic and reminiscent, which serves nicely with Nijima’s vivid writing. Without the OST, these scenes would have less impact than they otherwise would have. The art is nice on the eyes, as Ao Kimishima’s art style is fluid and brimming with a lot of color and charm. It’s the perfect kind of art for a more grounded high school story. The character designs are realistic enough and help serve to accentuate the various characters and their personalities. The voice acting is done fine enough, with each other bringing their respective characters to life. Kazane is definitely my favorite, though it’s probably my heavy bias towards her.

Based on the trial, Einstein is definitely something I will give a shot when it comes out in full. It has shown enough promise that I can safely say I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here. While the plot might not end up being my favorite in the end, I’m sure the characters and writing will pick up the pace and make the package that much more enjoyable.