Kikokugai - The Cyber Slayer
VNDB
Story Structure
Completely Linear
Original version is 18+
Remake is All-Ages
User Opinions
u/superange128
One of Nitroplus'/Urobuchi's classic dark VN stories. It's a simple revenge story as the MC goes to deal with the group of people who were part of ruining his sister's life, with a lot the action scenes being quite brutal on his part. This visual novel is fairly short, but it has solid build up to a lot of unexpected plot twists towards the end that may change your mind on a few characters
u/toroidalworld
From the pen of Gen Urobuchi, this cyberpunk kung-fu action romp seems to be by-the-numbers at first. The protagonist, Taoluo Kong, comes to Shanghai to avenge his sister, who was raped and killed by five members of the Qingyun Society. The short duration of the novel and its focus on action may leave the early antagonists feeling a bit rote, but it also helps make sure that it doesn't drag or overstay its welcome. There are some twists, of course, and the ending, at least to me, was unexpectedly compelling.
u/Some_Guy_87
Granted, as a classical revenge story there aren't too many surprises about who will win fights and what the final confrontation will be. Kikokugai adds a lot of substance to it by focusing on the emotional impact and motivations, though. The main menu music already shows the melancholic undertone that will accompany the journey, and this is always what kept me glued to the screen despite a simple basic premise. The cyberpunk background also adds some interesting flavor to the motivations of the protagonist and raises questions that need to be answered by the finale. With a male-dominated cast it feels a lot different to most VNs as well. You could call it the moody brother of Hanachirasu, so it ultimately comes down to if you prefer it cool or tragic to decide which one might be better suited for you.
u/snowman728
A short visual novel by Urobuchi Gen. Kikokugai is basically a Chinese martial arts film set in cyberpunk future Shanghai, which might be one of the concepts for a novel I've ever heard. It's filled with intense action, of one man taking vengeance on cyborgs physically much stronger than himself. Despite the blood boiling premise, the story underneath is ultimately very tragic. An excellent novel, one of Urobuchi's best.
u/AmmoSexualBulletkin
A short and violent story of revenge. Has a pretty interesting twist to it. This is another cyberpunk setting, which I'm a fan of. It does have h-scenes and they lean towards the extreme end of things. So be prepared for that.
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