Karifean's Blog of Visual Novels

(Original Post on the Forums)

#4
G-senjou no Maou
Developer: AKABEiSOFT2
Availability: Japan Only
Adult Content: Yes (can be patched out)
Length: Moderate (~30 Hours)

Come capture me, Usami Haru. If you are indeed worthy, then I shall be your opponent.

Ah, my very first entry on my blog. Hard to believe it's only been three months since then.

The story of G-senjou no Maou, or The Devil on G-string, follows a young man called Kyousuke Azai. When he's at high school, he's a rich laid-back playboy just messing about, not sticking out much. When he's at home, he's the son and underling of Gonzou Azai, a yakuza boss, in a daily routine of coercing and blackmailing. This Kyousuke is ruthlessly economical and follows the philosophy that the entire world revolves around money and that it's the single most significant factor of a person's worth.

Kyousuke manages his double-life pretty well, until a transfer student appears; Haru Usami, a somewhat weird, yet very smart girl with really long hair. She is apparently rather eccentric, letting her classmates call her "Hero" and calling them her "party members". Plus she makes one hell of an impression when she plays detective and exposes Kyousuke and his best friend Eiichi as the culprits of a silly prank at school.

But, she is on a personal mission; to find the notorious phantom only known as 'Maou' (Japanese for 'Devil'). Anytime the conversation turns to him, her expression becomes one of absolute hatred. Kyousuke apparently doesn't take much of an interest in her mission at first, but...

Very soon, 'Maou' makes his appearance by sending a threatening e-mail to Kyousuke and challenging Haru to a game of tag. And as if that wasn't enough, Gonzou's mafia and Kyousuke's friends are soon dragged into their clash as well...

G-senjou no Maou has one of the most engaging and thrilling stories I've ever read. 'Maou' and Haru's battle of wits always keeps you on the edge of your seat and is a joy to watch from beginning to end. And it only keeps getting better and better in subsequent chapters until it all culminates in one of the best endings I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

The main cast is simply great. Haru is definitely one of my all-time favorite heroines, and female visual novel characters in general. Her intelligence never feels forced or misused as a plot device, and she has such a lovable personality. Kyousuke is a wonderful morally-grey protagonist whose occasional sadistic tendencies make you really question your initial impression of him. And 'Maou', the enigma, is such an amazing antagonist. He's the "villain who's always one step ahead of you" done perfectly. I loved every second I spent with these characters.

The side characters, while not quite as memorable as the mains, are still notable. I love Eiichi's silly antics and club activities with Kyousuke. Tsubaki is easily my favorite heroine next to Haru; seeing her endlessly bright world break down around her was just shocking. And of course who could forget Gonzou, Kyousuke's foster father, the King of the Beasts, possibly THE most intimidating character I've ever seen.

The soundtrack is golden. Almost all tracks are reimaginations of classical music pieces and it fits the novel perfectly. Just to list some examples, The Moment of Truth (Beethoven - Für Elise), Sunset (Schubert - Der Erlkönig), The Devil (ditto), No Escape (Beethoven - Appassionata 3rd Mov.), Showdown (Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries) and of course Air on the G-String. There are also four truly original tracks - the opening song, two ending songs, and Sayounara - which are damn good as well.

G-senjou no Maou is my #1 recommendation for anyone who wants to get into the VN genre, or who just wants to read a damn good visual novel. It's really easy to get into and doesn't let you go, and at only ~30 hours it has what might just be the best time-to-quality ratio out of any visual novel I've ever read. If you haven't read it, you really should. I would be very surprised if you didn't like it.

It is rated 18+, but there is a patch to cut out the H content, you can get it here.