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Karifean's Blog of Visual Novels

Cross†Channel Review

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Cross†Channel is a visual novel written by Romeo Tanaka. It is often considered one of the most beautifully written visual novels out there.

This review will reveal the initial setting and structure of this visual novel, both of which could be considered spoilers. If you wish to be completely unspoiled regarding these points, skip this review.



Overview

Cross†Channel is set in a place called the Gunjou Institute, a school for people who decidedly cannot be adapted to live in society. The main characters are a group of eight students forming the school's Broadcasting Club. Upon returning from a camping trip, they find out that all of humanity has disappeared from the world.



The majority of the plot of Cross†Channel spans one week... for at the end of the week, the world as well as the memories of the eight are reset and the week starts over. You follow the story through the eyes of Taichi Kurosu, the most unadaptable student of all, going through the same week over and over again but with notable differences every time. Perhaps there is a way to escape the loop...

Structure



For almost the entirety of the story, the same week is repeated over and over again. However, there is always a way to 'advance' the plot by getting a particular ending; which then allows you to make new choices on the next loop which in turn leads to different outcomes yet again.

If you fail to get the ending required to advance the plot, you will simply loop the exact same week once more. As such, there are no bad endings. The only event that actually ends the game is you finishing it by reaching the true end.

The order in which you need to get the endings is pretty much enforced. Each corresponds to one of the female characters in the game.



Story

Cross†Channel starts off on a rather light tone with a lot of comedic scenes. It's not until the end of the first week, where the situation and setting are actually revealed, that things start taking a turn for the darker.



There are good reasons for why the characters are considered unadaptable to society and were sent off to Gunjou Institute. The various reasons are gradually explored over the loops and it can get really heavy. My face during the entire latter two thirds of the story was this and only this:



But one of the most remarkable things about Cross†Channel's story is its narration. Taichi Kurosu is one of the most interesting and unique narrators I've seen in any story to date. You could say he doesn't think like "normal people" would. It's something irreplaceable that changes the way you perceive the entirety of Cross†Channel.



In the end, I very much enjoyed the story. The character arcs only got better and better. There were many scenes that were difficult to read, but that's what happens when you mix heavy thematics with a very immersive and gripping narration.

And then there's the H, oh my god is there an abundance of H in this game. Probably the most in such a condensed period of time I've ever seen. However they make a vast atmospheric difference so I can't even recommend using an all-ages patch. Simply put, if you don't like 18+ stories, this novel is not for you.

Characters



This is where Cross†Channel either shines or fails, because if you don't care for the characters - especially the protagonist - the setup quickly falls apart.

The protagonist, Taichi Kurosu, is one of the most interesting and well-written characters in any visual novel as far as I'm concerned. Sometimes he's likeable, other times he's outright terrifying; but it never feels out of character. He's what made this visual novel for me and I very much appreciated the way the many unique situations in the story paint him in a different light depending on how you look at them.

Given how much time he spends sexually harassing the female characters, I really didn't expect to end up thinking as highly of him as I do now. Though again, it's not that he's always the most likeable guy; in fact he has a very dark side to him. See this scene:



The heroines on the other hand I found to be rather average. They never get much screen time outside of their own arc, which is fine, but even so a lot of them never interested me much. This problem gets better as time goes on, thankfully, as even characters without much relevance for a large part of the plot get some extra focus near the end. By the last few chapters I found myself somewhat invested in most of them, just not nearly as much as with Taichi.

I do appreciate that all of them have a very distinct way of reacting to and dealing with Taichi's antics. It makes all their relationships feel very unique.



There are a few supporting characters, but they get practically no development and aren't particularly noteworthy.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Cross†Channel is quite good. While a lot of tracks are rather forgettable, especially the comedic ones, some tracks are incredible at building atmosphere. School days is a prime example, followed by tracks such as Silence, Fragile and of course Signal, which is just immensely chilling.

Some of these will stick with you for a long time.



Summary

Overall I have to say reading Cross†Channel was a fairly unique experience. It deals with quite heavy themes, but unlike other visual novels it's not out to bring you to tears or to make you think and reflect on it, it just puts itself out there and what you make of it is completely up to you. What you see doesn't necessarily line up with what it means and there are many different possible interpretations which is something I can respect.

I loved getting an insight into Taichi's psyche and worldview. Despite his massively different way of thinking and occasional appalling actions I rarely felt as connected to a main character's emotional state as I did with him. And of course, his narration is absolutely amazing.



Then there's Tower of Friends, also known as Cross†'Channel, a short epilogue-like addon. I can't even begin to describe it. It's easily one of the most disturbing parts of the story and can change the way you look at the entire story. That's all I have to say about it.

Ultimately I give Cross†Channel a score of

8 / 10

It's not a must-read, and it's definitely not for everyone, but it has some very interesting aspects especially in regards to its storytelling and writing. If that intrigues you, give it a read. You may find it to be surprisingly captivating.


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