Chuusotsu: A Thought-Provoking Story in a Lighthearted Package
After I played the demo for Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time, I backed it on Kickstarter.
From the demo, I expected it to be a lighthearted, funny story set in a weird world with a wacky dystopian setting.
And it was! But it was also much more than that.
In this world, everyone is given a seal that determines their job and capabilities. The main character, Arue, is a Chuusotsu, someone who didn’t graduate from middle school and therefore lost her seal. Without a seal, she is both physically and mentally weak, but she signs up for a program that will help her get a chance to take a re-evaluation test.
She and two other Chuusotsu girls are given an apartment to stay in, but there is a condition: they have one week to reach full synchronization with each other and answer the philosophical question, “What makes a wonderful life?”
As I read it (it’s a kinetic novel, so there are no choices), my first impression was that it was the most lighthearted dystopian story I’d ever seen. The three main characters are lovable, there’s lots of goofy moments, and it made me laugh… despite the obvious dystopian setup of their society.
Yet as I read more, the story became more meaningful. It’s pretty funny at times, but it also takes a serious look at Arue’s past and the decisions that brought her to this point. Arue is also torn between two things: what she believes she needs to do (pass the re-evaluation and become a government worker to support her family) and what she wants to do (write manga). You might see the ultimate message coming from a mile away, but it takes a serious, heartfelt journey to get there.
And it doesn’t shy away from the dark side of the setting, either. My early view of it didn’t quite hold up. It has lighthearted moments for sure, but it knows it’s a dystopia.
There were a few twists in the story I never saw coming, and while the main plot wraps up nicely, it does leave several questions for the potential continuation teased at the end.
Click for major Chuusotsu spoilerMore than anything, I’m curious about how they changed Kokoro’s fate. Arue credits the butterfly effect with altering certain things, and that works for most of the changes (in one scene, Arue notices that the anti-Chuusotsu message board gets more extreme in each loop, and I assume that is tied to how they interacted with Kokoro and what she witnessed them doing), but not that final change.
Kokoro would have already had her job long before that week, so how did their final time leap change that? She also spoke differently, which makes me believe it wasn’t a sudden change.
Since the Soul Link machine keeps a record of being activated even after a time leap, my guess is that it–whatever its true purpose is–played some role in changing Kokoro’s past.
There’s a side story coming up next that I’m excited for, but even more than that, I hope they write (and translate) a sequel. I’d love to see more in this universe.
Overall, Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time is a thought-provoking visual novel with a good message about friendship, following your passions, and what makes a wonderful life. It looks cute and quirky on the surface, but it also has a lot of depth.
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