Chuusotsu! 1.5th Graduation: The Moving Castle

The Moving Castle is, as the title implies, not quite a sequel and more like an expansion of the original Chuusotsu game, perhaps setting the stage for a proper second game. As such, it's a much shorter affair (about 3-4 hours), still in kinetic form. At the same time, I felt the shorter length is welcomed since I'm not a fun of monstrously long works and the characters really help carrying the events. The story this time follows Arue and her newfound friends through the process of creating a doujin manga for a futuristic Comiket-like event, again, all tinted in the same dystopian and (this time around) EXTREMELY dark background of the world they are living in. This time another character is added to the roster, a cute meganekko (my weak spot) called Mogami that's just great and it would be a shame if she doesn't show up in the sequel. You heard me devs! Give more meganekko love! Ahem, keeping it serious, the story takes a moment to call out on the prepotence of artists, criticism ov...

STORY: Chuusotsu 1.5th Graduation is a side story to the original 1st Graduation, with the same three young female protagonists from the original story, this time with a focus on the lead character's and a brand new character to the series desires to be both manga creator, despite the odds stacked against them. As with the original version, it is a straightforward story with a single predictable ending, with a largely comical and lighthearted mood in nature, with some more serious self-reflection chapters along the way. And as in the original version, it tends to do neither particularly well, in fact managing to be blander and more forgettable than the original. ARTWORK: The characters sprites and drawings are the same as in the original version - ok, but no more than that. They feel monotone and on the unpolished side, no animations and there is relatively few variety of facial expressions. It further suffers from the complete lack of CGs, in contrast with the original story, wh...

Overall a good read. Arue and crew come back to join in the usual hijinks. The story is an interesting story looking into the passion of manga (and hentai) artists. Sadly a little to short, but with the .5 it was to be expected. Fans looking for more Chuusotsu will be happy with this addition. If you have not read the first graduation, I highly recommend that one first.

So this is a sequel/side-story to Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation. It is a decent kinetic novella, and if you liked the prior story should be quite enjoyable. No choices, just reading. I will note that there appears to be a blurb hinting at another graduation in the future...

Comrade!!

We see the return of the Chuusotsu girls in this short and sweet sequel, a tale of pursuing your dream and passion. Be sure to play this one if you enjoyed the first Chuusotsu! Now waiting for the 2nd graduation...

If you loved [url=store.steampowered.com/app/630870/Chuusotsu_1st_Graduation_Time_After_Time/] the first Chuusotsu [/url] , you'll love this. If you haven't played the first, check that out first. The Chuusotsu are as adorable and heartwarming as ever, meeting new friends and facing new challenges in this short-story follow up to the original. With the reduced voice cast I missed hearing Holos voice since I had really enjoyed her affectations and mannerisms. The price is a little high for the length, but I am very okay with paying that because I enjoy this franchise that much.

short but sweet fandisc, great fun if you liked the base game

Short, fun follow up to the original Chuusotsu with many of the same themes and messages, but not conveyed as thoroughly or cleverly. Still, if you like the first game, give this one a try. 5/10

Maybe it'll be surprising, but I enjoyed 1.5 a bit more than the original game. Yes, it's shorter and isn't that deep, but it was a consistently fun ride. Made me realize how much I ended up caring about the cast, so it's going to be pretty painful to hope for a continuation... (←no news since 2020)