FLOWERS -Le volume sur printemps- 🌺 Visual Novel Informal Club

[BobTheKanji]

Finished chapter 2. But first some general nonspoiler thoughts.

Shirahane Suoh reminds me of Sawako Kuronuma from Kimi ni Todoke. Both have long black hair.
Both are sheltered, soft spoken and had no friends before high school. But Suoh ist less autistic and more gay.

I appreciate that the backlog goes back beyond the point where you loaded the game. Most visual novels I’m familiar with don’t.

Chapter 2

I thought for sure that Rikka was the one who stole the books.

I was sure there was going to be this whole arc where the prim and proper Rikka who always follows rules has secretly this whole dark side that has cleptomania. To be frank, I hate this trope. It made me like Rikka less. And I thought Suoh doesn’t need this kind of drama. All reasons not to go for a Rikka route.

And then Suoh had this sudden insight and I was completely lost. Some was later explained. But I still don’t understand it all.

• Why did Suoh suddenly know there was an additional student in class? Something about what Mayuri said about most of the class being there for ballet practise?
• How did she know which room to go to? Something about a room without a number?
• They later spoke about one book in Rikka’s bed not belonging to the library. Was this established before?
• How (except enabling hints in the config) was I supposed to know that Wuthering Heights (嵐が丘) had the hint for Erikas name? Process of elimination?
• How was I supposed to know her name is Erika? I suppose you could expect a native speaker to pick on the flower thing, and maybe Erika was the only flowery option. But you can’t expect everyone to be familiar with the book. How did the English translation handle this?

Also: Why did Erika not attend class even though she lived at school? The bad end didn’t show her comming to class on her own later. And who is her roommate? She should in theory have two Amitiė. But the visuals showed two beds. And how did she know the names, offices and room of Suoh, Rikka and Mayuri? Though I think those things might become clear in the next chapters.

Overall, I’m glad Rikka didn’t take those books. And Erika seems like an interesting character. So I’m happy with the events. I just can’t quite follow them.

My thoughts about Erika: She seems to be some kind of tsundere.
On one hand she hides in her room and acts like a villain from a mystery novel. On the other hand, she seems to have put quite some effort into knowing about her new class, wanted to be found, wanted her name to be known. And she seems to have been really sorry about causing trouble for Erika.

Also, her Voice Sakura Ayane / 佐倉 綾音 is the only one I recognized from anime so far. I kind of liked that it dind’t sound like an anime so far. But there isn’t anyting actually wrong with her voice.

And I got my first end (by intentionally messing up the deduction section). But it got listed as Bad End 02 in the end list. So I guess I missed one. No matter, I’m going to through it all again with a guide anyway.

[AzusaChan]

@BobTheKanji

Shirahane Suoh reminds me of Sawako Kuronuma from Kimi ni Todoke.

I actually had that same thought when I first read the VN. Although as the VN went on, they started to feel less and less similar but it was my first thought at the start. I do like both characters.

Chapter 2 stuff

@BobTheKanji

Something about what Mayuri said about most of the class being there for ballet practise?

I think Mayuri said something like there was about half the people at ballet practice and that set Suoh off but not really sure why it did to be honest. During the “reasoning” section, Suoh said the class list only had 23 names? Not sure how Mayuri would know there was a 24th student, don’t remember it being mentioned.

@BobTheKanji

They later spoke about one book in Rikka’s bed not belonging to the library. Was this established before?

I think that was only established as Suoh was explaining everything.

@BobTheKanji

How (except enabling hints in the config) was I supposed to know that Wuthering Heights (嵐が丘) had the hint for Erikas name? Process of elimination?

Unless you’re familiar with the book I’m guessing it’d be near impossible to know. You’d need to know the other options contains names for the other girls.

@BobTheKanji

How did the English translation handle this?

From what I remember when I read it in English, they just explained the Japanese flower language thing during that explanation and how heath = Erika.

Some of the stuff doesn’t make sense/the average person wouldn’t be able to solve it but I just chalk it up to Suoh basically being a genius.

[AzusaChan]

Chapter 4 thoughts

Feels bad for Suoh when she was in the bathing area and overheard Mayuri and Rikka’s conversation about Mayuri not wanting to further their relationship. I am curious how Suoh was able to hide the entire time and eavesdrop though. Feels like if shes able to overhear their entire conversation, she’d be easily visible somewhere. Wonder how she left without them seeing her.

The amitié interview was interesting. Having all 3 of the girls together during the interview makes it kind of awkward answering some of these questions. Asking Suoh which girl she is closer with right in front of them is odd

The Sasaki twins were kind of cruel in this chapter. Teasing Mayuri when she was looking at Rikka during the measurement scene and then the fake “love letter” they put into Suoh’s bag.
I don’t think they had malicious intent but rather lack the emotional maturity to understand what they were doing. Their tone changed quick when they realized Suoh was hurt but they should have known better than to play that type of prank. Suoh literally asked them to be friends back in the first chapter so it feels extra bad to play this type of prank on her. Also hate how they take a shot at Mayuri during that scene

I loved when Suoh was asking Rikka about presents and they were both misunderstanding the situation. For how smart Suoh is, sometimes she misses some obvious stuff.

When she finally realizes it is Rikka’s birthday party

My favorite part was even after she realized it was Rikka’s birthday, she was all that’s Mayuri’s cake not yours. At least Rikka took it pretty well. I imagine that would make for a pretty awkward situation for most people.

I never really liked the resolution with the Sasaki twins here. They kind of apologized here but Suoh did all the heavy lifting and made them treats too & apologized herself. I don’t really think Suoh had any reason to apologize in that situation to them but sometimes she is just way too nice.

Very good chapter overall. The ending scene with Suoh washing Mayuri’s hair was pretty cute too.

[BobTheKanji]

I finished chapter 3.

I do like the game so far. I do laugh quite often. So far, it seems like a wholesome game, which I like. Yes, there is some drama. But it seems like there is a line that doesn’t get crossed in order to keep the game fun and the characters likeable.

I remember really enjoying reading this chapter. I even made screenshots on interesting lines to remember what to write about. But now I can’t think of much.

Chapter 3

I think Mayuri san seems conscious of girls being close. I have this theory that Mayuri might be gay. I know it might seem far fetched in this kind of game…

Though if she is in the closet she seems to be bad at it. That sounds gay.

Those smiles were so cruel.

Why do Japanese people always if their stomach aches? Are stomach aches a common thing in Japan? I suspect its some kind of pretence, a socially accepted way to feel bad.

I never knew hanba-gu and hanba-ga are different words. I always wondered why Japanese say hamburger when they meant a meat paddy.

Dark city is a good movie.

Now to the drama and mystery.

I didn’t quite understand exactly why Suoh and Mayuri were so awkward around each other.

About why Italy: I think my text might be different from yours? In my text, the hint for Komikado’s country of origin was “a country with a country in it”. They speculated it could be America, probably because of its federal structure. After the mystery scene the reason for Italy was sayd to be that it has the Vatican and San Marino in it. Two sovereign (city) states which are surrounded by Italy.

What was the riddle in your version?

And why 17? I mean, who (among the players or the students in the game) knows 17 is an unlucky number in Italy? And if you pose a quizz in Japan, the unlucky number should obviously refer to the unlucky number in Japan, even if you are yourself Italian. And Komikado isn’t even fully Italian. Also, why do I still get the bad end if I guess the country wrong, but guess the correct number?

Though I do like Suoh being a little master detective. It’s cute. It gives here a way to show confidence and impress people.

I kind of wished Suoh had told Mayuri at least a little bit about her troubles. Mayuri saying it’s okay not to talk about it felt a little distant to me. Maybe it’s taken as obvious, but even just “I have bad memories with the piano” would clarify a lot and not share all that much.

[AzusaChan]

Ch3 mystery

@BobTheKanji

About why Italy: I think my text might be different from yours? In my text, the hint for Komikado’s country of origin was “a country with a country in it”. They speculated it could be America, probably because of its federal structure. After the mystery scene the reason for Italy was sayd to be that it has the Vatican and San Marino in it. Two sovereign (city) states which are surrounded by Italy.

What was the riddle in your version?

That’s interesting, it looks like they fixed it since the original one didn’t make sense. In the original, the question was キリスト教徒が一番多い国はどこでしょうか and they explained it was Italy because Rome is located there which doesn’t really make much sense. The one in the 四季 edition sounds a lot more logical and easier to solve. I wish they had ported that edition to PC

[BobTheKanji]

Chapter 4

Why didn’t they put up a partition?

Interesting saying. Like a pidgeon hit by a peashooter.

@AzusaChan I’m not quite sure what the letter incident was supposed to be. If you think of it as just a prank, it’s pretty mean. But it could also have been supposed to be an earnest “declaration of friendship”?

Didn’t the developers know that catholic priests are supposed to live celibate?

I was surprised there wasn’t a mystery to solve this time. I also didn’t catch how it came to be that Suoh was washing Mayuri’s hair. Weren’t all the flashbacks supposed to lead to that?

[AzusaChan]

Chapter 5 thoughts

I liked the beginning with the pickle mishap with Suoh thinking they were eating super expired pickles. Thankfully Yuzu was able to give us an explanation on the different system of dates.

Starting to get into the seven mysteries of the school was fun and how they all lead to disappearances. I also like how Neri told them how to do the whole ritual and was like now don’t go do it yourself~ then immediately cuts to them doing it.

We got to learn about Suoh’s first crush. She certainly has an interesting taste. Suoh’s excitement at going to the bathroom at night was funny too.

I love how the twins have a 林檎 plushie on their bed.

The mystery in this chapter was okay I thought. I guess there were some clues there for the player to piece it together but I’m not sure how many people would be able to “solve” it before Suoh’s explanation. The twins are cheating for hiding their mole too so you can’t tell them apart.
I can understand the twins being bored of the school. Seems like they really don’t have options to do much outside of read or those tea parties. I feel like their plan to actually escape was pretty silly but they’re young so makes sense. I did like the scene overall though and I think it really highlighted how good the voice actors are in this.

I also like how they’re having an emotional moment and Rikka is all what about me

[Akashelia]

Chapter 5

@AzusaChan

The twins are cheating for hiding their mole too so you can’t tell them apart.

As soon as the introduction showed them with the different mole but at the same placement, I thought for sure at one point or another they will swap places and pretend to be the other one. Though I thought it would be easier to draw another dot than remove one.

@AzusaChan

I feel like their plan to actually escape was pretty silly

Thought that too, was a bit disappointed that this was the reason, just being bored, then why not just go home.

[BobTheKanji]

I read Chapter 5. I’m catching up to you guys. Not that it’s a race, but if it were I would stand a chance now. I do expect to need a bit longer to read the other route and get the other ends.

I don’t really feel like writing much. Though for reasond entirely unrelated to the game.

Chapter 5

The one thing I wanted to mention was how cute Ringo (if was her, right?) was when she was clearly feeling bad .

[Akashelia]

Nice that you are tagging along I’m super looking forward to go back to playing Flowers when we start on the second one!

[2OC3aOdKgwSGlxfz]

Welp, as expected this VN is on another level of difficulty. I’ve been reading it at the glacial speed of 15k characters per week, but finally completed chapter 2.

Chapter 2 spoilers

Yes! Time for the entrance of my favorite character, Erika. How can one not love her devilish feline smile that clearly shows she’s plotting some mischief!?

Also oof, I didn’t remember this first mystery to be that ridiculously hard. Back when I played this in English I didn’t use a guide, so it must have been educated guessing + sheer repetition to figure her name out during the reasoning phase.

But seriously, figuring out that Suoh is a name of a plant whose western counterpart is called the Judas tree is kinda too much. During the reasoning Suoh mentions how the Judas Gospel was related to her, but there was no way in hell I would have figured how. I did a quick check the WIkipedia pages for 蘇芳 but it doesn’t mention the Judas Tree at all - not even the English version of it (Biancaea sappan). I wonder how that puzzle looks like for a Japanese person - as far as I know 花言葉 is somewhat popular so maybe it’s not that bad?

[BobTheKanji]

Chapter 6 spoilers

Oh, wow. I hate it.

[BobTheKanji]

Mayuri end spoiler

Wow. I hate that one, too. Who comes up with that stuff? Why did Mayuri have to leave and how is that a satisfying ending?

Now I still have the Rikka end to read. But I already hate Rikka because after what she’s done at the end of chapter 6 she has become a villain. Although if she leaves school at her end, too, that would probably be too my liking.

My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.

I hope the other games are better.

[AzusaChan]

I’ve been busy recently so I’ve fallen behind a bit but I’m almost done with ch6 and will post my thoughts when I get there. Since I’ve read the series before in eng I’ll reply to the mayuri end stuff though.

Mayuri end reply

@BobTheKanji

Who comes up with that stuff? Why did Mayuri have to leave and how is that a satisfying ending?

The 4 games are one continuous thing so the ending may be unsatisfying in the moment but I didn’t think it was bad. I remember when I first read the VN and after the Tota Pulchra Es performance I felt huge anxiety that something bad was going to happen since the game kept going on. The CG at the end with poor Suoh and the line about her praying to god for the very first time was very emotionally impactful for me. I personally started Ete right after that back then cause I couldn’t wait to find out what was happening thank you all for patiently waiting for us to start Ete next month

[macalys]

Sorry to barge in, but how does Agent works ? Can you connect it to the game when it’s running or do you have to go search for the files of the game in the depth of the hard drive ?

[BobTheKanji]

Mayuri end spoiler

I have to confess I didn’t always get everything because of the language barrier. And I didn’t look up unknown words that often. I missed the part where she was praying. I shall take another look.

My impression was that it was left unstated why Mayuri left. Is that correct?

I didn’t do much research before starting those games (intentionally).
I thought each game had it’s own story and characters and the main characters from previous games would only appear as fan service, if at all.

I thought Rikka’s end was canonical for the next game?

[AzusaChan]

Before the game starts, open up agent and go to the scripts to select the game like this.

After that, hold onto the cross-hair icon and drag it into the game window and it will connect that way.

Then click on attach and it should work. If you have any problems let me know and I’ll do my best to help

Mayuri end spoiler

@BobTheKanji

My impression was that it was left unstated why Mayuri left. Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct. They did not explain what happened/why she left in Printemps.

@BobTheKanji

I thought each game had it’s own story and characters and the main characters from previous games would only appear as fan service, if at all.

It is one continuous story with only like a few in-game weeks in between each game. Each game has a canon ending that the next game will follow up on. Suoh and everyone will still be a big part of the story the entire time.

@BobTheKanji

I thought Rikka’s end was canonical for the next game?

I will put it behind spoilers in case you don’t want to know yet but the Mayuri end is the canon end.

[macalys]

Thank you !

[2OC3aOdKgwSGlxfz]

Chapter 3 spoilers

Yey, finally finished this chapter! Hopefully I will be able to go a bit quicker now that the Fatal Twelve club is complete.

I think this is the chapter that starts showing the big strengths of this VN. Yuzuriha and Nerine are such an amazing pair - Yuzuriha’s over-the-top playfulness, with Nerine watching over to make sure she doesn’t get out of control. The back and forths between them and Suoh are so fun to read. It’s easy to see that Yuzuriha is actually very kind despite some of her mean teases.

Regarding the mystery in this chapter, I believe part of the confusion is that in the original question the word “キリスト教徒” is used (which means “Christian”), but when Suoh actually explains her reasoning to Mayuri, she uses “カソリック”.

So, while certainly the country with the highest number of christians is USA, most of them are protestants (in particular, anglicans), and not catholics. So my best guess is that the author confused the terms.

I’m not completely sure, though, since Italy is still not the country with most catholics. Most countries in Latin America have Catholicism as their primary religion (due to being Spanish colonies back in the day), and quite a few of them have more of them than Italy.

[AzusaChan]

Chapter 6 thoughts

This chapter is pretty intense with all the things that happen. Rikka’s jealously keeps getting worse throughout and it kind of feels like she hates Mayuri. I don’t think they ever developed that friendly of a relationship in the earlier chapters and Rikka has like no hesitation here to betray her.

It was pretty funny to see how excited Rikka was to play the role of Mary and then not get selected.

The first scene in the library at night with Mayuri and Suoh was very touching. Its definitely up there in my favorite scenes in this game, having Mayuri open her heart out to Suoh.

Innocent Grey games love to switch to NVL style and PoV switches for some big scenes like this and I’ve always thought it was a nice touch. Rikka feels like pure evil for planning this type of betrayal though…

The late night ballet practice was cute too, especially when Suoh was talking about her phobia of butterflies