Revue Starlight El Dorado

I finished the Revue Starlight El Dorado VN! Revue Starlight was one of those series where I initially never got into because I kind of filed it under the same umbrella as Bandori and other idol shows (I’M SORRY, I saw bushiroad and the gacha so…). When I ended up watching it with a friend I was impressed, and then when I watched the movie I was blown away, so I was looking forward to reading the VN since it had come out!

To get some bad out of the way first though… The first two routes I felt weren’t distinct enough for the characters enough to make me feel too invested. While the new scenes and some of the new character dynamics were interesting, it ultimately felt like a rehash and I wish that the first two routes got more. The ends felt abrupt and the length/what they showed in the play didn’t really hook me as much as I would’ve wanted.

But as a whole, I think the last two routes definitely saved the VN for me. There are still some issues I have with it, the repeated scenes I think could’ve been done better and I would’ve preferred it if there were more variations or maybe different scenes showed with each route (which admittedly would be hard but it would’ve kept things feeling more fresh). The Kiriko and Shion dynamics were cool to see too and I think the ending route showing their relationship was really good (the ring scene…). Also the OST and art were good! Minus the fact that some character’s didn’t get their sprites in certain roles, I thought that was a bit of a shame.

I think unsurprisingly, Mahiru/Nana route was my favourite. This is more or less what I had wanted from the first two routes, the last two routes felt like they each had their own way of making the play their own, and that’s what made them stand out to me more than just what essentially felt like a rehash of the movie’s character development plus repeating the same themes.

Mahiru was also really good too, and I think that together they formed a pretty interesting dynamic. I was a fan of how the play also developed in a different way.

I did like how each character was essentially chasing after their own revenge though and the way they showcased it as part of the play’s story. It helped each actor feel in tune with the characters they were playing (the last two routes especially).

But of course what really stole the show was the ending sequence. From showing the dynamic between Hikari and Judy, to everyone showing up in their own way and showing how they’ve grown and decided on their new path, to the grand ending… The grand ending was really good. It was like a nice addition to the movie’s epilogue and I’ll admit it, they got me. The giraffe…

Overall, I think as an extra, this felt like a nice bridge between the movie’s ending and the epilogue of the movie. I think I have some qualms over considering it as anything more than supplemental content though, whereas with the movie compared to the show I thought the movie was brilliant and impactful enough that it did feel like a proper sequel. I might try out the bonus mode for fun later, that’s definitely a cool idea though.