Idk they seemed genuine. Also it's probably a super small group of ppl working on it. I won't lie updates are taking longer than usual. When I've seen them role out updates with more animations and scenes faster in the past.
They may be super small group of people and cousins making animations or whatever. But they are taking right now 16,900 USD just from Patreon monthly. Other "small groups" are making H games as project and use these money for the game. This group is taking money for their living (not assuming, they told it) but if you take so much money for yourself as payment, you actually work. Play the new part of this game and tell me they are working 5 times a week 8 hours a day. They worked on this like 14 days at maximum. Also they don't report their work constantly, which should be normal. They just give you one Noriko animation which some cosin is making and then "bad news" - you will have to wait another month. And what did we got? It's so bad that it's literally unplayable and you have to save the game every 15 seconds to be able to finish the game.
And btw I already told them they can hire people with this much money. Other games are hiring even professional voice acters and they take multiple times less money than this game.
Fr all these people should focus on new part of this game and then think again if this is really worth around 70k USD from Patreon and more thousands from this page. And if this is really work which takes half year. Literally 1 amateur person would do more content and for free as a project. Mainly it would be at least playable. This is not playable.